The total cost for the design and construction of the tower and buildings was about £290,000. Five million Accrington bricks, of steel and of cast iron were used to construct the tower and base. Unlike the Eiffel Tower, Blackpool Tower is not freestanding. Its base is hidden by the building that houses Blackpool Tower Circus. The building occupies a total of . At the summit of the tower there is a flagpole where the height at the top measures from the ground. A time capsule was buried under the foundation stone on 25 September 1891.