THE MINISTRY OF STEAMPUNK
If you have been to the event before you will know that creativity is the norm; we have previously elected a town mayor each year, a position currently held (for the second year running) by the Biscuit Appreciation Society (BAS).
In 2023 for the first time we also elected a Minister for Time Travel which was won by Nimrod Lancaster who is arguing that he will hold onto the position forever because he will simply change time back next year. We will have to wait and see how successful he is.
For 2024 in keeping with our Steam Western theme, on Sunday we will be electing the Town Sheriff - so if you think that you are just the right person to 'clean up the town' do come along and stand in the election!.
To go with our Steam Western theme we will be holding the High Noon Shoot Out, which is always a popular event at Asylum, combining as it does the high-adrenaline skill of the finest sharp-shooters with the renowned unpredictability of nerf darts.
One of our key objectives in organising the programme for 2024 has been to provide a variety of features spread across the two days, so that Sunday is not just a repeat of Saturday.
On Saturday (only) we will have an election for the Town Mayor, an illicit market, movie-stylemagic for juniors down on the green, parasol duelling, a talk for muggles on steampunk and line dancing lessons.
On Sunday (only) we have the Town Sheriff election, performances by Belly Fusion Dance Collective, an illustrated talk on the history of the Salvation Army (by the Steampunk Sallys), a talk on the history of steampunk and an afternoon performance by a 28 piece brass band!
On both Saturday and Sunday there will be a steampunk market (inlcuding traders who have not traded at Blists Hill before), teapot racing, the High Noon shoot out, performances and a display by the Steampunk Sallys, tea duelling, a hat-making workshop, performances by TADLOP (the Telford and District Light Operatic Players), and a promenade.
There will also be large scale exhibits, the Explorers Incorporated tent with all manner of splendid creations within, Steampunk R2-D2 (technically R2-SP), the crew and exhibitions of Storm Petrel, and an exhibition by Herr Doctor.
The passport office will be running up at the Goods Yard where you can buy a passport for £1 or bring your existing passport along. We will have a new passport stamp for the event and of course you can get your passport stamped by the various traders around town.
The wonderful officers of the National Institute For Monster and Paranormal Hunters (NIMPH) will be back to help keep the town safe(ish) during the event.
The H.G.Wells award (part of the MoS Great Exhibition) will be held again and we will also be repeating and adding to the Blue Plaque Trail that we first tried out at Blists Hill last year. Watch out for a few new plaques this time around.
An exact timetable for all of the above is now available here.
If you haven't been to The Town That Never Was before you can find a gallery of images from last year's event here or follow the buttons below for further information all of which which will be updated over the next few weeks.
THE TOWN THAT NEVER WAS AT BLISTS HILL
29-30 June 2024
Blists Hill, part of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, is a complete Victorian town with streets, shops, businesses and features.
For just one weekend each year we turn it into an immersive Victorian World with a fantastic steampunk twist, as it becomes “The Town That Never Was.”
This year our optional theme will be 'Steam Western', which is sure to inspire some creative ideas from our amazing community - but you are just as welcome to come in whatever attire you wish - after all, the town will be full of the venue's own amazing costumed cast as well as a throng of wide-eyed 'muggle' visitors.