Creative Nail Academy, Blackpool

I snapped this building on a weekend trip to Blackpool in 2001 and that is all I know about it. At the time it was home to the Creative Nail Academy but certainly had a different purpose when it was first built.

Perhaps a clue to the building's former use are the fasces which decorate the corners at the 3rd storey.

The fasces, an ancient Roman symbol for power, was adopted by the Italian facists during the 20s & 30s leading up to WWII which has somewhat soured this symbol to modern eyes.

No doubt there is an interesting story behind why a building in Blackpool dating from this time has these fasces as part of the decoration.