Inside The Collections: Black History Month

Uncovering Black Histories in Blackpool: A Special Collections Spotlight

Join us for an intimate and eye-opening journey through Blackpool’s museum collections, where traces of Black history come to life. Led by one of our passionate Heritage Assistants, this small-group session invites you to explore rare and remarkable objects that reveal the often-overlooked Black presence in the town’s cultural past.

From the glamour of the stage to the grit of wartime resilience, discover

• Postcards of Madeline Rossiter, the trailblazing Black woman who led her own Concert Party in 1914.
  
  
• A striking photograph of the first known Black contestant in Miss Blackpool, challenging beauty norms of the time.
  
  
• A wartime programme featuring Rudolph Dunbar, the Guyanese conductor and journalist who made musical history.
  
  
• Iconic memorabilia celebrating Dame Shirley Bassey’s legendary performances in Blackpool.
  
  

This is an invitation to rethink what we know, ask new questions and celebrate the richness of Black heritage in unexpected places.

Spaces are limited - book now to be part of this powerful exploration.