Burnley pub to be renamed after former Clarets chairman

The Park View pub in Higgin Street, opposite Burnley Football Club, will be renamed the Kilby Tavern as part of a planned major £350,000 refurbishment.

It will see the pub, owned by Star Pubs & Bars and which has been closed since the beginning of the year, transformed into a family friendly community local offering food, a great selection of beers and ciders and live sport on eight large screens. It will also host live music on a regular basis.

Located opposite the ground, The Kilby Tavern will offer lunchtime and evening food and on match days will provide a takeaway service.

The refurbishment, which will start once a licensee has been found to take on the pub, will see a complete overhaul of the premises, creating indoor seating for 110 and outside for 122.

The Kilby Tavern will have two distinct areas – a family eating area with its own secure Astroturf drinking and dining terrace and an adults-only bar and terrace. Bi-fold doors on both sides of the pub will brighten the interior and improve the indoor/outdoor flow.

The look will be reminiscent of an American sports diner with booth seating as well as industrial looking freestanding tables and chairs. The walls will feature sports memorabilia including local teams and sports legends from Burnley Cricket Club and Burnley Football Club.

“I am extremely honoured to have The Kilby Tavern named after me and to have the club connection recognised,” said Mr Kilby. “I am also impressed by Star Pubs & Bars investment plans as the pub will be much improved and a great asset to the area, which needs a good local pub.”

Barry Kilby took over as chairman of Burnley Football Club in 1998 when the club was at the bottom of the third tier of English football and in big financial difficulties.

He helped turn the club around overseeing its rise to the Premier League. In 2012 Barry was diagnosed with prostate cancer and stepped down from his role.

He has since returned as vice chairman and established the Barry Kilby Prostate Cancer Appeal, which has saved hundreds of lives offering subsidised prostate cancer tests at football grounds.

Tests take place at Blackburn, Preston, Ipswich, Charlton Athletic and will soon also be available in Portsmouth. Barry plans to roll out the testing across the whole football fraternity.

Operations director David Pritchard said: “We’re delighted that Barry has allowed us to name the pub, The Kilby Tavern, after him. He is after all a hugely popular Burnley Football Club chairman and a local legend in his own right having taken the club from the bottom of the third tier of English football into the Premier League.

“Pubs need ongoing investment to keep pace with changing consumer needs and we’re happy to provide that. All we need now is someone local who shares our vision to take the pub on a similar trajectory to what Barry did with Burnley Football Club, to become the best family friendly community pub in the area.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about this opportunity to breathe new life into The Park View can contact the Star Pubs & Bars on 08085 94 95 96.