For many years, our website described Blackhurst Budd as having "a rich history dating back to the 1920s." It was a statement we had never seriously questioned. Like many long-established firms, the story had been passed down, repeated, and accepted as fact.

That changed when we began planning what we believed would be a centenary milestone in 2025.

Questioning Our Own History

We set out to answer a straightforward question: when did legal services under the Blackhurst name first begin in Blackpool?

Initial research focused on the 1920s, consistent with what we had always understood. But it quickly became clear that this was only part of the story. The records pointed further back and the further back we looked, the more the picture changed.

Going Back to the Records

To establish a definitive answer, we turned to historical Law Lists and professional directories. Early searches confirmed that by the 1920s, the Blackhurst name was already well established across Blackpool and the wider Fylde Coast. But those records also made clear that the 1920s represented a period of growth, not a point of origin.

Working backwards through the records, the Blackhurst name can be traced in Lancashire as far back as 1813, based in Preston. The key discovery, however, was the formal listing of the Blackhurst practice as operating in Blackpool by 1876, the earliest clear, documented evidence of the firm's presence in the town.

Blackpool in 1876

The significance of that date becomes clearer when placed in its historical context. In 1871, Blackpool's population stood at just over 7,000. By 1881 it had doubled. The town was growing rapidly, its promenade extending, its professional infrastructure still taking shape. 1876 was also the year Blackpool was incorporated as a borough.

It was in that environment that William Blackhurst established his practice. At the time, only a small number of solicitors were in practice in Blackpool. The legal profession was developing in step with the town itself.

How the Firm Developed

Over the decades that followed, the practice evolved considerably. Operating under a number of names, including W & A Blackhurst and later Blackhurst Parker & Co, the firm expanded across the region, eventually establishing offices in Blackpool, Preston, Lancaster, Garstang and Lytham St Annes.

Alongside this, other well-established Blackpool firms were building their own reputations: John Budd & Co, Lawsons Samuels Capaldi, Coope Purvis and Taylor, and Shaw Davenport & Wardle, each with deep roots in the local community.

Birds eye view from Blackpool Tower 1899

In 2009, those histories came together. The merger that formed Blackhurst Budd brought several of the town's most established legal practices under one name, with a further merger in 2010 completing that process. What exists today is not the continuation of a single firm, but the result of more than a century of development across multiple long-standing practices.

What the Discovery Means

Uncovering the 1876 date did more than extend our timeline. It confirmed that Blackhurst Budd has been part of Blackpool's story from a time when the town itself was still taking shape, advising families across generations, supporting local businesses, and playing a consistent role in the professional life of the community.

In 2026, we mark 150 years since the Blackhurst practice was first established in Blackpool. The law has changed significantly over that time. So has the town, and so have we. But the core of what we do, providing clear, practical legal advice to the people and businesses we serve, has remained constant throughout.

This anniversary is not simply a moment to reflect on where the firm began. It is a recognition of the responsibility that history carries, and a reaffirmation of our commitment to the community we have served for 150 years.