Picture in Time today takes a look at another long gone all over advert, indeed the hotel being advertised no longer exists either, as we feature Blackpool Balloon 701 in 2006 whilst it was carrying this design for the Palm Beach Hotel.
This was in fact 701’s only all over advert carried in its entire career and was originally applied in July 2005. Featuring a yellow base coat – a base coat it would retain for several years after the advertising vinyls were removed with just the application of Metro Coastlines logos – the livery was covered in vinyls including extensive use of contravision. It ran in this condition until the end of the 2008 season when the vinyls went and as mentioned above it ran in plain yellow until the return of the popular Routemaster Red and White livery as part of the heritage fleet.
In this first view we see 701 at the Abercorn Place stop (the first after Starr Gate) as it operates a service to Cleveleys on 5th September 2006.
And then just three days later we find 701 at Bispham with the tram heading back to Starr Gate as Jubilee 762 approaches on its way to depot.
Both Photographs by Gareth Prior