One of Blackburn town centre’s most popular pubs was the Borough on Exchange Street, beside the old town hall. It was often frequented by councillors and even had its own scaly reptile – an iguana.
This pub was known for having the smartest toilets in our town centre, a bit like walking into the hall of mirrors. Unfortunately it also had its ups and downs over the years, leading to its inevitable closure.
Meanwhile one of the Vietnamese boat people ended up in Blackburn and saw an opportunity to make some dodgy money. Ho Chi Kokee (not her real name) turned the pub into a restaurant called Saigon Buffet. Their slogan in here was: ‘You love Rovers, now you have chance to eat them’.
In Vietnam they joke about eating anything with four legs, apart from their tables and chairs. This wasn’t the case in Saigon Buffet. In here nobody seemed to eat anything as you could never find a soul in the restaurant. One joke about this place at the time was its staff were former Vietcong guerrillas secretly hiding in tunnels when the restaurant was open.
In reality it was a den of criminality, hosting such activities as human trafficking. This all came to an end in 2017 when over a dozen police and immigration officers raided the place. A 43 year old woman was arrested on suspicion of modern slavery offences.
Since then these premises seem to have carried on where they left off and once again, nothing seems to be going on. This is a big shame because it is a really nice building in a prime location, right in the centre of Blackburn and contrasts differently to this side of our town centre which has made great strides in rejuvenating itself.
We have seen the re-opening of Blackburn’s rock pub, Sir Charles Napier and former Molloy’s, now renamed the Squire pub. There is the nearby Drummer’s Arms continuing its refreshing impact on our pub scene and we now have another new addition to our nightlife in the recently opened Electric Church on Northgate.
Vietnam was known for being part of the oriental golden triangle. But perhaps Blackburn town centre could have its own pub golden triangle. This would be bounded by Sudell Cross, Richmond Terrace, Exchange Street and King William Street.
So it’s One, Two, Three, Four, what are we waiting for? Yes we give a damn, the Borough’s in Blackburn, not Vietnam.
