TWO Blackburn landmarks standing just yards apart.

This was the scene on the Boulevard in 1955 when the statue of Queen Victoria shared the space with one of Gladstone.

This was shortly before the Gladstone statue would be moved to a new site in front of Blackburn Technical College at Blakey Moor to allow for an improvement scheme on the Boulevard. The statue would move again in 1983 to a spot on Northgate opposite King George’s Hall.

In the background you can see the domes of the Palace Cinema, one of the town centre’s most ornate buildings, which began life as the Palace Theatre of Varieties.

In later years it became a bingo hall before being demolished in 1989 to create a car park for the new telephone exchange