Restored 1930s Blakey Moor building in Blackburn to reopen as restaurant after six-year project

Blackburn with Darwen Council has let the restored 1930s building at 3-7 Blakey Moor to restaurant Thira, completing the row of buildings opposite King George's Hall in the town's £50m Cultural Quarter.

The council announced the letting on 3 November 2026. Thira, which has traded for about 10 years and is currently on Darwen Street, will almost triple in size when it moves into the Art Deco building, the council said.

Darwen-based APM Design designed the new restaurant, drawing on the building's Art Deco character. The original flooring, windows and staircase have been retained, according to the council. Companies House lists a Darwen-registered company of that name, A P M Design Ltd, at The Studio, 2-4 Knott Street, Darwen, with specialised design activities as its nature of business.

Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Deputy Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said: "Thira is a wonderful success story for our borough, and this move supports its ambitions for growth, keeping the hugely popular restaurant at the very heart of Blackburn town centre."

The building

The council said the restoration had been more than six years in the making. The building housed a Subway fast food outlet until 2020, after which the council bought it to protect its future use.

In April 2025 the council submitted a planning application to convert the building into a town centre restaurant. The works described at the time included restoring the windows, front elevation and gable end, a new roof, and a second staircase to meet fire regulations. External works were to complete the landscaping behind the neighbouring Blakey Moor Terrace.

The fit-out now includes a licensed bar, two levels of dining, private events facilities, a small conference area and an outdoor terrace, the council said. Final touches are being made ahead of new furniture arriving, and an official opening date has yet to be announced.

The owners, named by the council as Mr Iyer and Mr Bijumon, said: "Being in front of King George's Hall – where major concerts, shows and community events take place – means we are perfectly positioned to welcome guests before and after performances."

The funding

The council said the Blakey Moor works were funded from £20m of Government investment in cultural assets secured in 2024. On 1 March 2024 the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced a £20m Levelling Up Partnership for Blackburn with Darwen, provided subject to final business case, to help turn heritage buildings into cultural venues, naming King George's Hall, Imperial Mill and The Cotton Exchange.

The council's £50m Cultural Quarter figure covers King George's Hall, the REEL Cinema on the former Waves site and Blackburn College's Victoria Building, which it describes as adding up to £50m of new funding for the area.

King George's Hall, a Grade II listed building, held its Grand Civic Reopening in October 2026 after what the council described as a £13.5m refurbishment including exterior improvements. The hall first opened on 21 October 1921. In December 2025 the council had announced a further £4.5m for the venue, topping up £9m already committed, with £2.5m originally set aside for Tony's Ballroom redirected to the hall.

The wider quarter

Akbar's restaurant already operates inside King George's Hall, and the council said in September 2026 that new operators would bring The Ribblesdale Pub at 35 Northgate back into use. The Ribblesdale was restored as part of the Blakey Moor Townscape Heritage project, a joint investment by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The adjoining Blakey Moor Terrace restoration, announced in March 2021, was to create two new spaces suitable for food and drink, retail, arts or leisure uses, with works expected to take 12 to 18 months. The council said on 3 November that talks about a restaurant in the terrace are well underway, having said in September that it was in final talks with tenants for two neighbouring restaurants.