A new display celebrating legendary Blackpool clown Charlie Cairoli has opened at the Blackpool Tower Circus, bringing rarely seen objects from Blackpool’s historic circus collection back to the place where he entertained generations of audiences.
Featuring 22 objects across five display cases, almost everything in the display has never been on public display before.
Rarely seen objects from Blackpool’s circus collection
Among the objects are some of our favourites from the Charlie Cairoli collection, including his brilliantly inventive ‘Exploding Bum Guitar’, the Cairoli family’s travelling instrument trunk and a handmade xylophone made from real spanners.
The trick guitar was originally created by Charlie for his Tower Circus act, opening to reveal a string of joke sausages. His son, Charlie Cairoli Junior, later adapted it with an explosive trigger and fake bottom so the instrument could quite literally play a ‘bum note’!
The family’s well-travelled trunk was used by generations of the Cairoli family to transport their musical instruments and still carries labels from its travels. Inside, there’s even a diagram showing exactly where each instrument should be packed.
Charlie’s spanner xylophone is another example of his creativity away from performing. A talented musician and craftsman, he made the instrument from real spanners in the 1960s and played it many times in the Tower Circus ring.
Bringing the collection back to the Circus
Charlie Cairoli performed at the Blackpool Tower Circus for almost 40 years, making the return of these objects to the venue particularly special.
The display has been created by Showtown as part of Legacy of Laughter: Unlocking the Charlie Cairoli Collection, supported by Arts Council England.
The collection itself is owned by Blackpool Council and cared for by Showtown through the Showtown History Centre. Our heritage team and volunteers have carefully cleaned, prepared and installed the objects ready for Circus audiences to enjoy.
Jill Carruthers, Head of Heritage at Showtown, said:
“Blackpool has an extraordinary circus heritage and this display is an opportunity for Showtown to get more of the collections out and seen by locals and visitors alike.
“Charlie Cairoli is an important part of Blackpool’s story, so bringing these objects back into the Tower Circus feels incredibly special.”
There’s even more to discover
The new display is just one part of our work to unlock Blackpool’s circus collections.
Legacy of Laughter also includes conservation and cataloguing, working with members of the circus community and developing new ways for audiences to explore the collections digitally.
And Charlie’s story doesn’t end at the Tower. Just a short walk away at Showtown, our Roll Up! Roll Up! gallery explores Blackpool’s extraordinary circus history through original objects, costumes, interactive exhibits and stories from the performers themselves.
The new Charlie Cairoli display can be seen by visitors attending Blackpool Tower Circus and is included with a Circus ticket.