Blackpool Tower Height 518ft 9in (158.115m) Grade 1 listed. When Blackpool Tower opened on 14th May 1894 it was the tallest building in the UK. Designed by Maxwell & Tuke, the construction work was undertaken principally by engineers Heenan & Froude. The Tower itself required 2,493 tons of steel and 93 tons of cast iron to construct. Five million bricks were used for the buildingwhich houses various attractions, including the circus and famous ballroom. Sir John Bickerstaffe (1848 - 1930), company chairman, was instrumental in the successful development of the Tower. The Bickerstaffe family played a prominent part in the history of the Tower until the mid 1960's.