A former mill town, the Lancashire town of Blackburn has undergone something of a revolution in recent years, with the town centre part of an extensive 15-year redevelopment plan. There’s plenty to see and do in the town centre before the project is fully completed, however, with the historic cathedral, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery and the impressive King George’s Hall event space all a short walk from our Blackburn Town Centre hotel. The compact town centre is also where you’ll find the ice rink, the Mall Blackburn with over 60 stores and the 10-screen Vue Cinema complex, while Ewood Park – home to Premier League winners Blackburn Rovers – is less than a mile from the centre of town.
The Lancashire and Ribble Valley countryside is well worth exploring too, with Witton Country Park, Hoghton Tower and the sprawling Brockholes Nature Reserve all must-visit attractions.
Add in a vibrant eating out scene spanning independent coffee specialists, Caribbean-themed calypso joints, fine-dining Indian restaurants and plenty of excellent pubs, and you have a proud industrial revolution boomtown once more on an upward curve.
Things to do in Blackburn
Shopping
The Mall Blackburn is the leading shopping centre in the region. Originally built in the ’70s, the two-floor shopping mall has been extensively rebuilt and refurbished and is a modern retail centre home to over 60 stores including Primark, H&M, Next and New Look as well as over a dozen cafes, food and drink stands and restaurants.
You’ll also find Blackburn Market on the ground floor of The Mall Blackburn open Monday to Saturday from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. As well as selling a wide range of produce and products, it’s where you’ll find their food market selling everything from artisan pies and Korean street food to freshly prepared Greek dishes, barista coffee, cakes and more.
Heading several miles east out of Blackburn, Oswaldtwistle Mills is a converted weaving mill now home to over 100 stores spanning fashion, home furnishings, textiles and several cafes and restaurants including an ice cream parlour. The shopping centre is open daily and also has a children’s play area and a textile and heritage museum.
Getting Around
The closest international airport to Blackburn is Manchester Airport. The 30-mile journey takes around 45 minutes by car or taxi, with the quickest public transport option the one-hour 45-minute train service including a change in Bolton. The third-busiest UK airport, Manchester has three terminals used by a range of airlines including Emirates, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic flying across the UK, Europe and further afield. One way to make your travel plans even simpler is to stay the night before you fly at one of our hotels near Manchester Airport.
Blackburn Train Station offers direct services to Leeds, York, Liverpool and Manchester, making it a well-connected travel hub. The four-platform station has toilets, waiting rooms, a cafe and a staffed ticket office and is located in the heart of Blackburn, less than 50 meters from our Blackburn Town Centre hotel.
Shopping
