Deansgate in Blackpool Town Centre

We’re taking a look around some of the best known roads across the Fylde Coast. This page is about Deansgate in Blackpool Town Centre. What’s there now, how it started and some ‘Did you Know’ moments…

Deansgate in Blackpool Town Centre

Deansgate runs from the A586 at Cookson Street in the Talbot Gateway area of town which is undergoing huge redevelopment. It passes the front entrance of Talbot Road multi-storey car park and crosses Topping Street quite close to Yorkshire Fisheries. A small section of highway continues through the junction and turns left to form Edward Street. But Deansgate continues straight ahead past small shops and the telephone exchange, and Abingdon Barbecue on the corner! Cross Abingdon Street and a narrow, alley-like Deansgate continues a little further at the other side of the road, past the door of the Old Rock Factory. It ends in a dead-end behind the new Premier Inn.

Now and Then – on Deansgate in Blackpool Town Centre

This is another of the old streets of Blackpool. Who knows what sights it’s seen over the years?

We now know the building on the corner of Deansgate/Topping Street as the Prudential Buildings. For many years it was the site of the Talbot Inn/Hotel, built in 1845. With an attractive pebbled facade, a bowling green and its own livery stables, it must have been an impressive sight, back in the day. After a brief spell as the Talbot Arms Hotel in the 1840s and 50s it was renamed the Talbot Hotel in the 1890s, after being greatly extended to the eastern side. The Talbot Hotel Mews Livery Stables offered ‘stylish wagonettes’ for trips to Fleetwood, Lytham, Staining and Singleton.

However, the bowling green was dug up in 1966 and the hotel demolished in 1968. The Prudential House buildings and shops below soon appeared on the site. Including Ron Reddy’s Butchers, the Salad Bowl greengrocers, Heyes Brothers Furniture and the Topping Street Co-op supermarket – later to become Iceland.

Talbot Terrace also once stood against the hotel, which later became the bus station and is now part of the Phase 1 development of Talbot Gateway.

Improving Deansgate

Deansgate was one of the Blackpool town centre streets to benefit from a £7m project to improve public realm.

The ‘Quality Corridors’ scheme improved main access streets into the town centre. Streets to benefit included Church Street, Dickson Road, Talbot Road, Caunce Street and Cookson Street.

The improvement works between July 2019 and summer 2020 created a better overall appearance as well as safer roads for all users. Changes included resurfacing pavements and roads, new trees, benches and bins. Plus improved paving at crossings with sensors to help blind and partially sighted people.

Improving Shop Fronts

Along with improvements to the roads and pavements, the project also involved working with local businesses to help them improve their shop fronts, making both their businesses and the town centre look more appealing. In this area you’ll see a number of premises with new, traditional shop front designs. It’s certainly made a difference to the look of the area.