I built a 25ft replica of the Blackpool Tower with glowing lights in my garden – I couldn’t believe the reaction from my neighbors

A MAN has built a 25ft replica of the Blackpool Tower in his back garden – and you won’t believe the reaction from his neighbours.

Retired Sales Manager Doug Smith, 63, based in Hambleton, near Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashirebought it for £3,000 a decade ago and had it restored to its former glory.

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Doug said: “It was made by apprentices at Vickers during World War II and ended up being possessed as a symbol of Blackpool tourism and traveled the country to exhibitions for them.

“Then in the 70s he was left behind in Cornwallin the 80s, he ended up in Wolverhampton and in the 1990s it was brought back to Preston.

“I bought it because in my sales career I made a lot of money on the promenade in Blackpool and it was a great reminder of those days.

“I also imagined it for the roof of my project cottagebut someone from the council told me that we couldn’t put it on the roof, or put lights on it.

“But that’s a gray area and I got around that a bit by putting it on a frame that’s above the roof and we only turn the lights on for special occasions.

“The last time the lights came on was for Platinum Jubilee and I put them on for special world events – I had them in commemoration after the Manchester Arena attack.

The replica is now a key item after Doug opened for AirBnB guests.

The bed and breakfast called the Tower Annex – which sleeps up to four people – has a French window that opens onto a terrace with the replica of the famous Blackpool Tower a few steps above O’Smither’s pub with a swimming pool next door.

And Doug does the room as on the opening offer at £80 a night for two, with an extra £20 on top if another couple is happy to sleep on the sofa bed.

Doug said: ‘For our guests it’s not every day that you wake up after a few beers at the weekend with the tower of Blackpool staring you in the face, but it’s a way of life for me.

“Airbnb is a brand new idea and we are looking forward to welcoming our first guests at the introductory offer price of £80 for a couple.”

You would think that with such a tall structure, the neighbors might object to it, but it seems they rather like it.

Doug said: “We had the tower for eight months last year for refurbishment and I know a lot of local kids missed it.

CHARITY EVENTS

‘Blackpool has the real tower and the real ballroom, but we have charity events here about four or five times a year and can add a marquee for dancing at the back of the ‘pub’.

“We always get a special events license if we have a charity event and invite all the neighbors.

“We hosted a charity golf day for the Seven Stars, the other local pub this week – with 45 teams playing and raising money for the two hospices in Blackpool – Brian House Children’s Hospice and Trinity Hospice.

“All the fundraising we do is for local charities, so we have a lot of support from people here.”

“The neighbors are happy as we are raising money for local charities and we started a trend with people following the Smiths as I now know a few others who have pub sheds in the garden.”

A neighbor said: ‘Funny because when we are on the coast we can see Blackpool Tower in the distance and when we open the curtains we can now see another Blackpool Tower in Doug’s back garden .

“We would probably complain if it was as big as the other in Blackpool, but it’s not and it’s great fun and Doug and his wife Caroline do a lot for local charities.”

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