TWO creators of Facebook groups celebrating pubs in Blackburn in their heyday took a Covid-secure walk along a famous former pub crawl in the town.

Last year, the Lancashire Telegraph reported how Stephen Hughes, licensee and founder of Blackburn and Darwen pubs (Past and Present), and Richie Pull of the Closed Pubs of Blackburn groups visited some of the old pubs.

But recently they took a trip down memory lane looking back on the well-known Revidge Run.

Stephen said: “Myself and Richie Pull had for been for some time talking about walking the old route of the Revidge Run pub crawl.

“This was legendary in Blackburn and used to take place between the Woodlands Hotel on Preston New Road and the Knowles Arms, or the Wilpshire Hotel, for those who wanted to take in even more pubs.

“There was a total of just over 10 pubs on offer, a few more if you also took in the three on Dukes Brow.

“The Revidge Run could be completed in either direction and on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, the pubs along that route would be packed as would be the local roads, with revellers walking between the pubs.

“There was an amazing atmosphere that will be memorable for anyone who used to complete that pub crawl.

“Sadly over the last 10 to15 years all of the pubs between the Woodlands and the Sportsmans have closed.

“The first to go was the Corporation Park followed by the Dog Inn, the Sportsmans and the West View in that order. The Royal Oak and all pubs beyond that in the Wilpshire direction remain open, with the exception of the Bulls Head which was closed in 2016 and turned into a Co-op.

“Richie and I decided to take in even more pubs between Ewood and the Wilpshire Hotel.”

The Wilpshire Hotel has featured in the Lancashire Telegraph recently as tenants Sharon and David Halstead have been threatened with eviction in early March by Stonegate Pub Company, previously known as Enterprise Inns.

Stephen said the reason the pub company wanted to turn the community pub into a managed house ‘makes no sense for that sort of pub’.

“It appears that the genuine reason is more likely to be that Sharon and David asked for a Market Rent Only (MRO) option, which is their right under the government’s Pub Code to go free of tie.

“Unfortunately it is becoming commonplace that when tenants ask to go free of tie, the pub companies respond by serving notice on them or making the process as difficult as possible, the reason being that the tied model is far more lucrative for the pubcos. The local community don’t want to lose Sharon and David and be faced with a revolving door of short-term managers.”

Richie said: “We went on the walk to visit some old haunts and to see what state the closed pubs are now in.

“Some leaving messages of hope outside, some converted in to homes, some being used as other businesses and the rest simply waiting for the day they can trade again and welcome you with open arms.”

A spokesperson for Stonegate Group said: “All requests for a market rent only (MRO) option follow a strict procedure and timetable and do not impact on the duration of the original lease agreement while going through the process.

“In the case of the Wilpshire Hotel the agreement came to an end and it will continue as a pub, serving the community, operated by our managed division,” the spokesperson added.