About Blackburn

Coordinates: 53°′″N 2°′″W / 53.7449, -2.4769

Blackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It is the largest and most populous settlement with the Blackburn with Darwen borough, which has a population of 105,085. It was a key centre for the textile industry during the Industrial Revolution. Blackburn is situated to the north of the West Pennine Moors.

Blackburn is known to fans of The Beatles as the town featured in the song "A Day in the Life". An article in the Daily Mail about a plan to fill potholes in the town caught John Lennon's eye as he was writing the song, giving birth to the lyric: "I read the news today. Oh, boy. 4,000 holes in Blackburn Lancashire". Blackburn is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club - the title of the unofficial fanzine of Blackburn Rovers is "4,000 Holes".

A former mill town, textiles have been produced in Blackburn since the middle of the 13th century, when locally produced wool was woven in people's houses. Flemish weavers who settled in the area during the 14th century helped to develop the industry. James Hargreaves, inventor of the spinning jenny, was a weaver in Blackburn. The most rapid period of growth and development in Blackburn's history coincided with the industrialisation and expansion of textile manufacturing. Blackburn was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the first industrialised towns in the world.

Blackburn and the town centre in particular has seen significant investment and redevelopment in the past 15 years. Regeneration has been bolstered by monies from government and the European Regional Development Fund.