Wartime exhibition to launch at Showtown museum

A new exhibition highlighting Blackpool’s crucial role in sustaining national morale during the Second World War is set to open at the resort’s Showtown museum.

Wartime Blackpool will open on Wednesday April 2 with art, photographs and artefacts on display to tell the story of how the town remained a lively entertainment hub attracting holidaymakers even in dark times.

Thousands of RAF personnel and service members were billeted in Blackpool, reshaping the role of local landladies while Hollywood stars performed for the crowds as theatres in London’s West End closed to escape bombings.

The exhibition also explores how Blackpool housed evacuees, civil servants, and British, Polish, and American airmen.

Marking the first anniversary of Showtown’s opening, Wartime Blackpool has been created with members of the community, unlocking personal stories and highlighting the town’s unique wartime experience.

Showtown is a council-backed museum celebrating Blackpool’s history which is based in the Sands building on the Promenade.

The exhibition will bring together items from Showtown’s collection alongside significant loans from the Imperial War Museum, Lancashire County Museums Service, and the British Cartoon Archive, as well as private loans from the local community.

Jill Carruthers, Exhibition Manager at Showtown said: “Wartime Blackpool captures the town’s resilience, rich history and the personal stories of those who lived it.

“Showtown is committed to making history inclusive, engaging and accessible. This exhibition is a shining example of collaboration in action. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to explore this extraordinary chapter of Blackpool’s past.”

Wartime Blackpool’s national loans are supported by the Weston Loan Programme with Art Fund which is the first  UK-wide funding scheme supporting smaller and local authority museums to borrow works of art and artefacts from national collections.

Sophia Weston, deputy chair of the Garfield Weston Foundation said:

“The Weston Loan Programme helps museums tell compelling stories through significant loans that have relevance to local heritage, so we are delighted to support this exhibition in Blackpool which shines a light on the town’s little known role in the Allied war effort.”

Highlights include a painting of RAF personnel training in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens by war artist Charles Ernest Cundall, and private loans that spotlight the bravery of the Polish Air Force, who trained and served in Blackpool.

There are also wartime holiday guides and entertainment posters from Showtown’s own collections.