Barnoldswick pub goes from pint of best to chapel of rest (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Barnoldswick pub goes from pint of best to chapel of rest

11:00am Wednesday 18th August 2010 in

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LAST orders could take on a new meaning at an historic pub in Barnoldswick.

For bosses at Helliwells Funeral Service want to tranform the Seven Stars, in Church Street, into a funeral parlour.

They have confirmed they are in the latter stages of buying the pub, which had been boarded up last month after being branded an eyesore.

Campaigners agreed that any redevelopment was better than its derelict state.

Helliwells has parlours in Colne and Brierfield and has been serving the surrounding areas, including Burnley, for 90 years.

The firm’s plans for the Seven Stars site are part of their wider expansion in the area.

Keith Lawson, who co-directs Helliwells with wife Marguerite, said: "We are pleased with this opportunity to serve the people of Barnoldswick making it possible for the whole of Pendle to use our services.

"We intend to invest money in the Seven Stars historical building and revitalise that area of Church Street."

The pub lies in the Barnoldswick town centre conservation area.

Mark Chung, chairman of the East Lancashire branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), said it was a ‘shame’ to lose another pub.

John Ingham, landlord of the Rising Sun Inn, in Blacko, and fellow Est Lancs CAMRA member, said: “From Barnoldswick’s point of view it’s better that it will be used for something rather than nothing, but it is a shame that can’t be viable as a pub.”

Barnoldswick town councillor Jenny Purcell said: “Anything is better than nothing. I do not want to see that building neglected.”