New energy for Blackburn’s cultural quarter

Blakey Moor Terrace sits opposite Blackburn's King George’s Hall on a busy thoroughfare between the town’s main shopping centre and the University campus. Dating back to the 1800s, the derelict terrace had fallen into disrepair and become an eyesore within the conservation area. When Group Ginger won the project in 2021, the brief was to retain the existing buildings and transform them into a high-quality independent food and retail offer more fitting of their prominent location.

However, Storm Dudley in March 2022 de-railed these plans, causing irreparable damage which prompted the building to be condemned. The building was temporarily propped whilst the contractor hand-demolished part of the building, salvaging as much material as possible for re-use in the future. The brief then changed, to create a new build but historically sympathetic replacement for part of the building at nos 11-17 and repair and transformation of the remains of nos 19-27 Blakey Moor Terrace.

Group Ginger’s design restores the streetline, respecting the integrity of the two clearly distinct parts of the building. New shop fronts echo the memory of the original building and a new south facing terrace to the rear to allow the restaurant units to spill out for external dining.

The re-provided building at 11-17 provides a contemporary addition to the composition, with striking arched windows commanding civic presence. Reclaimed brick and new stone break up the composition of the building and compliment the original retained section at 19-27. The new design is curved in plan to allow sightlines further down the street to increase footfall.

The original shop fronts to the storm-battered remains at 19-27 had been compromised by years of unsympathetic additions. Group Ginger’s design approach re-interprets the historic shop fronts to establish a series of frontages suitable for the proposed restaurant uses. Individual bay windows and recessed doors with a stepped signage boards by heritage craftsmen add distinction and delicacy to the elevation and give future flexibility for the ground floor to be subdivided if required in the future.

Previously inaccessible land to the rear of the terrace has been reconfigured to provide new public spaces and an impressive rear south facing courtyard for cafes to spill out into, creating a sense of activation and theatre appropriate to the cultural quarter. A new pedestrian route provides a direct visual link to cultural anchors such as the new cinema along Barton Street.

Group Ginger’s sustainable circular design approach is in evidence throughout the project. The new external terrace re-uses the stone flags from a basement, and bricks from the hand demolished building have been re-used in the façade of the new curved building.