How East Lancashire Wetherspoons got their names

You might have noticed that every Wetherspoons across the country has an entirely unique name- and these aren’t chose randomly.

A lot of thought goes into the name selection; with the help of a historian, the aim to tie in as much local history from the surrounding area as possible.

A spokesperson for the Wetherspoons team said: “Wetherspoon places great emphasis on its pub names.

“It uses a historian within the company to research the background of the building, local characters in the area, events in the area.

“From that Wetherspoon is given a choice of five names and the reasons for those names. The chairman Tim Martin, together with a group of staff then decide on the relevant name.”

The Postal Order, Darwen Street, Blackburn

Blackburn’s very own ‘The Postal Order’ takes its name from its previous usage as post office.

The site is  typical of the grand, Edwardian post offices built in the early 1900s.

Its construction marked a time of great industrial and economic improvements in Blackburn that revolutionised local transport and communications.

There is a picture in the pub detailing this.

It reads: “Blackburn’s continuing industrial and economic growth during the 19th century led to huge improvements in transport and communications. This also led to considerable improvements in the post office.

“The modern postal system took shape during those years. Mail coaches, introduced in the latter part of the previous century, were replaced by the developing rail network.”

The Old Chapel, Railway Road, Darwen

According to Google reviews, this is one of the best-rated Wetherspoons in East Lancashire- but how did it get its name?

This building first opened on 30 March 1866- but not as a pub.

As its name suggests, it was a place of religious significance and was a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel described as ‘the finest building in Darwen’.

The building was designed by Edward Bates, an architect who also designed the nearby India Mill.

In1969, it was bought for £14,500 and converted into a supermarket until it was fully refurbished in the ‘spoons we know and love in 2014.

The Wallace Hartley, Church Street, Colne

This pub is named after historical figure, Wallace Hartley.

He was born in Colne back in 1878- and he was certainly an impressive figure in the world of musci.

By the age of 15, he was giving solo violin performances and even went onto entertain passengers on transatlantic liners.

Most notably, he is known for being a bandmaster on the ill-fated Titanic, which sunk in 1912.

More than 40,000 people lined the route of the funeral procession on its way to Colne cemetery and a statue of Mr Hartley was erected soon after.

The Commercial Hotel, Church Street, Accrington

The landmark corner building had been the Regency Bar since 1977. 

Before then, it was the Commercial Hotel for almost 100 years. Built in 1881, it was the second Commercial Hotel on this site. 

The first was an early 19th-century coaching inn. In 1848, two coaches called at the hotel daily, except Sundays – the Invincible (for Burnley and Preston) and the Shuttle (for Blackpool).

The Boot Inn, James Street, Burnley

(Photo: Google Maps)

 This pub replaced an earlier Boot Inn, which stood on the same site.

The first Boot Inn was built in 1911- and before that stood a small farmhouse and like several other farmhouses in Burnley, it was converted into a public house in the late 18th or early 19th century.