Blackpool rocks! Inside the seaside town packed with old-fashioned seaside fun – and how it's trying to attract a more discerning visitor…

There's something disorienting about parking beneath the ascending loop of Britain's tallest rollercoaster.

But given that Blackpool's ultra-luxe Boulevard Hotel (styled BLVD) is owned by Amanda Thompson, whose family has run the Pleasure Beach theme park for four generations, it should come as no surprise that guests leave their cars within easy reach of The Grote.

What's even more of a revelation is that this Lancashire seaside town – a traditional haven for chip shops, slot machines and bawdy entertainment – ​​has a whole other side.

Of course, the so-called Golden Mile, a host of family attractions such as Sea Life, Madame Tussauds and Coral Island, as well as Blackpool's three piers, still attract large crowds. While Pleasure Beach is one of Britain's most visited tourist attractions (guests at the Boulevard can access it via a VIP entrance).

But if you package Blackpool as a challenging 3D seaside postcard, you'll miss so much of its heritage.

Certainly, there are plans to attract a more discerning visitor. Marco Pierre White even opens a restaurant here. The most obvious expression of the city's heritage is of course the Grade II listed Blackpool Tower (recently in the news for a fake fire, which turned out to be orange mesh).

It was opened in 1894 and is 160 meters high. It is half the size of the Eiffel Tower, which had inspired the Mayor of Blackpool, Sir John Bickerstaffe, to commission the project.

It is extremely impressive. On one side you'll find the oak, mahogany and walnut ballroom, designed by Victorian architect Frank Matcham, where tea dances take place daily. But take a lift to the top for panoramic views of the Fylde coast and a chance to scream in fear as you gingerly step onto the 5cm-thick glass viewing platform.

Above is one of Blackpool's vintage trams, pictured along the promenade

Blackpool's Comedy Carpet (pictured) is a huge work of art with jokes, songs and comic slogans

Outside the tower we browse a vast grid of public art. Known as Blackpool's Comedy Carpet, it immortalises and celebrates the jokes, songs and comedic catchphrases of Britain's best-loved comedians and writers (some better than others). Meanwhile, Showtown, a new museum showing how the city became a center for bright lights and entertainment, opens next month.

The genesis of Blackpool's tourist heritage began with the extension of the railway network in 1840. This was followed by the construction of the three piers, tramway and lighting (which by the time Princess Louise – the town's first royal visitor – in 1912 arrived to open a new section of the promenade named after her, totaling about 10,000 lights).

As we pushed our shoulders against the strong wind blowing in from the Irish Sea, we found another remnant of Blackpool's past on the long promenade. Five curved bays of Grade II listed colonnades, joining other Grade II listed buildings including the Grand Theater, and the cast iron promenade, most of which are over 100 years old.

Angela is staying at the Boulevard Hotel, which is located beneath Britain's tallest roller coaster

Above is one of the rooms at the Boulevard Hotel, which Angela describes as 'uber-luxe'

Even in winter you cannot escape light and color.

For a more chic diversion, head to Stanley Park – designed by Thomas Mawson & Sons in 1922 – to admire the bandstand, Italian gardens, art deco café and boating lake with ornamental bridges.

Back in the comfort of the BLVD lounge, we enjoy the strangely therapeutic view of relentless brown waves curling up toward the beach. It's clear that Blackpool is doing its best to cater for all tastes. And just like the fake fire in the tower, everything is definitely not as it seems.