1998 English Fireworks Page

FIREWORKS IN ENGLAND 3

15 CAPTIONED PHOTOS ARE BELOW THIS STORY.

My fourth trip to England provided five nights of fireworks, nice visits with several fireworks loving friends and new towns and cities to see and enjoy. John Bennett, my wife Dorothy and I went directly from Gatwick airport to Fawkes Fireworks, in order to pick up the last display items for John's annual benefit firework display. Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th, John and I walked in the grand Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations, as a guest of the Hastings Borough Bonfire Society. Thanks go out to Gerry Glenister and all of the HBBS members for a unique chance to enjoy this activity as an "insider". Each Lewes bonfire society fired a firework show that night and from the Borough Bonfire Society site overlooking the town where we were, all of the displays could be seen. They were fantastic.

The following night I helped with John's display in Bexhill-on-Sea for St. Peter and St. Paul's School. This is an annual charity display that raises money for the school. That super twenty-five minute show had a full range of fireworks and was a delight to see and video. In England, many displays have an admission charge that goes to raise money for some charity.

November 7th I went to the Battle Bonfire Night. Their bonfire and firework display was held at the actual site of the Battle of Hastings, in 1066. There I saw a wonderful firework display that included the largest fireworks-filled tableau of Guy Fawkes I have ever seen. As usual, when the fireworks in old Guy Fawkes finished, he was blown up by salutes also mounted inside the massive tableau.

Battle, England bonfire Guy Fawkes tableau

After a week of sightseeing in several English cities and seeing Stonehenge, I traveled by train to the Midlands and visited with Jonathan Young and his family. They presented me a nice gift pack of fireworks and some large rockets and firework mines. We fired these in their back garden, something I would not be able to do here in Texas because it is not legal to fire fireworks inside the city limits. I gave all of the fireworks that night a rousing "good show" and "well done".

The next day we traveled to London to see the Lord Mayor's Show, the largest annual free firework display in that famous city. That display was fired by Wilf Scott, a very well-known pyrotechnician in England. Pyrovision managed the fireworks that were supplied by Black Cat. That display was one of the most intense fifteen minutes I have ever witnessed. Display shells, Roman candle batteries, display cakes and salute barrages were non-stop and terrific in this one.

Now, I hope you will enjoy some more photos and captions that show just a little of the fireworks and bonfire night fun I had on this trip to Merry Old England. Some of the fireworks pictured may have never been seen in America before.

This visit to England began with fun as I was invited to walk in the Lewes bonfire parades November 5th. Many thanks go out to the Hastings Borough Bonfire Society for providing me this once-in-a-lifetime chance. I took this photo while walking, holding a burning torch. Four firework displays were fired in Lewes that night.

I helped John Bennett with his annual benefit display in Bexhill-on-Sea. Here are some items from that display. Kimbolton Fireworks manufactures this showy display item called Northern Lights. Each tube contains seven Roman candles, so there were a lot of pretty colored stars going skyward from this one.

Large 100 shot display cakes are in use in England. This item is approximately one square foot in size (300 mm).

The larger consumer style round cakes looked good in John's show also.

Roman candle batteries are a very popular staple in English displays. These were wonderful in both height and presentation.

I saw some items with unusual names, this being the one that I found the most interesting.

This is a fourteen inch diameter (350 mm) cake that had 300 shots. It is the largest round cake item I have seen so far.

Here is a more traditional 200 shot professional display cake, measuring almost one foot by two feet. (300 by 600 mm)

An interesting solution to securing quick match fuse so the first shell in the row does not pull out the other fuses. Note the ignitor cord linking the four shells together so they fired at a four second interval.

One of many shops in Brighton that sells fireworks during the Guy Fawkes season. Black Cat bought out Standard Fireworks earlier that year, so there was much Black Cat material enjoyed by consumers then.

Some items for sale in the store pictured above. Note the fireworks are protected in glass cases, a sensible requirement in England.

Another case of larger fireworks for sale there, this one also displaying a No Smoking sign. The tubes on the left are aerial mines of different varieties and seem to be quite popular with fireworks lovers in England.

Jonathan Young's family presented me this fireworks pack as a gift while I visited in their home. I fired all of it in their back garden, along with the large rockets shown below. This is an all-Chinese pack from Cosmic Fireworks.

Jonathan Young helped me have some good fireworks fun too. On the left is the "Big Mama" rocket, the largest one Jonathan knows of in England. The shell it contained had a huge spread, comparable to a commercial display shell. Another large shell-head rocket is in his other hand. I got to fire those rockets and they were fantastic.

My fifth night of fireworks was the Lord Mayor's Show in London. Joining me were fireworks lovers (L-R) John Young, Jonathan Young, Hugh Roberts, an expert display firer and friend, and I am on the far right.

	This visit to England began with fun as I was invited to walk in the Lewes bonfire parades November 5th. Many thanks go out to the Hastings Borough Bonfire Society for providing me this once-in-a-lifetime chance. I took this photo while walking, holding a burning torch. Four firework displays were fired in Lewes that night.
	I helped John Bennett with his annual benefit display in Bexhill-on-Sea. Here are some items from that display. Kimbolton Fireworks manufactures this showy display item called Northern Lights. Each tube contains seven Roman candles, so there were a lot of pretty colored stars going skyward from this one.
	Large 100 shot display cakes are in use in England. This item is approximately one square foot in size (300 mm).
	The larger consumer style round cakes looked good in John's show also.
	Roman candle batteries are a very popular staple in English displays. These were wonderful in both height and presentation.
	I saw some items with unusual names, this being the one that I found the most interesting.
	This is a fourteen inch diameter (350 mm) cake that had 300 shots. It is the largest round cake item I have seen so far.
	Here is a more traditional 200 shot professional display cake, measuring almost one foot by two feet. (300 by 600 mm)
	An interesting solution to securing quick match fuse so the first shell in the row does not pull out the other fuses. Note the ignitor cord linking the four shells together so they fired at a four second interval.
	One of many shops in Brighton that sells fireworks during the Guy Fawkes season. Black Cat bought out Standard Fireworks earlier that year, so there was much Black Cat material enjoyed by consumers then.
	Some items for sale in the store pictured above. Note the fireworks are protected in glass cases, a sensible requirement in England.
	Another case of larger fireworks for sale there, this one also displaying a No Smoking sign. The tubes on the left are aerial mines of different varieties and seem to be quite popular with fireworks lovers in England.
	Jonathan Young's family presented me this fireworks pack as a gift while I visited in their home. I fired all of it in their back garden, along with the large rockets shown below. This is an all-Chinese pack from Cosmic Fireworks.
	Jonathan Young helped me have some good fireworks fun too. On the left is the "Big Mama" rocket, the largest one Jonathan knows of in England. The shell it contained had a huge spread, comparable to a commercial display shell. Another large shell-head rocket is in his other hand. I got to fire those rockets and they were fantastic.
	My fifth night of fireworks was the Lord Mayor's Show in London. Joining me were fireworks lovers (L-R) John Young, Jonathan Young, Hugh Roberts, an expert display firer and friend, and I am on the far right.