Category: Transport

Twenty five years have now passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Celebrations will be taking place, along with memorials to those who lost their lives trying to cross ‘Der Mauer’. What sticks in my memory is watching those joyous scenes of Berliners being able to cross into parts of their city which had been closed off to them since 1963.

Checkpoint Charlie!

Earlier this year I happened to visit the only other divided capital city, like Berlin at the time, on the edge of the European Union. Unlike Berlin, which was only capital to one of the two Germanys, Nicosia is capital to both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot republics. It was all too weird for my girlfriend, who had never had to use her passport to go through a border crossing in the middle of the same city. But not for me, I’d seen it all before. I visited Berlin in 1982 – at the height of the Cold War.

What made me want to see this city was the Sex Pistols song: Holidays in the Sun. One of my mates was in the Army and stationed in West Berlin. I paid him a visit and landed at Tegel Airport. This used to be France’s military airport, but was then used for civilian flights. British forces still used Gatow and America used Tempelhof airports. At Tegel, armed police, dogs and soldiers were everywhere and my bag was thoroughly searched, along with every other passenger’s baggage.

My Army mate arranged digs for me at one of his German friend’s flat and a great holiday followed. A lot of time was spent going for a beer with my mate and his Army colleagues. Two of them took me for a trip into the Eastern Sector one afternoon. They had to be in full uniform and made me refuse to hand over my passport to the East German border guards. Britain didn’t recognise the GDR, despite helping our GDP by supplying most of the materials for Der Mauer.

No doubt a lot of money was made by a lot of people from building the Wall and making it do its job. My impression of both Berlins at the time was of them being showpieces for two competing political systems, making it a very exciting place. It was obvious this scar on humanity wasn’t going to last forever though. But it was amazing how it all ended in 1989. Many politicians have taken credit for its demise. But some did more than others. President Kennedy’s famous visit in 1963 is probably the one most documented.

It wasn’t Kennedy, accidentally claiming to be a doughnut with his ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ speech, which brought the wall down. It was two other men who really made it happen. One was the former Soviet leader – Mikhail Gorbachov – who gave the order to allow people through. The other was a Polish trade union leader called Lech Walesa. His Solidarity trade union not only brought down the wall and the Soviet Bloc, they also saved the world from nuclear annihilation.

Unfortunately my contribution to its downfall was rather childish. In 1982 Westerners were encouraged to treat the Wall with disdain and being 22 metres inside East German territory, vandalism and graffiti was actually encouraged. And so after one drunken session with the squaddies, I spat on Der Mauer, relieved myself against it and wrote Blackburn Rovers on its surface. Now it is gone – Auf Wiedersehen Mauer.

Tesco, viewed from the canal

Blackburn seems to turn its back on one of its most important assets.  I love walking along the Leeds – Liverpool canal.  I’ve walked its length many times from where it enters Blackburn, at Whitebirk, to where it leaves the town, at Feniscowles.  It’s a town of two halves when it comes to following the towpath.  Heading eastwards, we pass mainly through an industrial landscape.  Whereas travelling west, the canal meanders through mainly residential areas of the town.

Blackburn is actually the largest intermediate town on the Leeds – Liverpool Canal and the only one with a population of over 100,000.  Yet it seems to be hardly noticed by its townsfolk.  An occasional walker, cyclists and anglers are often the only people you come across when taking a walk down the cut.  Perhaps what is most conspicuous by its absence is the number of boats to be seen along the canal.  That lovely put, put, put…. sound of the chugging narrowboat is hardly ever heard on this part of the canal network.

Try travelling ten miles down the canal, in either direction, it’s a different story.  Burnley has plenty of boats moored at Reedley Marina and more seem to appear as you head towards Yorkshire.  Chorley seems awash with canal boats.  There are boat yards both sides of the town, two as you approach from the Blackburn direction, at either end of their locks.  The reason for our lack of boats in Blackburn is probably due to no established mooring facility.  Only Eanam  and Nova Scotia Wharves have any space for a large number of boats to moor.  The nearest collection of boats moored together is at Finnington Lane, on the town’s outskirts.

What Blackburn needs is a marina.  This would not only provide safe refuge for boats, but could also help create its own unique community, such as is the case in Hebden Bridge.  Building a marina would create several short-term jobs and possibly lead to further permanent positions.  An ideal site would be the land along Gorse Street, incorporating the former Kenyon St and Esther St.  Sadly this parcel of land looks to be spoken for, possibly by the council or nearby Tesco.  Not content with taking away our greyhound stadium, it also wants to enlarge itself even more.  Unfortunately their boundless pursuit of building even more unnecessary identikit superstores will probably keep them turning their back on the canal, as they are doing already in Blackburn.  I don’t expect them to build a marina, but perhaps they could make amends for taking away part of our sporting heritage by clearing up their border with the canal and making it look presentable.  They could even build a landing stage and make money from passing boats.  It won’t transform Blackburn’s waterscape, ‘But Every Little Helps.’

Dummy’s guide to Blackburn Bus Station

Due to work on Blackburn’s new Cathedral Quarter, we now find our bus station has been evicted from the Boulevard.  It was right in front of the railway station and as good a transport interchange as you could ever find.  Sadly it is no more.  Fortunately our new bus station is being relocated on the old market site.  So it’s only a hop, skip and jump away from where it was before.

Our temporary bus station is on Brown St, next door to where its permanent successor is being prepared.  Unfortunately it is located within sight of four pubs, none of which sells beer.  Both Bulls and the Fleece are boarded up, whereas Daniel’s – named after the neighbouring brewery’s founder – acts as Thwaites’ training centre.  This pub used to be called the Waterloo, a fitting name for Blackburn’s town centre nightlife.  That’s what you feel you’ve met when you venture there for a night out and look for places to go.  Also adjacent to the brewery are two other redundant hostelries:  Uncle Tom’s Cabin, also boarded up, and the Veteran – now a bookshop.

So the weary traveller, arriving by bus into Blackburn, doesn’t receive a very refreshing welcome.  We must be the only town with a population of over 100,000 to have only a dozen pubs open in its town centre.  It’s also very sad when Rovers are playing at home, visiting fans don’t ask directions to Ewood Park any more.  They ask directions to the nearest pub instead.

Perhaps one answer could be for Thwaites to re-open either Daniel’s or the Fleece – or even better – why not both?  What better way to train potential landlords, managers and bar staff than in a proper working pub?  This is where Daniel’s really could kill two birds with one stone.  It would continue its training purpose, but could also provide a welcome amenity for the new bus station and its dry surroundings.  Get them in Danny!