How Prince became one of the best loved barbers in town

Prince Hair Cut in Randal Street is one of 10 barbers named in the Lancashire Telegraph Best Barber competition.

Anyone growing up in Brookhouse and Bastwell areas of Blackburn would have frequented a handful of barbershops.

There was Lala George Patel’s, Bhatti’s, and there was, of course, the Prince Hair Salon.

Traditional barbers served more as community hubs where people sat for hours sharing the latest goings-on in the world and reading a newspaper.

The Prince Hair Salon moved to the corner of Oswald Street in 2018.

Before then, it was based on Randal Street at the bottom corner of Inkerman Street where it was first established by Haji Fazal Hussain in 1985.

Mr Hussain, a World War Two veteran, was regularly seen at annual commemoration events before his death at the age of 95 in 2013.

He would run a mobile service for many years through the seventies, visiting families in their homes until he established a base.

The ‘original’ Prince Hair Salon is now run by the third generation of the family.

The Prince Salon was one of the first to undergo modernisations back in the day. The barbers has customers who have been coming to the original salon for decades. (Image: Nq)

Sajaad, the son-in-law of Mr Hussain, who managed the barbers for many years, still pops in to support the younger members of the family.

He said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be nominated for the award, and we are humbled by this award and appreciate it.

"We are thankful to all our clients and the local community for their support, as we have been serving the community.

"I still like to pop in, and I enjoy the salon atmosphere and meeting and greeting clients.

"It has been amazing to have served the local area and amazing to see the next generation have taken to it so well."

This year’s shortlist features 10 barbers from across East Lancashire, including entries from Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, and Clitheroe.

We will be featuring our top 10 every day over the coming days, with readers needing to pick up a paper copy of the Lancashire Telegraph and complete the voting slip.

The winner of our competition will be announced later in July.