Blackpool’s Showtown Backstage portal launches with Charlie Cairoli and Illuminations highlights, with Culture Connect exhibitions and prints to follow.
Showtown in Blackpool has launched an online portal for its collections and says digital exhibitions and a print-on-demand service will follow.
The ‘Showtown Backstage’ portal marks the first time its collections have been available online. It is the latest part of Showtown’s Unlocking Collections project, which is funded through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme.
Showtown next plans to launch ‘Culture Connect’, a series of curated digital exhibitions. Among them,‘Through Our Eyes: Little People Beyond the Circus’, Showtown’s 2026 temporary exhibition, will explore the lives and experiences of people with dwarfism beyond the circus.
Future developments in the portal will also include download functionality and print-on-demand, which will let people order prints featuring images from the collections and have them delivered.
Showtown’s collection can be accessed for research and in-person viewing through the Showtown History Centre at Blackpool Central Library, where visitors can book to see collection material.
Already on the portal are objects from The Charlie Cairoli Collection, which includes costumes, props, musical instruments, related to the Italian-English clown, impressionist and musician who performed at Blackpool Tower Circus for almost 40 seasons.
Jill Carruthers, head of heritage at Showtown, said: “As custodians of Blackpool’s public collections, we are dedicated to improving access and shining a light on these amazing assets.” This is about taking Blackpool’s history beyond our walls, getting them out of storage and sharing it with the world. And we’re only just getting started.”
The portal is at backstage.showtownblackpool.co.uk.
