Mellor & Co

Yesterday I went to talk to a wonderfully friendly man named Keith at Mellor & Co - the Ironmongers next door to the abandoned shop I am designing the mural for and he helped fill me in on what history he knew about Lord Street West.

He told me that Mellor & Co have been in this shop since 1900, and kindly showed me a picture of how the shop looked back then (pictured above) It's fascinating to compare how little change the shop has changed since it opened, it really is a gem of old Blackburn, and should be celebrated for it's length of service to it's people.

I've also discovered that the shop I am working on was originally a wholesale greengrocers, explaining the loading bays and disused crane next to the shop (above) and has also been a razor shop and a reclaimed slate shop.

Keith also showed me out in the back of the Ironmongers, where you can see see features of the old coach houses, stables and original cobbled pavements. It could quite possibly be the backyard in the image I found at the library below, which is taken round the corner in Northgate.

I also talked to Janet, the lady who runs vintage fashion treasure cave "Decades" - the best kept secret of the North, who told me she'd been in her premises for over 20 years. She knew that her end of the street had previously been a Dry Salters, a Jewellers and a Dance Hall (which you could see in the arched ceiling above the racks and rails full of vintage delights)

Image taken from Lancashire Life article about Decades

 Interestingly I've also discovered that turn of the century pioneer film makers, Mitchell & Kenyon had their premises just around the corner on Northgate and King Street. Astonishingly 15 years ago two workmen discovered 3 metal drums in the basement of the property, brimming with hundreds of early non-fiction silent films, many of local Lancashire people and places.


An early clip of Blackburn Rovers V Aston Villa at Ewood Park, 9th April 1904 (nearly exactly 79 years before I was born!)


School children from Audley Range Primary School during their Physical Education class, 1904.

You can see more you tube clips from the 2005 BBC Documentary on YouTube HERE






I have a massively long (and still growing) list of things I want to draw in the mural, as well as messages I think are important to highlight. I'm finding it such a treasure to discover the origins of the place I grew up in and I really want to convey and perseverance the enduring spirit of the remaining local businesses in the area.

A few interesting things.......

......I have found out about Blackburn so far...

1. There is a giant buried here - John Fred Kempster

2. Ghandi visited Darwen (where I grew up) in 1931

3. The Spinning Jenny was invented here; revolutionising weaving and turned Blackburn into the weaving capital of the world!

4. The Crest was granted in 1852 and the bits of it have the following meaning:

• The Worker Bees are are an emblem of SKILL, PERSERVERANCE & INDUSTRY
• The White represents CALICO, a product of Blackburn
• The Black wavy line represent BLACK BROOK - the river Blakewater Blackburn is built on and derives its name from
• The Green represents Strength
• The Dove represents Blackburn as a peaceful place
• The Dove stands on a shuttle, representing weaving - which has contributed to the prosperity of the town more than any other industry.
• The Lozenges (diamond shapes) represent the spinning jenny
• Finally the motto - ARTE ET LABOUR which means 'By Art and Labour' summing up the energy and enterprise of Blackburnian workers.

BOOM!

Liberating Empty Terain Project, Blackburn

Good Morning Campers! The day in East Lancashire today is a little grayer than I'd prefer but I care not as I have a terribly exciting project to be getting on with.

I've been back in my faithful homelands for a couple of months now, beavering away in my little studio and planning the months ahead. It feels a bit weird to be away from London after so long there, but I'm truly loving the calm and eager feelings that are being nurtured. London can get a bit hectic and distracting sometimes, so this is indeed a welcome break.
Most excitingly, I have been chosen as the local artist for the latest brief from The LET Project (Liberating Empty Terrain) This is a fantastic series of projects running in Blackburn Town Centre, highlighting the need to support local creative industries by inviting them to take over disused properties.

I will be creating a mural on a disused shop in Lord Street West, working with local people and ideas to create something both reflective and progressive to the regeneration of the area. The shop in question is sandwiched between a wonderful, traditional Ironmongers, and 'Decades' - one of the best Vintage shops in the North (if not in the country - I used to spend many an hour in this treasure box as a teen)

I feel a particular kinship to this project, as it's a shop that I used to frequently when I used to live in Blackburn. It used to be known as 'The Jumble Sale Shop' between those in the know, and it was basically a shop used by various small charities on a short term basis to raise money through selling jumble. It was BARGAIN central, with many lovely grandmas helping you bag your treasure.

This block of shops have a industrial quality typical of the area and have some beautiful original features. I'm especially in awe of the graphic signage of the Ironmongers next door and want to use this as inspiration in my design.

Today, I'm off to Blackburn town centre to sketch some landmarks and gather information from the museum and art gallery. Who'd of thought it!

Keep your eyes peeled for updates!