Lancashire home of the Ditchburn Jukebox Museum set to be revived with National Lottery grant

Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.
Vanessa Sims
By Vanessa Sims
Published 30th Apr 2024, 08:54 BST
Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.
Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.

The journey into the Jukebox generation begins in Blackpool and Lytham this May.

Jukebox Journeys is the first in a series of exciting events taking place on Lancashire’s seaside coast this year during Jukebox: The Teenage Revolution, a celebration of the music and teenage culture of Britain in the Fifties and Sixties.

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Thanks to National Lottery players, the project, run by Lancashire-based arts and heritage charity, Mirador, and Lancaster University Library, is supported with a £50,904 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.

St Annes is also home to the Ditchburn Jukebox Museum. Closed since the pandemic, the project will provide opportunities for the public to access this unique heritage attraction for the first time this summer.

To celebrate the British jukebox in the area where it was produced, Jukebox Journeys will take place at Lytham Assembly Rooms on May 15 from 2-4pm and at Stanley Park Visitors Centre in Blackpool on May 16 from 1-3pm.

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Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.
Blackpool and Lytham St Annes were the birthplace of the distinctive British jukebox produced by the Ditchburn Equipment company.

The Lytham event will be a chance to hear a selection of vinyl records from the Fifties and Sixties, and an opportunity to share photos, memorabilia and stories from the decades which saw the birth of the teenager. Blackpool’s event will also include a talk by Adrian Horn, author of Juke Box Britain.

There’s no need to book as everyone will be welcome but if you want to let the organisers know that you’re attending, please email via: http://miradorarts.co.uk/get-in-touch

Famous band leader and impresario, Jack Hylton, played an important role in bringing the jukebox to the UK and his archive is held at Lancaster University.

As part of the project, Lancaster University students will capture the voices, views and memories of people who lived through this key period of social change and the University Library will establish an archive to ensure the project has a lasting legacy.

If you have memories of being a teenager in the Fifties and Sixties or photographs from that era, please contact Mirador at: http://miradorarts.co.uk/get-in-touch

Related topics:LancashireNational LotteryBlackpoolMusicCultureLytham

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