Tucked away near Blackburn’s Cathedral quarter is a small square and early Victorian shopping arcade. Rejuvenated around 20 years ago, it offers an outdoor space to sit and an indoor space to eat or shop. A fascinating hidden history lies behind its development, touching on the commercial roots of Blackburn.
In 1816, John Fleming bought the land and buildings that would be developed into the square. Fleming had made his money as a cloth merchant and broker. Well respected in civic matters, when Blackburn was finally allowed to have two elected MPs for the first time, he was the returning officer in charge of the election. (For more on this Parliamentary Reform Act and how important it was for democracy in Lancashire, see our page on the Parbold Bottle Monument).
Fleming paid architect William Hopwood to design the layout of what was the first purpose-built shopping area in Blackburn. It was originally called New Square, but in time became known as Fleming Square. Fishmongers were the first businesses to use the space, laying their wares out on ‘fish stones’, large raised stone slabs. Butchers also plied their trade there, with one historical source stating that there were twenty-two of them at one point. In 1823, Fleming had a cloth hall built at the side of the square. An open colonnade, consisting of a roofed area supported by iron columns was also added.
The Exchange Arcade
In 1849, five years after John Fleming’s death, the Exchange Arcade was constructed in his memory. Local tradition holds that the head that adorns the central doorway arch bears his likeness. The building was constructed from ashlar sandstone with a slate roof. It consisted of seven bays, each holding an individual shop.
A wide variety of businesses have been housed in the Exchange Arcade over the years. These include tin and iron workshops, French polishers, drapers, upholsterers, printers, insurance brokers, a bank and a spiritualist church. Perhaps the most intriguing one was set up by George Hopwood, a former handloom weaver. Hopwood Baths were opened in 1885 within the arcade and were serviced by two large chimneys, that towered over their surroundings. The baths have been variously described as Hot Air Baths, Russian Baths and Slipper and Steam Baths. One source describes them as having individual stone cubicles, each lit by a skylight.
Modern Conversion
By 2002, Fleming Square was in a poor state. As part of the Townscape Heritage Initiative, Blackburn with Darwen Council drew up plans to renovate the area. This involved constructing a landscaped garden with seating, laying of traditional cobble stones and relocating a memorial water fountain. Funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, European and Regional Development Fund and the council.
Looking for a theme with which to encompass the regeneration of the square, the word ‘Possibility’ was decided upon. The poet Julia Copus was asked to compose a poem on this theme. She was asked in part because of a once-famous resident of Fleming Square – the poet John Critchley Prince, a well known composer of verse who was resident in a garret there around 1852. Prince was trained as a reed-maker for the weaving industry. Reeds are narrow strips of metal between which the threads of warp pass into the loom. It was not a lucrative trade and for many years he and his family lived in poverty, especially when he tried living off his poems alone. He took inspiration from nature for his works and during his two years living in Blackburn he acquainted himself with the beauty of the surrounding moors. He would take trips out to see historic landmarks such as Hoghton Tower, Samlesbury Hall, Stonyhurst, Sawley and Whalley Abbeys and the Ribchester ruins. His most famous work Hours with the Muses would eventually reach six editions.
Possibility by Julia Copus
Some days feel a budding in their stems, an itch in the skin of things:
walls soften; a chair becomes lissom, acquiring a suppleness in its frame;
a book, straight back and serious takes to the air;
and the carpet shifts and loosens on its sea-bed.
On such days it is down to us whether we wait for things to pass,
or manage, with a simple gesture to inslide ourselves, cut loose, set sail
Vessels of the possible.
The poem has been cast in bronze spirals that encircle a row of Plane trees. This was done by sculptor Stephen Broadbent, who is known in Lancashire for his stunning Mythic Coast sculpture work at Cleveleys. At some points the verse rests in the ground of the square, while at others it lifts above the surface to form benches around the trees. Stephen’s studio at Chester also designed the railings around the site which contain bronze and glass motifs of fish, a nod to the site’s earliest use.
In one corner of the square is the George Dewhurst Memorial Drinking Fountain. Dewhurst was a radical trade unionist, democratic reformer and politician. He tirelessly campaigned for workers’ rights within the town, and for the expansion of the right to vote for all, not just the privileged few. Soon after his death in 1857, his friends set up the fountain as a memorial to him. It has been relocated to Fleming Square from its former site, as this was deemed a more suitable home. George Dewhurst’s remarkable work and legacy will be a future topic on Lancashire Past.
Site visited by A. and S. Bowden 2024
Access
Fleming Square is open access and sits between Mincing Lane and Darwen Street, close to Blackburn Cathedral.
The Exchange Buildings house a variety of shops, including Exchange Coffee which is an especially popular cafe.
Blackburn has a wealth of paid car parks. Feilden Street Multi-Storey is a short walk away from Fleming Square.
Nearby
References
On site interpretation in Fleming Square
cottontown.org/Politics/Voting/Pages/Voters-Lists.aspx
cottontown.org/Housing/Pages/Darwen-Street-shops-of-Yesteryear.aspx
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Critchley_Prince
minorvictorianwriters.org.uk/prince/b_biog.htm
minorvictorianwriters.org.uk/prince/c_biog_5.htm#VI.
karenfinchtextiles.com/blog/heald-and-reed-making/
blackburn.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/pdfs/Cathedral-CA-Character-Appraisal.pdf
exchangeblackburn.org.uk/timeline-item/proposed-new-exchange-in-blackburn/
lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/1806669.fleming-square/
lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5884887.julias-mission-word-perfect/
broadbent.studio/fleming-square
artuk.org/discover/artworks/possibility-322962
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Dewhurst_(Radical_and_Reformer)
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