Blackburn’s Grapes pub has re-opened. The town centre pub at the junction of King William Street, Northgate and Sudell Cross re-opened in early September.
The new Grapes Town Tavern opening was delayed by a week due to electrical safety precautions, but this didn’t seem to hinder matters. There was a good bunch in the Grapes on my afternoon visit of its Friday opening day.
Three real ales from Thwaites were on sale. I plumped for Gold and was pleased to be charged £2.30 for a pint. There were a lot of familiar faces in the pub, mainly Blackburn Times regulars, also behind the bar were former staff from there. But other nearby King William Street pubs also had some of their punters in to check out this newly opened hostelry. Having an artist and butties on helped boost the crowd, as did their big screens, showing live Ashes test match cricket.
A week is a long time in politics, so said Harold Wilson. But something similar can also be said about happenings with Blackburn town centre’s pub scene. A week later, on my next visit, it was still busy in the Grapes, but not so much in Blackburn Times. After watching the amount of hand pump activity in the Grapes, perhaps this might send a message to Times not to have sour grapes, but to get those cask ale pumps back on again.
Unfortunately it’s going to be a fruitless trip across the road to the Squire, where they won’t be selling real ale for its foreseeable future. Barely a week after the Grapes opened; their nearest neighbour threw in the towel and ceased to be a pub. Word on the ‘grapevine’ is it may become an Indian restaurant. This is not only a bad blow for staff and regulars who went in here, but very annoying too. It was turning into a good run around King William Street and its immediate area. Optimistic eyes were even starting to look towards the Borough maybe being the next one to open.
Unfortunately in Blackburn town centre, it always seems to be two steps forward and one step back these days. But at least the Grapes has made a good start to its new lease of life as a public house. Let’s hope it continues to mature like fine wine and this becomes a vintage year for the Grapes and Blackburn town centre.