As well as a great opportunity to advertise ourselves, the wall shows a historic time line of Blackburn too. From the arrival of the Romans and the Middle Ages to today’s bustling modern community, the sign greets visitors and charts the significant milestones in Blackburn history. Delighted council chiefs say the new sign also points to its exciting future. We worked closely with Blackburn with Darwen Council on the Whalley New Road project after approaching the local authority with its idea for the concept. Ben Hall, owner of Signs Express Central Lancashire, said: “Our design team has carried out all the research and working with our production unit has created a striking visual montage that delivers a strong message about Blackburn’s past, as well as its future direction. As with much of our work, this project is about more than a sign, it is about the message it portrays. We believe this work will point visitors to all that Blackburn has to offer them, through its many proud achievements, past and present. It’s both a welcome and a statement. When people think of a sign company they don’t always realise the wide range of work we do. It’s a lot more than exit and entrance signs, and this is a classic example. Every person probably sees 400 signs or graphics every day as they go about their lives. For instance, vehicles we have put graphics on can be seen by 3,000 people an hour on a busy road and that’s a great form of advertising.” The Blackburn gateway sign tells the story of the community, marking the many significant events that have taken place along the way. They include the town becoming the ‘weaving capital of the world’ in first half of the 18th century when its population swelled from 5,000 to over 130,000 and later on the establishment of Thwaites’ brewery in 1807. The creation of Blackburn Rovers in 1875 is featured as is 1967, which saw a name check from The Beatles who sang about ‘4,000 holes’ which were set to ‘fill the Albert Hall’. The sign concludes with today’s multi-million-pound regeneration programme of Blackburn, including the new bus station dubbed ‘the Harrods of bus stations’. Councillor Phil Riley, Executive member for Regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “This signage is part of the continuing efforts to welcome visitors to the town and to show that Blackburn is changing. It illustrates the town’s long and varied history and points to the exciting future.” Richard Stoddart from Blackburn Council says: “Working in partnership with Signs express on a major gateway coming into Blackburn has been a huge pleasure. We have had several attempts to get the gateway sign erected but signs express were the company to deliver. Working with the design team to the installation team has been straight forward and finished in a time frame which we found to be excellent. The 138m sign will be there for many years to come, and visitors to the town will remember Signs Express and their excellent gateway timeline.”