Morcambe Illuminations And Guinness Clock

A Memory of Morecambe.

I am amazed there is no mention here of Morecambe Illuminations. Dose no one remember them? In the 50's I lived in Ecclesfield which then was West Riding of Yorkshire. We had little money and no transport but a neighbour would collect money weekly from my parents and a couple of times a year he would organise a “charabanc” trip. Morecambe was a popular destination and I remember going in the winter to see the illuminations. The lights were good without the hard slog that Blackpool posed for the little legs of a 6 year old. We visited in the summer too and my most vivid memory is that of the Guinness Clock. It was best to arrive early and get to the front and wait for the clock to tick around to the next show. I can’t recall the exact sequence but it played music throughout and a cone at the top would open and then rotate like a propeller with characters dangling off it. All sorts of animations were happening, a zoo keeper popped up under an umbrella, the Mad Hatter caught fish and the big doors at the front opened and there were toucans dancing inside. I wanted to wait for the next show to see it all again but was persuaded to leave with the promise of an ice cream.

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