Blackpool promenade with a 1930s heritage green and cream English Electric Balloon tram number 700, Lancashire seaside, England, UK

A classic green and cream English Electric Balloon tram travels along Blackpool Promenade in Lancashire, displaying “Promenade Tour” destination boards. Fleet number 700 is seen in bright daylight beneath the overhead wires, with hotels, parked cars and the busy seafront behind. Its rounded double-deck body, curved upper windows and traditional livery create one of the most recognisable transport images associated with the English seaside resort. The vehicle was built by English Electric in Preston in 1934 and was the first of Blackpool’s production Balloon cars. It originally carried fleet number 237 before the class was renumbered in the late 1960s, when it became number 700. The streamlined design formed part of Walter Luff’s modernisation of Blackpool Corporation Tramways during the 1930s. Balloon cars offered high passenger capacity for seasonal crowds and became enduring symbols of holidays, Illuminations journeys and travel along the Fylde coast. Number 700 later received a sympathetic restoration that reinstated traditional styling details and a wartime green and cream colour scheme. Although modified for the upgraded tramway, it retained much of its historic appearance and has appeared on heritage and promenade tours. Blackpool’s electric tramway opened in 1885 and remains a rare surviving first-generation British street tramway, combining modern vehicles with preserved historic cars on selected occasions. The photograph suits editorial themes including British transport history, heritage tourism, seaside holidays, public transport, tram preservation, English Electric engineering, Art Deco design, coastal travel and nostalgia for Blackpool. It also records the contrast between a 1930s vehicle, present-day traffic and changing Promenade hotels. Blackpool Transport announced plans in 2026 for summer heritage trips and a permanent home for the historic fleet, keeping these vehicles relevant to the resort’s tourism economy and cultural identity