Atomic Target Lancashire

Gallery of Terror: Abandoned Places of Lancashire In the absence of actual photographs of a Lancashire nuclear wasteland with which to adorn the blog, I thought I'd bring you the next best thing: photos of the county's grottiest and most fascinating abandoned places. You'll just have to imagine the mushroom clouds and radioactive fallout for yourself.  (All photographs by me, Rebecca Shaw) Gordon Café Billiard Hall and Bar, Lancashire Street, Morecambe  The Gordon Cafe was the place to be seen for Morecambe billiard enthusiasts back in 1899. The swish redbrick corner building glittered with stained glass windows, carved interiors and an elaborate mosaic entranceway proudly declaring the name of the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Moore. Now, the building stands decaying, it's beautiful windows concealed down a fenced-off alley, while its doorway is littered with bottles.  Late 1980s/early 1990s 'Videos' sign, Albert Road, Morecambe  'Videos' The corner shop this ol...

It’s time for part three of our look at the farcical Cold War masterpiece that is 1961’s The Warden and the Householder . If you haven’t so far, go back and have a look at parts one and two to make sure you’re up to speed with the story. This time, we’re rejoining the lunacy at 15 minutes into the film. As Civil Defence warden Mr. White continues his rounds, the nuclear tension begins to mount to unbearable levels… That’s a touch of sarcasm there, in case you missed it. The Warden and the Householder: Part one The Warden and the Householder: Part 2 Scene 10: Clipboard in hand, Mr. White strides across a street that looks as though it has already been subjected to a couple of bombing raids. As he pounds towards the camera, the clodhopping oaf barges through a flock of pigeons, sending them scattering skyward. Mr. White is metaphorically the cat among the pigeons, with the general public - the pigeons - following the flock with their negligence to nuclear preparedness, while Mr. White -...

Houston, the Adverts Have Landed: The 1969 Moon Landings as Told in Lancashire Newspaper Ads On 24th July 1969, the three astronaut crew of Apollo 11 safely splashed into the sea in their re-entry module. Days earlier, Neil Armstrong had taken a small step onto the moon and propelled humanity on a giant leap into the future of space exploration. The moon had been touched, and suddenly the rest of the solar system seemed within grasping distance. With the universe now humanity’s for the picking, the future promised to be one of prosperity and plenty. Austerity would be a thing of the past; if earth were found to be lacking, humans could simply reach out into space and find all the provisions they desired. The moon. (Just in case you didn’t know what it was.) Is it any wonder then, that the moon landings heavily influenced how businesses advertised their wares and services? A quick glance at Lancashire’s local newspapers in the run up to the Apollo mission reveals a multitude of moon-the...