Popular Blackburn bar set to close

A popular Blackburn bar is set to close for good just months after it had been announced that it would expand into a £350,000 renovated property.

Shh!, recognisable by its 1920s speakeasy style, was set to move into 35 Northgate. The 19th Century building, formerly the Ribblesdale Hotel, Gladstone’s and then Baroque, is undergoing a major refurbishment programme by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.

The owners of Shh! had been set to move in, expanding their offering to include dining. But the owners have now announced that not only will they not move into their new home, but they will be closing their current premises too.

A Facebook post at the weekend read: "For many, many reasons we will not be moving to what was to be our new home. Things haven't gone as we hoped they would, so with a lot of sadness on our part, we will not be going ahead.

"We have tried really, really, hard to make this happen but sadly it wasnt to be. We are sure someone else will step in and take over this beautiful building and we genuinley wish whoever that is all the luck in the world. There are no recriminations and no blame aimed at anyone, it simply wasnt meant to be. We are truly devastated that we have reached this point but we are where we are.

"In relation to our current venue, we will be winding things up over the next few weeks and will be closing the door for one final time."

The building, opposite King George's Hall, is part of the Townscape Heritage Project in the Blakey Moor area, a new cultural quarter for the town.

Blackburn with Darwen Council bought the premises in 2014 and National Lottery funding has been used to bring it back into use.

Coun Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We’ve worked closely with Michael and Martin to help make their dreams for expansion become a reality and we’re sorry that it hasn’t worked out for them. I wish them both luck for the future.

"The work to transform the former Ribblesdale building is incredibly impressive – bringing it back to its best. It’s been finished to a high standard, meaning we’re in a good position as it’s ready to let. It’s an important part of our brand-new Cultural Quarter for the area surrounding King George’s Hall and we’re already speaking to another successful food and drink operator who is interested in the property."