The Station, Blackburn

This Thwaites pub is situated next to Cherry Tree train station, a good 30 minute walk from Blackburn city centre. It’s a large, spacious pub with an island servery, which hints at a previous multiple room layout. The bar is directly opposite the entrance, in a space with stone tile flooring, and the servery itself is fairly attractive, boasting a stained glass canopy and some nice woodwork features. To the right there is a pool table in the front corner with some banquette and standard seating further back. This side has a bit of a public bar feel to it and there are old photos of the pub and local sports teams on the walls. To the left of the servery, there is a much larger and more homely lounge style space, which felt comparatively cosy despite the presence of a juke box, slot machines and a DJ booth. There are sturdy upholstered benches and standard chairs throughout this side, broken up by a few light wood partitioning screens with stained glass inserts. Some interesting black and white photos provide a bit of visual distraction, as do the pink half panelled walls which intrude on the otherwise neutral colour scheme. Several TV screens were showing At the Races with the commentary audible and music played intermittently throughout my stay, which was a bit weird seeing as I was the only customer. The bar stocks the full range of Thwaites beers, with the handpulls dispensing Wainwright, Nutty Black, Lancaster Bomber, Original, Crow Black (£3.00) and Benny & Hop on this visit. The friendly barman served up an excellent pint of the Crow Black which went down very nicely after an afternoon enjoying the unseasonably hot weather outside. I liked the feel of this place and thought it was a good showcase for the brewery, whose beers aren’t always in great condition around town. The pub is rightly in the latest Good Beer Guide and it’s worth jumping off the train to give it a try.