you`ll love thisFirework Heritage Museum
you`ll love this
another "content over style" web page by Steve Johnson
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Original Pains, Brocks, Astra, Rainbow, Standard, Wilders, and Wells Fireworks, Labels and Boxes and the actual item itself
Many labels will print at at original size to allow a reconstruction of a vanished item, some photos of the actual item are a little blurry, but its them or none at all of these precious memories of November nights long past! The bulk of these items are from the 1960s, 70s and 80s..........before the days of the British Standard.
Labels
Astra Mars Rocket...........Wells Coloured Sky Rocket.............Astra Whirlwind............Astra Coloured Roman Candle.........Astra Floodlight..........Astra Crackling Pearl........Wells Spiders Web.........Wells Catherine Wheel.........Wells Snow Storm..........Wells Mine of Serpents...Pains Emerald Cascade...........Pains Radium Dazzler..............Pains Whirl Wheel.................Pains Mine of Fiery Serpents..........Astra Sky Rocket...........Pains Hot Rod...........Pains Mount Vesuvius.........Pains Spangled Star Bomb.........Pains Witches Cauldron...............Pains Lightening Chaser Rocket..........Brocks Burning Bush..............Brocks Tinker Tent............Brocks "Crystal Palace" Pyramid..............Brocks Blazing Wigwam.......Wilders Helicopter.........Brocks Vesuvius........Pains Bright Roman Candle...........Pains City Flicker.........Rainbow Meteor Rocket............Pains Flambo Jambo............Standard Flying Saucer.............Rainbow Pathfinder...........Wilders C.A.C. Calling All Cars.............Standard Aeroplane..........Brocks Twinkler ............Brocks Fiery Whirlwheel ...1....2...........Brocks Opal Spray...
Labels from boxes
Wells 5 shilling box............Brocks Pixie Trees Twinklers.........Brocks Fiery Whirlwinds...............Pains 5 shilling Outdoor Box..............Rainbow Meteor Rocket................Brocks Burning Bush.............Brocks Minicones.............Brocks Opal Sprays...........Brocks Twinklers Burning Bush........Brocks Volcanoes.........Brocks Fiery Whirlwind.........Brocks Fiery Whirlwinds..............Brocks Hornets Nest.......Wilders Silver Orions............Brocks Volcanoes...........Brocks Dragons Teeth.........Brocks Pyramids...............Brocks Opal Sprays...............Brocks Opal Sprays..
Where name is repeated, label is different eg. price of item / size
Many labels will print at at original size to allow a reconstruction of a vanished item
Bangers
Pains Zing-Boom Standard 3-2-1 Zero Excelsior Meteorite Excelsior H-Bomb Excelsior Dam-Buster Excelsior Cannon Excelsior Block Buster Excelsior Banger Excelsior Atom Bomb W. Harbot Thunderflash W. Harbot Blue Thunderflash Spitfire Flying Saucer Mersey Fireworks Bigga Banga Cordays of Liverpool Bigga Banga W. Harbot Big Bang Standard "Boom" Brocks "Cannon" Wilders Wonder Bang and Zip Bang Wells "Civil Defence" Thunderflash Benwell Thunderclap, Mighty Atom and Standard "Cannon"
Labels will print at at original size to allow a reconstruction of a vanished item
now about Pains Fireworks. ........Nick Sampford, of Ware, Herts, England - who has supplied many of these scans, is aiming to record the design / artwork of every shop Pains firework - EVER! - if you feel you can help him, e-mail him HERE
Posters and Images from Catalogues
Standard 1972 catalogue........Standard 1973 catalogue large files over 500k but well worth it, will print out very well - superb
Wilders Fountain of Fire......Standard 1986 price list.........Pains window banner............Standard window banner.............Standard poster of 1950s?..60s?
Standard 1973 export price list, these are 300-400k and splendid, you will love this!
1............2................3.............4
Shop flyer for Browns Stores, Stockton on Tees 300k
"1" above:-has the great graphic on it - both should print out same size as original
.....the actual items......now about Pains Fireworks. ........Nick Sampford, of Ware, Herts, England - who has supplied many of these scans, is aiming to record the design / artwork of every shop Pains firework - EVER! - if you feel you can help him, e-mail him HERE
Pains and Pains-Wessex Fireworks
Pains-Wessex Humming Spider.............Pains-Wessex Coloured Roman Candle...............Pains Satellite Roman Candle.......Pains Mine of Fiery Serpents.............Pains-Wessex Halley's Comet...........Pains-Wessex Pin Wheel..............Pains Coloured Triangle Wheel.................Pains Bouquet of Gerbs.............Pains Emerald Cascade...........Pains Witches Cauldron and Hot Rod..............Pains-Wessex Aerial Bomb and Skyway Patrol...............Pains Skyway Patrol..............Pains Golden Ray..............Pains Mount Vesuvius..............Pains Dragons Flare................Pains Parasol...........Pains Humming Spider and Forge Fire..............Pains Earth Satellite.............Pains Jet Comet and Flower Pot..............Pains Satellite Roman Candle...........Pains Amber Electrolyte..............Pains Dynamine Mine................Pains Roman Candle..........Pains-Wessex Strato Storm.............Pains Red Light.............Pains "Squibs".........Pains Sunset Strip............Pains Dynamine Mine.............Pains Satellite Roman Candle................Pains Dynamine Mine.............Pains Aerial Bomb Repeater................Pains Red Light................Pains Radium Dazzler and Dracula Flare..............Pains Hydra Head Comet................Pains Coloured Pearls Roman Candle..............Pains Aerial Bomb.............Pains Jack-in-the-Box.........Pains Devil-among-the Tailors............Pains Flying Eagle, Electric Whizzer (two types), Torpedo
Where name is repeated, label is different eg. price of item / size
Brocks Fireworks
Brocks Tropical Storm..............Brocks Catherine Wheel.................Brocks Vampire.................Brocks Pixie Tree..................Brocks Mount Etna..............Brocks Rockets
Standard Fireworks
Standard Mine of Serpents..............Standard Sky Rockets............Standard Sky Rockets..............Standard Screamer Repeater...........Standard Rocket............Standard Rockets..........Standard Whistle Stop................Standard Carnival Spray.............Standard Lunar Rockets.............Standard Box of Garden Fireworks...............Standard High Ball.................Standard Silver Fountain................Standard Golden Rain...............Standard Star Spray............Standard Silver Tree................Standard Flower Pot................Standard Glitter Fountain..............Standard "Jumping Jacks"................Standard Rocket................Standard Roman Candle...............Standard Fountain of Fire............Standard Jewelled Pyramid.............Standard Coloured Roman Candle...............Standard Jewel Fountain......................Standard Diamond Cascade.............Standard Traffic Lights............Standard Snow Storm............Standard Roman Candle..........Standard Spitfire..............Standard High Ball.............Standard Mount Vesuvius.............Standard Snow Storm.............Standard Coloured Fire................Standard Coloured Fire..............Standard Helicopter................
Oldie Standard Fireworks UK Posters
Standard Fireworks oldies..you will love these............1................2..................3......................4
Odds and Ends
Box of Benwell Garden Fireworks
Large Brocks and Standard Rockets
Standard Fireworks - Sky Rockets 1980s
(and some Chinese and French novelties)
Remember, remember the 5th of November - remember REAL rockets, of paper and card? Remember the Standard "Chain of Stars" rocket and "Shrapnel" rocket, remember the Standard rockets with blunt ends...here they are!
Two designs of Standard "Chain of Stars" rockets
Standard Size 5 rocket (left) Size 20 (centre) Size 15 (right)
Standard Size 20 rocket "Chain of Stars" (left) and Size 15 GARDEN! rocket (right)
Standard "Tadpole" Size 15 rocket (right), size 20 "Chain of Stars" (centre) and Size 15 (right)
Dummies of French mini-bangers "Tonnieres" in box and the teeny weeny item
Dummies and box of small Chinese "insect" flyers
Dummy of "Small Bee Helicopters"....box and the "bees."
Brocks Rockets
Brock`s "Telstar" rocket and 4d (penny) rocket
Brock`s Plastic rockets from the mid 1980`s. "Mars" and "Galaxy"
Modern Indian Rockets, from Standard Fireworks, India
Standard Fireworks, India - poster, beautiful
Novelty Fireworks from the U.S.A. - made in China
(Dummies built up from fired examples - thanks to all of you who sent them to me, often in bits, sometimes just a little toasted!)
Bird in Cage ....1......2......3......4....it is hung on a cord thread, spins, and pops open to reveal a bird in a cage.
Stars and Stripes - US Flag - it opens and the flagpole rises and flag unfurls....1..........2............3....
Mammoth Parachute item - a large parachute, weighted is fired into the air in a card tube - ejected and floats down...............1..................2.............3.....(dates from 1960)
The Titanic! 1.......2.......3.......4
Happy Lamp...looks cool as a room decor after firing, one adorns my hallway at home! 1.......2......3.....
Gun Boat, and the flag goes up
Heavy Trucking Lorry, on wheels
Jockey on racehorse, on wheels
A fine bottle of champagne..or not!...a fountain!
a collection of parachute items, large and small.....1.........2...........3 (note small clay ballast weights)
Let`s look at the components of one of these, the parachutes do not carry flares or crackers, but little clay weights. The parachute and cords and weights are amazingly all folded up inside the cardboard ejection unit.Marvellous miniaturisation. As you can see in this item, the parachute not only suspends a little weight, but also three pennant flags. (note small clay ballast weights)
This item here is similar, but larger, and holds several flags, including the Stars and Stripes, all carefully folded in the card ejection canister. Again there is much complexity in it`s construction, I just makes you wonder and the skill of the hands that make these - all by hand. (note small clay ballast weights)
Modern Canadian Labels
Voodoo.....Golden.....Ground......Spider......Cherry.....Infinite
Do you want to contribute to this page? Do you have any catalogues / posters be they old or new? Do you have any dummy / dead / fired fireworks? If so think about posting them surface mail to:
80A, HEALY PLACE, STOKE, PLYMOUTH, PL2 1BB, DEVON, ENGLAND, UK or phone 01752 559741
if you would like to e-mail any scans, like many of you have, e-mail Steve Johnson
THANKS
This is why I do this, Nick`s children - Katie, Tom, Kirstie, and "Badger".....being a family on Nov5th, something that many other modern Britons seem unable to be, be it on Guy Fawkes or any other time!
RIP The Family
Links
For more firework and firework heritage and pyro sites from Steve Johnson, as well as Plymouth, UK local history, CLICK HERE
John Bennetts totally indispensable Firework Magazine that if you do not get you need your brain to be seen to!!!!!...and his Fireworks news page.
e-mail Steve Johnson
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