Showtown

The museum is located within a corner unit in the Sands Venue Resort Hotel. Our work involved carrying out the base build works to create a space that could support a museum function, allowing for the integration of the interpretation designs to create a seamless new visitor experience. 

Entrance to Showtown is via a shocking pink staircase, reminiscent of a stick of Blackpool rock. Once inside, visitors are treated to six vibrant, interactive exhibitions across more than 1000 sqm, allowing them to discover more about Blackpool’s links with magic, dance, comedy, live variety, illumination, circus, and sideshows. Each of the galleries is a mixture of objects and stories from the Blackpool Council collections, 27 loaned objects from the V&A, and rarely shown items from the performers themselves.

A temporary exhibition gallery was also designed d to meet Government Indemnity Standards. This will allow Showtown to display loaned items from public and private individuals or collections within the UK and abroad.

When looking at the museum's design, we wanted to think about the community first. People – workers, volunteers, visitors – are at the heart of the Showtown design, just as the heritage of Blackpool is defined by the people who have lived and worked there.

To ensure that the visitor experience is enjoyed by all, each part of the museum has been designed with accessibility in mind. We worked closely with an accessibility group to understand how best to make the museum as welcoming as possible to the largest number of people. As a result, a changing places toilet, gender-neutral facilities and an education centre catered to full accessibility needs have been provided