Enlightened: Climate crisis cues redesign of Blackpool Illuminations

Where might one find three giant jellyfish, a Dalek and a flying bear? In a fever dream perhaps, but also here, in the Blackpool Illuminations storehouse. Inside this nondescript building close to Blackpool airport is where the magic is made.

- Hannah Al-Othman

A team of just 35 staff design, build and maintain the Lancashire town's annual light display, which has endured for almost 150 years.

It is where the modern meets the traditional: a huge black castiron drill dating back to 1937 is still used to construct the illuminations, but it sits alongside a cutting-edge 3D printer.

"We don't buy illuminations," the head of illuminations, Richard Williams, said. "We manufacture absolutely everything." One of the biggest drivers for changes to its manufacturing process in recent years has been the climate crisis. The designers have been forced to adapt the displays so they can withstand stronger winds while also reducing their own energy output to avoid exacerbating the very problem they are trying to mitigate against.

Against a wall in the storehouse is one of the most famous "heritage" illuminations, Hickory Dickory Dock, a huge tableau where a mouse runs up and down a grandfather clock. It has been badly damaged by strong winds.

Now, rather than being constructed from solid blocks of wood, tableaux are designed in a trellis style to allow the wind to rush through the gaps.