Famous dance floor sanded and resealed for first time in 30 years
IT IS one of the most spectacular dance arenas in the world.
The Blackpool Tower Ballroom has attracted an elegant crowd since it opened in 1894 and has more recently become a famous location for Strictly Come Dancing.
Now work has been taking place to restore a vital part of the much-loved space – the dance floor.
Wood-sanding technicians have been working to restore the floor to its original state ahead of the ballroom’s annual reopening on Saturday.
It is the first time in more than 30 years that the floor has undergone such extensive work.
A spokesman for the ballroom said: “The Blackpool Tower Ballroom is world-famous for its unique sprung dance floor and spectacular architecture and remains to this day a destination for dance fans from across the globe.”
A team of floor restoration experts was brought in to break down more than 100 layers of lacquer, before the floor was sanded down and resealed.
The floor, which measures 120ft by 102ft, is made up of 30,602 blocks of oak, mahogany and walnut placed together to create a unique design.
The refurbishment work has taken around three weeks.
The ballroom is a destination for dance fans from across the globe. A spokesman for the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
The dance floor is surrounded by ornate architecture and an inscription above the ballroom’s stage –“Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear”– is from a poem by Shakespeare – Venus and Adonis.
Each of the large crystal chandeliers in the ballroom can be lowered to the floor and take over a week to clean.
The first Wurlitzer organ was installed in the ballroom in 1929. It was replaced in 1935 with one designed to Sheffieldborn organist Reginald Dixon’s specification.