Est 1740 to 1997

The Firework
Advert Archive

A Historical Record of Firework Advertisements collated and curated by Steve Allison

Cataloguing the Golden Age of Blue Touch Paper Fireworks

Recently Added

◈

Featured from the Archive

◈

About This Archive

Following discussions with my long-time friend Martin Westlebury, it is now my pleasure to preserve the collection of firework advertisements he has assembled, incorporate them with my own images, and continue expanding the archive. The aim is to help support and develop research into British firework history and its wider cultural connections, while also reaching a broader audience and igniting nostalgia amongst fellow blue touch paper enthusiasts. This archive is the first part of a larger project to document that history. — Steve Allison

I am sure that many will be able to recognise and agree with Martin's sentiments as he recalls his memories and a lifetime enjoyment of fireworks — particularly the garden displays of childhood in the 1960s and 70s — which led to collecting memorabilia relating to the great British firework manufacturers. There was always a huge build-up to Guy Fawkes Night: fireworks appearing in newsagents and toy shops from late September, counters crammed with colourfully designed fireworks bearing evocative names like Humming Spider, Witches Cauldron, Banshee, Mine of Serpents, Barrel of Demons, Crackling Torch and Little Terror. Queues would form as children and parents carefully chose their individual fireworks — a ritual very different from today's selection packs.

Sadly the great British brands — Astra, Benwell, Brock's, Lion, Pain's, Rainbow, Wells, Wessex, Wilder's — have nearly all disappeared. Those that remain largely import their products, of a fundamentally different character to the British Blue Touchpaper type which finally vanished in the mid-1990s.

As Martin's collection of firework memorabilia grew, he found he had accumulated a considerable collection of the adverts which appeared in comics, newspapers and magazines to accompany the annual celebrations. They are a useful aid to dating fireworks, boxes and other ephemera, and also portray a vivid social history.

◈

Acknowledgements

Martin Westlebury
Whose passion and knowledge (and love of spreadsheets!) in the documenting of British firework history of both the manufacturers and products has been both an exemplar and an invaluable resource behind this project.
Kevin Smith
His tireless searching for adverts and firework ephemera over many years has contributed greatly to what collectors now hold — and to the breadth of this archive.
The late John Bennett
Editor and Founder of Fireworks magazine and producer of the original website which first brought much of this material together. His work was the direct inspiration for this updated and expanded archive. He is greatly missed by all in the firework collecting community.
◈

Contribute to the Archive

Have an advert we don't? Or any blue-touchpaper-era ephemera — boxes, labels, catalogues, point-of-sale material, photographs of shop counters or displays?

If you'd be willing to provide a copy along with what you know of its source, date and provenance, please get in touch. The archive grows from exactly these contributions and every item helps build a more complete record.

◈
A note on content: The language, themes and imagery in some advertisements are representative of the times in which they were produced and may not reflect today's values or sensibilities. Viewer discretion is advised where indicated on individual items. Any errors or omissions in the archive are entirely my own responsibility.

— Steve Allison

Steve Allison has been Director of Northern Lights Fireworks for thirty years, producing quality firework displays throughout the UK and abroad. A firework history researcher and ephemera collector for many decades, he has spent much of that time trying to save firework history one piece at a time.
Enter the Archive →
Manufacturer Timeline Glossary of Firework Types