(First official ascent of Blackpool Tower)

Stewart Hulse. MBE.
President; Langdale-Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team

By a strange coincidence while preparing to write this article, I came across a wonderful tribute to Ray Greenall by John Brailsford, (Loose Scree; May 2003).

Around April 1975 Peter Greenall, (Ray’s brother) who was then Team Leader of the Langdale-Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team. Was contacted by officials of a convalescent home in Blackpool, which gave assistance and shelter to ex-servicemen.

The British Limbless Ex-servicemen’s Association (BLESMA) had to rely on raising income by voluntary donations, so every year they would have a week of intensive fund raising.

When Pete returned from his first meeting with the management committee of the BLESMA home, he called a few of us together to see if we were interested in climbing Blackpool Tower, for a very worthy charity. We all unanimously agreed that it would be an unusual challenge, but we would be helping a worthwhile cause to raise a few “bob”.

Our only concern was that we would be attempting something that was completely new, climbing on steel girders without a rehearsal, questioned our sanity, as a friend of mine bluntly put it, when he heard that I was going to climb the tower “Have you lost your bloody marbles Hulsey” mind you this particular mate of mine would sit in a pub from morning till night, exercise was a dirty word and he thought “Scrabble” was a contact sport.

This “climb” hung in the balance for a few weeks, as it would only go ahead if the Directors of the Blackpool Tower Company, would ease their rigid stance of not allowing anyone, no matter who they were, to climb the “tower”, many had tried, but all had been refused.

To cut a long story short, permission was granted, but with conditions, first we had to sign individual indemnities, relieving the “tower company” of all responsibilities. There would be no “live” person in the mock mountain rescue stretcher lower and a Doctor and two nurses would have to be in attendance at the foot of the tower in case of an accident.

The last condition made us all chuckle a little, if we did happen to fall off during the climb, we thought a refuse lorry and a few plastics bags would be more appropriate.

Pete had previously outlined the climbing plan and who would climb with whom; he then said he wanted a volunteer to be “barrow boy” on the stretcher lowering event. Quick as a flash he said “Thanks Stewart, you have done it many times before for real, this one is a piece of cake”. I have cleaned his comment up somewhat, but to this day I do not remember putting my name forward for this task. Having been in the Army doing my National Service it was instilled into me, “never volunteer for owt”

Early on Monday 21 July 1975 the climbing team made our way from the Lake District to Blackpool, our rendezvous point was the Winter Gardens a well known theatre. Where we would parade down the promenade with our escorts from the show business world, who would collect donations from the thousands of people lining the road to the tower, while we would walk behind the circus elephants, trying desperately to avoid the giant mounds of the “brown stuff”, our African “friends” had deposited all over the road.

The crowds of locals and holiday makers on the promenade below the tower, according to the police were numbered in there thousands; in fact the road would be closed for the next hour and a half.

Our communication officer Tony Richards would keep in radio contact with us all from the mountain rescue Landrover, which was situated on the promenade. At this point Tony informed us that the parachute display had to be cancelled, because the wind speed was beyond the parameters of parachuting and not within the safety margins allowed.

However we all thought the blustery conditions, although not ideal was acceptable to us, little did we know then and not until we were well into the climb that we all experienced a deterioration in the weather. The wind had picked up and there was a hint of rain on the horizon, and the light sea mist was making the steel girders quite slippy.

Pete Greenall and Eric (Spider) Penman led off the proceedings their aim was to climb from the base of the tower to the observation platform around the top. When this had been achieved Eric would then do a free abseil down to the base of the tower, some 500 feet below, Pete would descend in a more leisurely way by means of the lift. Mike (Ossy) Osman and Roy Harding would follow on the same route but would terminate their climb just above half way.

Tom Redfern, Colyn Earnshaw, Mo Richards and I would make our way up the tower by the metal stairs inside the structure of the tower, to a height of 350 feet. There we would climb on the outside of the tower and rig up our gear to lower the stretcher, ( the”body” would be made up of spare rucksack’s) and myself to the ground below.

By this time Pete and Eric were nearing the top of the tower having given the many thousands of on lookers below a master class in speed climbing. As we prepared to “delight” the crowds below with our simulated mountain rescue stretcher lower, Mike and Roy were about to finish their climb, just below us.

It was not until I was descending with the stretcher that I recalled Pete’s impish comments, that this part of the demonstration, would be a “piece of cake” it dawned on me that this was stretching the truth a little to much. It took all my strength once the lower had begun, to keep the stretcher and myself from been forced inside the concave structure of the steel girders.

About 200 feet from the bottom I had to hook my feet around the steel structure every foot of the way, to keep in contact with the outside of the tower. Doing all this and coping with the strong wind as well, the ground could not come quickly enough.

The press and television who had gathered at the base of the tower, to witness this “climbing extravaganza” heard me utter under my breath as Pete’s words echoed in my ears “ Piece of cake” he said, “Piece of cake – my arse” I said, at this moment in time I was physically knackered and ready for a drink.

About two minutes later the crowds below were given a grand finale treat, when Eric abseiled the full length of the tower, a fitting climax to a great day, which we all appreciated, was for a great cause. It was then off to the mayors parlour for something to eat. Our collective thoughts was that, the Blackpool Tower does move / sway call it what you will in the wind, and there is no protection what so ever from the weather conditions that are prevailing at the time.

My personal thoughts was that I had enjoyed every minute and it had been a honour to be in the company of such a well respected group of climbers and to be included in the team that climbed Blackpool Tower, officially, for the first time. It was a strange experience to climb on “steel” and if we had to grade the tower in climbing terminology, I would think it could range from “Diff – V-Diff -- V-S and so on, or to put it in layman’s terms, “Hard bordering on Bloody Hard”, I apologise to the modern climber for using old fashioned guide book jargon, but hemp and tricouni are my era.

Rumours have been rife for many years, about people unofficially climbing Blackpool Tower,
I am led to believe that there was only one other recorded planned attempt and that was in 1939.

When George Formby the well known Lancashire comedian and film star, took on a £500 bet, the charity wager was called off, when Formby’s insurance company forbade him to make the attempt.

Our charity climb was an experience, which I would not have missed for the world. The show business razzmatazz was a bit daunting and a little over whelming, but we did our little bit for people who were less fortunate than ourselves. But in all honesty it was nice to get back to the peace and tranquillity of the Lake District and to be on the rock again, let’s face it there is no substitute.