Date
Summer 2021

Location
Sandylands Promenade

Client
Self Initiated

Artwork
Commissioned by Deco Publique - Designed and Painted by Cobolt Collective

Collaborators
Crown Paints, 978 Financing,

Funder
Seed funded by Lancaster City Council, Crown Paints, 978 Financing, Furness Bay Lettings

Project highlight
The response from the community, online and in person, sharing photographs, words of encouragement, and even ice-creams with the team.

Over the decades, people have come to Morecambe for various reasons at various times and many have stayed to make it their home. Destination Morecambe, by acclaimed photographer David Stewart, is a window into a small collection of these stories and the faces behind them.

The reasons why people came to the town have changed over time: after WWII right through to the 1970s, Morecambe in season was bustling with people, colour, and life - a place of wonder and excitement that some of our subjects still remember and speak of with enormous fondness. Those times have never left them; they remember and reflect on those glories.

Now, many believe we are at an inflection point historically. The metropolitan centres are seeing something of a demographic shift as people are increasingly working from home. Simultaneously there is a desire to live in smaller towns with easy access to spacious green countryside and coastal scenery, coupled with good digital communication links. Morecambe scores high on all these counts and is naturally starting to see its share of these new developments.

Meanwhile, despite all these changes, some things stay the same - not least the legendary scenery and sunsets of Morecambe Bay. And then there is the splendid Art Deco interior of Brucciani’s Café, virtually unchanged since the 1930s. An astonishing piece of Morecambe history providing the unique setting for this shoot.

Welcome to Destination Morecambe.

Project Areas

The Wakes Weeks

The Wakes Weeks was a holiday period in which factory towns, particularly those in the North West, would pack up and rush to Morecambe en masse, leaving industrial towns behind. As the mills and factories shut down for annual maintenance, nearly the whole population of a town would gather their bathing suits and their finest clothes, hair coiffed to perfection, and board buses or trains straight to Morecambe.

Archival Research

The line, ‘Come and be happy at Morecambe’ was found on a 1920’s postcards, one of many sent from happy holiday makers in Morecambe. Another postcard shows that it was sent from a holiday maker staying on the same stretch of the promenade the mural features today. The typeface used for this line is a version of the one in the Floral Hall Ballroom poster from 1963 when the Rolling Stones came to play. The lettering used for ‘Morecambe’ is a visual reference to the Whitehall cinema, close to West End Road, open from 1913-1955, which was spoken about fondly by the community.

Cobolt Collective

“We thoroughly enjoyed researching the rich heritage of the area and hearing more about the local history from the residents. There was a wealth of information and visuals to work with so when it came to designing the mural it was hard to select what should go in it!”

Erin of Cobolt Collective

“The mural itself was a joy to paint. The views from 15m up were incredible and we witnessed a few of the famous Morecambe sunsets whilst we were painting. We have never been to a more welcoming and friendly town - that’s saying something coming from Glasgow! Each day brought more smiling faces who shouted up their encouragement and we were brought many teas, coffees and even ice creams to keep us going.”

Chelsea of Cobolt Collective

“We were delighted to have been selected to paint a mural on Morecambe’s promenade, especially as the area means so much to me and my family and has played a pivotal part in my creative career. We hope our colourful mural will evoke joy, bring back nostalgic memories and act as a backdrop for many visitors or locals as they make new ones in Morecambe Bay for years to come.”