Get ready for a fabulous evening at the very first We’re Still Here! History Club with the incredible Stuart Linden Rhodes, aka Linden Archives, on Tuesday, 14th April, presented in partnership with Showtown.
A pioneer of documenting queer Northern nightlife in the nineties, Stuart’s beautiful photographic documentation of Blackpool was presented as part of the first phase of ‘We’re Still Here!’ back in 2022, where we saw seven photographs from Stuart’s archive of Blackpool exhibited at the Grundy Art Gallery. The show lasted for over three months, spanning from LGBTQ+ History Month to Pride Month, and reached over 10,000 people.
Now, to kickstart the next phase of the ‘We’re Still Here!’ project, care of Abingdon Studios, Stuart returns to Blackpool to share unseen images from his archive and tell the firsthand stories behind them. Stuart will also give us access to the articles written and published between those years (1991 -1995), which give a fascinating glimpse into Blackpool’s iconic LGBTQ+ bar and club culture in the nineties.
The event starts at 6 pm, with Stuart in conversation with artists Garth Gratrix and Harry Clayton-Wright between 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm, and your chance to meet Stuart, explore the archive and share your memories. Conversations and cake from 7:30 pm to 8 pm.
Tickets are free. Refreshments will be provided. Spaces are limited*.
*We ask that if you book a ticket and can no longer attend, please put them on Outsavvy Resell or let us know so we can make that space available to someone else.
‘We’re Still Here!’, the first permanent collection of LGBTQIA+ Heritage in Blackpool, is a project run by Abingdon Studios. With thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players.
We will be taking photos at this event, if you don't want to be featured, please just let us know in the space.
About We’re Still Here!
We’re Still Here! began in 2022 as a heritage pilot commissioned and produced by Abingdon Studios, with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Conceived and delivered by artists Garth Gratrix and Harry Clayton-Wright, the project set out to establish Blackpool’s first permanent collection of LGBTQIA+ arts and heritage. Alongside collecting oral histories, the team invited Stuart Linden Rhodes (Linden Archives) to stage his first public exhibition at Grundy Art Gallery (Feb–June 2022), attracting over 10,000 visitors.
The next phase will see two major exhibitions in 2027, in partnership with Grundy Art Gallery and Showtown; coinciding with key anniversaries in UK LGBTQIA+ history including 60 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK; and 40 years since the introduction of Section 28 following the notorious Margaret Thatcher speech in 1987 at a Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool.
Building on the pilot, the project continues to develop a community-built queer heritage collection shaped by local residents past and present. Working with Community Champions and a Community Archivist, the team is mapping Blackpool’s rich LGBTQIA+ history, culminating in concurrent exhibitions at Showtown and Grundy Art Gallery in 2027.
Showtown - About our History Club host
Showtown is Blackpool’s bold and brilliant, award-winning, interactive museum of fun and entertainment. Mere footsteps from the iconic tower, it shines a spotlight on the town’s showbiz legacy through six lively galleries exploring everything from magic and circus to seaside holidays and dance.