Lancashire café preserves 1970s design and attracts viral attention

Summarised from BBC Lancashire's report · Updated 15 Oct, 13:15 · Archive

A Lancashire café with original 1970s features has gone viral after a visitor posted a video online.

Colborne House Café on Wellgate in Lancashire went viral online after a visitor posted a video questioning whether it was the most old-fashioned café in the country. The café retains its original 1970s features: red vinyl seating, wood panelling, Formica tables and an unchanged kitchen, with no music playing.

Owner Gillian Swales, 59, said the design works for them and they had no reason to change. She noted that customers, particularly younger visitors, appreciate the nostalgic atmosphere. Her husband Anthony, 55, said customers 'come in with their parents, who used to come in with their grandparents'. His parents bought the former doctor's surgery in the mid-1970s and converted it into the café, preserving an original bank safe in the wall during the work.

The café has featured in the musical film Greatest Days and the travel series Will & Ralf Should Know Better. Gillian cooks traditional food and homemade cakes using an Aga, though the couple emphasise their regular customers remain at the heart of the business.

Read the report

• The cafe that has not changed a bit since the 1970sA café's red vinyl seating, wood panelling and Formica tables have not changed since the mid 1970s.BBC Lancashire · 15 Oct, 12:41

In this story: Colborne House Café · Gillian Swales · Anthony Swales · Lancashire · Take That · Will Mellor · Ralph Little

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