A short distance from Blackburn town centre, Townsend Records occupies a significant place in Lancashire’s music-retail story. Based at 30 Queen Street in Great Harwood, the shop is the original physical home behind the wider Townsend Music name, which has grown from a local record shop into a recognised direct-to-customer music retailer and distributor.
Background / History
Townsend Music traces its roots back to the Townsend Records shop opened in Great Harwood in 1978. From that local beginning, the business expanded into a much broader operation, selling physical and digital music, merchandise and artist-store products through its own platform. In 2024, Townsend Music was acquired by Artone B.V., a Dutch distributor and vinyl producer, while founder Steve Bamber remained involved during the handover period.
For visitors, the Queen Street shop is important because it keeps that original high-street identity visible. While Townsend’s online reach now extends far beyond Lancashire, the Great Harwood branch remains rooted in the simple pleasures of face-to-face record shopping: browsing sleeves, checking formats, asking questions and leaving with music in hand.
What You’ll Find
Townsend Records is a physical-music shop with vinyl at the centre of its appeal. Its wider retail operation covers vinyl, CDs and cassettes, with areas for pre-orders, new arrivals, featured vinyl, exclusive editions and signed items. The Great Harwood shop is also listed by Record Store Day UK, underlining its place within the independent record-shop network.
Expect a broad, accessible selection rather than a shop built around one niche. The Townsend catalogue spans established artists, contemporary releases, reissues, pop, rock, indie, heritage acts, specialist labels and collector-friendly editions. It is well suited to buyers who enjoy new vinyl, CD collecting, limited formats and the chance to pick up current releases from a shop with long experience in physical music.
Experience / Atmosphere
The Blackburn-area branch has the feel of a long-running local music shop rather than a trend-led boutique. Its Queen Street setting gives it a practical, everyday character: easy to visit, straightforward to browse and useful for shoppers who still value a proper counter, knowledgeable staff and a physical selection in front of them.
There is also a sense of continuity here. Townsend Records is not simply another branch name; it is tied to the place where the Townsend story began. That gives the shop a distinctive appeal for anyone interested in record-shop history, Lancashire independents or the survival of physical music retail beyond the larger city-centre scenes.
Why Visit
- Original Great Harwood shop behind the Townsend Music name
- Long-established Lancashire music retailer with roots dating to 1978
- Vinyl-focused browsing, with CDs, cassettes and collector editions part of the wider offer
- Listed by Record Store Day UK
- Strong choice for new releases, pre-orders, reissues and physical-format buyers
- A useful stop for anyone record shopping around Blackburn, Hyndburn or the Ribble Valley
Summary
Townsend Records in Blackburn, based in Great Harwood, is more than a local music shop: it is the starting point of a Lancashire music-retail business that grew into an international physical-music operation. Its strength lies in that combination of heritage and practicality. For vinyl buyers, CD collectors and anyone who enjoys the directness of high-street record shopping, Townsend Records remains a worthwhile Queen Street stop.
