history Archives - Blackpool Social Club

24 Jul

Story Trails Made us See Blackpool Differently

Linda Hampton0 CommentsFilm, Heritage, Visual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, artist, Augmented Reality, Blackpool, community, entertainment, Exhibition, Film, heritage, history, library, local history, photography, Place, Virtual Reality

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When you visit Central Library in Blackpool you expect to step into different worlds through the medium of books. Last weekend it was more ‘if you go into the library today, you’re sure of a big surprise!’ as audiences entered the worlds of Virtual Reality (VR) and interactive Augmented Reality (AR). Story Trails is the UK’s largest immersive storytelling project and brings together the past, present and future using the latest technology. Through immersive cinema experience, 3D maps of Blackpool or a VR headset bringing to life BFI & BBC archives, there was much to choose from. Throughout the…

18 Nov

Exploring Anthony Burgess’ Blackpool: Catch the Virtual Talk

Beth Barker0 CommentsHeritage, Literature & Spoken Wordheritage, history, showtown

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Anthony Burgess was one of the most renowned authors of the 20th century, famed for his exceptional wit, depth of thought and unrivalled writing talent. Born and raised in Manchester, he frequently visited our stretch of coastline and later wrote several novels inspired by it. Showtown and Heritage Blackpool will collaborate on a must-see event this December in celebration of Burgess and his connection to the town. Presented in the form of an online talk, the two organisations have come together to explore Anthony Burgess’ Blackpool for a virtual audience. The session will be delivered by Will Carr, deputy…

31 Oct

BSC Halloween: a grisly tale from Layton Cemetery

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, HeritageBlackpool, heritage, history, local history, photography, Place

Content warning - this article contains graphic details relating to murder & suicide. Image credit - Stephanie Cottle Halloween 2021 is upon us. I know, you’re probably thinking, how on earth is it the end of October already? It really is scary how fast the months have gone by. For the past 18 months the earth has played host to a new spectre. One that shrouded our globe with a veil of uncertainty and chaos. There is however, no shadow without light. Throughout the pandemic we have seen enormous acts of selflessness. Latest government reports state that 47% of…

07 Oct

Artists to explore LGBTQIA+ heritage in Blackpool

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsHeritage, Local Newsheritage, history, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQIA, local history, Queer

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Abingdon Studios has received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create the first permanent collection of LGBTQIA+ heritage in Blackpool. The ‘We’re Still Here’ project, led by Abingdon Studios director Garth Gratrix and producer and artist Harry Clayton-Wright, will capture stories from members of the community, and will kick off with a sound installation at new arts space The Old Electric on Saturday October 23. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] As well as viewing the installation on the day, members of the public will also be invited to share their stories, have them recorded and added to the digital archive which…

31 Jul

Grundy Art Gallery’s Summer Programme

Linda Hampton0 CommentsVisual Arts & ExhibitionsBlackpool, Exhibition, heritage, history, photographer, photography, The Grundy Art Gallery

Blackpool’s Grundy Art Gallery hosts two photography exhibitions which explore our relationship to the seaside. Since Blackpool epitomises everything about a typical English seaside holiday, it’s perfect that the Grundy Art Gallery has scooped Seaside:Photographed an exhibition that’s arrived via Margate’s Turner Contemporary, Southampton, and Newlyn in Cornwall. It’s now settling in for the season, reclining on its virtual deckchair beside the outside exhibition #WorkTownGhostTown. This second exhibition brings together the work of local photographers who have documented Blackpool over the last 16 months. It can be viewed on the glass panels that form part of Grundy’s forecourt. Seaside:Photographed, located…

05 Jul

In Conversation with Sharon Heppell: Romany Gypsy heritage in Blackpool

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsHeritagegypsy, heritage, history, romany, showtown

Historian, Sharon Heppell, talks about the incredible discovery of her Romany Gypsy ancestry and links to Blackpool's heritage. Join Rebecca, Showtown's Assistant Curator, in conversation with historian, Sharon Heppell, to find out more about her Romany Gypsy ancestry in Blackpool and the important role that this community have played in the town's success as a holiday destination. Sharon Heppell had no idea that she had Romany Gypsy ancestors until she began to research her family history in 1982. It was only then that she discovered that her great grandmother and two further generations of her female ancestors had been fortune…

30 Dec

Barry Lewis photographs of Blackpool part II: Images of Christmas past

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsartist, Blackpool, entertainment, history, performance, photographer, photography

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Photographing Christmas and the New Year celebrations was a very different experience. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="31292" img_size="large" alignment="center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]I’d stay in a small friendly hotel, full board, with nightly entertainment in its tiny bar and an even tinier room where the sink overhung my bed. Christmas dinner in these places was shared with strangers, who became family and friends, and even included a present! Outside of these holiday-home comforts I’d shelter in warm pubs and steamy cafes from the strong winds and cold rain outside. Life over those days was a continuous pub and club crawl, full of dancing, singing and laughter as the rain whipped past outside. The daytime trips outside, fuelled by a full…

18 Nov

In Her Place: The Wyre Light

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Heritageheritage, history, local history, Place, wyre

In this instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle takes us to the lighthouse. When we were first told to ‘stay home’ isolation was, for the most part, a pretty daunting concept. Since March the ‘out every weekend’ types haven’t had chance to see the wee hours in munching kebabs, as night-time entertainment venues doors still remain firmly closed. Similarly most ‘live to travel’ types, fearful of the repercussive 14 days isolation, will have been lucky if they have driven further than a few hours from their home. Our elderly, who might ride the bus into town to sip…

31 Oct

In Her Place: Layton Cemetery with Deborah Contessa

Stephanie Cottle1 CommentColumns & OpinionBlackpool, heritage, history, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this spooky instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle meets Deborah Contessa, tour guide for Layton Cemetery and chronicler of Blackpool’s dark history A deep, grey sea mist hangs in the atmosphere on the chilly autumn morning I arrive at Layton Cemetery. The usually bustling row of shops and cafes are eerily quiet, but we are under tier three coronavirus restrictions – I shrug off the stillness and set about finding the place I am supposed to be in. As I walk alongside the aged and twisted iron railings that enclose the graveyard, I notice a raven hopping between…

07 Oct

In Her Place: a little slice of Fairhaven

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Heritageheritage, history, local history, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle takes us to Fairhaven, one of the oldest marine lakes in Britain. Modern times are seemingly taking their toll on us, so let’s head back in time for a couple of minutes respite from 2020. Pull up a beach chair and we’ll begin. It’s the 1890s and bustling Blackpool is benefiting enormously from the rapidly expanding working-class holiday market. Following the arrival of the passenger railway - which allows people to traverse the landscape at dizzying new speeds - families from across the UK are flocking to seaside resorts in…