Critchlow, Cyril, 1923 - 2008
Dates
- Existence: 1923 - 2008
Biography
Cyril Critchlow was born in Staffordshire in 1923 and moved to Blackpool with his family as a teenager in the late 1930s.
Cyril developed an interest in magic from an early age and became known as a magician during the Second World War under the stage name of Reval.
Throughout his life in Blackpool, Critchlow became an avid collector of ephemera relating to Blackpool’s entertainment heritage from the 1860s to the present day and wrote several books on the subject. He was also a passionate heritage campaigner and in 1977 he fulfilled a lifelong dream when he opened The Museum of Entertainment on Coronation Street, where he displayed his personal collection of entertainment ephemera.
Critchlow presented magic shows and gave talks on Blackpool history of entertainment at the ‘Witches Café’ which he also ran. In 1980 he became the proprietor of a small theatre of variety and he even worked as a spotlight operator at the Winter Gardens Theatre for a while. In the mid-sixties he was elected town Councillor. Additionally, he was a founder member of the Blackpool Magicians’ club, becoming at one point President and Honorary Life Member. He was a member of Equity, The Magic Circle, Blackpool Heritage Forum and he was President of the North West Music Hall and Variety Friendship Society.
He was still entertaining with his magic act in his 80s performing as Wizardo, Harry Potter's grandfather and took part in Sheffield University’s Cabinet of Curiosities held at Blackpool in 2008.
Cyril Critchlow died after a short illness in 2008.
Found in 12 Collections and/or Records:
Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates and Obituaries, 1891 - 1964
Personal legal documents related to Lily Ohmy, Herbert Sanger, John Everton Sanger and an order of memorial for Lawrence Wright (Horation Nicholls).
Correspondence, c1900 - 2008
Items of personal correspondence and correspondence related to the Sanger and Ohmy families.
Correspondence Related to the Ohmy Circus Family, 1905 - 1929
Postcard correspondence related to the Ohmy Circus family, including a postcard from Lillie Reeve to Mr Claude Smith while he was a prisoner of war in Germany.
Cyril Critchlow Collection
Emergency Passport, October 1914
Emergency passport issued to Lily Smith (Ohmy) in Berlin, Germany during the First World War by the American Embassy to enable her liberation from Ruhleben prisoner camp and her return to England. Typescript.
Lily Ohmy and Herbert Sanger's Marriage Certificate, 6 March 1916
Certificate of the marriage of Lily Ohmy and herbert Sanger.
Lily Ohmy's Birth Certificate, 2 February 1891
Lily Ohmy's birth certificate dated 13 March 1914.
Monographs and Research Material, c1860 - 1999
Monographs and research material on the Ohmy family.
Newspaper Cuttings and Scrapbooks, c1832 - 1999
Various newspaper cuttings and scrapbooks about variety and circus performers including the Ohmy and Sanger families.
Photographs and Postcards, 1908 - 1975
Black and white photographs and postcards of the Ohmy, the Smart and the Sanger circuses and family members, including John Sanger in sailor’s uniform. Also a variety of circus performers including Mme. Morelli from the Bostock menagerie. Many of the postcards have been used for correspondence.
Research Material, c1930 - 1999
Various items including colour photographs of the Ohmy family grave and copies of photographs with notes on reverse as well as photocopies of various documents and some notes.
Various Items Related to the Ohmy and Sanger Families, c1880 - 1980
Various items related to the Ohmy and Sanger families, including World War Two related material and other personal items.
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