AS A retired person, born, bred and educated in Blackburn, but no longer a resident, I feel the pavilion buildings on Church Street are of very little merit to the town - particularly as many things which should have been retained were decimated in the 1960s.

This was typified by the eventual exit of Booth's from the town of its origins, and the removal of the excellent Rialto cinema facade which was replaced by a car park!

The pavilions are in a very poor state of repair and require major cosmetic surgery. Who can afford that?

They do not look particularly elegant from the front and the spacing seems wrong.

The peeling white paint is totally out of place in this area and if they were redeveloped as commercial premises delivery vehicle access would be a major problem, as would car parking space.

I would like to see them demolished so there is a clear view of the Cathedral, even though I am an atheist. It has to improve the ambience and at least from that side the building does not offer a view of the bare brickwork proclaiming the still unfinished nature of the extension project initiated in the 1930s.

A simple grass bank needing the minimum of maintenance would be appropriate and the stone could be sold at a profit.

Name and

address supplied.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.