Monday 18 January 2010

Darwen Street & The Merchants Hotel


A nice, early shot of Darwen Street, taken from just below Mill Lane. Quite a crowd had gathered outside the Merchants Hotel, to watch the proceedings. To the right, midway down Jubilee Street, we can see the Grand Theatre.
No longer the Merchants, it is now called the Last Orders, Last Post or something like that. I think for a while, after being refurbished in the 80's, it was re-named Zanzibar. Was it then that it had a black & white decor, or was that after another refurb?
When I first started (underage) drinking in town, in 1974 ish, it still had a lovely old 1960's jukebox (Seeburg, Rock-Ola or similar).
Anyway, I digress, but as far as I'm concerned, it will always be the Merchants.
COURTESY OF COTTONTOWN & THE COMMUNITY STUDIES DEPT. BLACKBURN LIBRARY

10 comments:

  1. That's a great photo... I'll have a walk past this afternoon and see what it's like these days. I've been past a million times but never really paid any attention. I don't even know if it's the same building.

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  2. Hi Richard -- Yeah, definitely the same building. From memory, I don't think it's altered that much. I think the doorways and windows are all still as they were. Window frames, glass and doors might have been replaced, but all in the same places, if you know what I mean

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  3. Hi Colin...I remember the Merchants as well, if I'm not mistaken wasn't Ken Pilling the Landlord in the 60's / 70's. It used to be one of the pubs on the "Barbary Coast Tour".
    PS For those who remember Ken ( And I'm straight by the way ) he was a decent bloke who had the good of the town in his heart and did a hell of lot for charities.

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  4. Ken Pilling was Landlord for a time John. Not sure how long exactly, but he definitely ran it for a while.

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  5. Ken Pilling was the landlord of this, perhaps the most well known "Barbary coast" hostelry.I can remember the fun in the 70's and the heady atmosphere with "characters" like the likeable Pearl!

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  6. Hi Guzzi. Yeah it was always a decent pub the Merchants. Still going strong, but known as The Last Orders now (part of a chain).

    Regards.

    Colin

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  7. If you're interested Guzzi, type Lost Pubs in the 'search' in the top left corner and it should take you to a post where there's a Youtube link to a slide show I put together a couple of years ago.

    Regards.

    Colin

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  8. Been doin' some family history research recently & discovered that my great grandmother's sister Maud Lancaster lived & worked in the merchant hotel as a waitress as listed in the 1911 Census

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  9. I think that photo might be a bit earlier than 1911. Not sure though, as it's difficult to see. Still, the pub would have looked much the same in 1911.

    Regards

    Colin

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  10. Just found this really good website.
    My Uncle and Aunt, Manny and Hannah Kenyon were licensees in the 1940s. I remember staying there as a small child about 1947.

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