New bar opens in hotel formerly run as council art project

A new bar in Blackpool is offering a relaxed vibe with bespoke cocktails and a sea view, following a soft launch this month.

A new bar in Blackpool is offering a relaxed vibe with bespoke cocktails and a sea view, following a soft launch this month.

The Tipsy Tulip bar is based at the Art B&B, on the Promenade at North Shore.

Bar owner Jordan Gradwell, who is also acting manager at the hotel, says the bar is one of the few dog-friendly venues in the town.

He said: “It’s great to finally be open and to welcome customers.

“This is a great place to launch a night out or to visit after a stressful day.

“We have bespoke cocktails, including the Tipsy Tulip, and the sea view , where you can sit and enjoy the sun set over the horizon.

“Blackpool has a lot of great bars but ours is very different. We’ve even got a beer garden at the back.

“Eventually I’d like to start offering food but we’re not at that point yet.”

The bar replaces the former Flower Child Coffee House, which closed earlier this year.

The Art B&B itself is also unique, with all 19 bedrooms being designed by a different artist.

Co-owner Hamza Anwar bought the guesthouse in March 2024, along with a business partner, and it officially reopened for business three months later.

Prior to Hamza buying the guesthouse it was at the centre of an innovative and much admired art project which sadly did not prove to be economically successful.

Blackpool Council had kickstarted the artistic endeavour after purchasing the run-down former Ocean Hotel for £203,000 in 2017, with the newly renovated guesthouse opening in 2019.

Rooms were each designed as unique art installations, while work was commissioned from more than 30 artists.

The venue also hosted workshops and famously installed a fried egg art installation on its rear exterior wall which is still there.

It aimed to help regenerate the area and support the town’s arts community, with the bed and breakfast being run as a community interest company.

Funding totalling £1.3m was secured towards the Art B&B project from sources including the Coastal Communities Fund and Arts Council England, Community Business Fund, Tudor Trust and the Clore Duffield Prize Fund.