I'm an ex-prison guard turned TikTok star with 500,000 followers, now I'm transforming this Central Drive pub
“A lot of people are very sketchy on coming into the pub because it's got such a bad reputation.”
A notorious Blackpool pub, long associated with trouble and a reputation for attracting the wrong sort of attention, is being given a fresh start in a bid to make it a safe, welcoming place where customers can enjoy a drink without fear of violence or intimidation.
Bobby Basterfield took over King Edward VII - which cuts the corner at Central Drive and Chapel Street - five months ago and says it is ‘getting there’ and has already managed to ditch the drama and the background issues the pub suffered from.
He is slowly turning the tide.
With two other pubs under his belt, Bobby - also a TikTok star with nearly half a million followers - is determined to turn the pub’s fortunes around and has already introduced huge changes with entertainment, live singers, and karaoke transforming it to a place where the older generation feel comfortable.
“A lot of people are very sketchy on coming into the pub because it's got such a bad reputation,” he explained. “I know it had a really bad past of violence and fighting all the time - a lot of drug users were in there - but they're already gone, I’ve got rid of that problem.
“We are slowly getting it back to where it used to be, where everyone used to have fun back in the day. This will be my third pub now, this is probably the more challenging one. Obviously I’ve come into a rough pub and it's just trying to get back to where people can come and enjoy themselves and have a good laugh with their friends and go home safely.”
Bobby is no stranger to nightlife. He used to work on busy nightclubs in Preston, such as Switch Nightclub and he’s also worked as a close protection officer and a prison officer. He’s something of a celebrity too, regularly posting on TikTok and other social media channels under his name Bobbyb260.
He said: “I do quite a lot of videos on TikTok and stuff like that. I've managed to gain just short of half a million followers by the content. And I do a lot of videos on Facebook. I have a lot of people coming over from different areas, such as Ireland. I've got people coming from America to come and visit the pub.”
The King Edward VII has a long and colourful history dating back to 1901, when it opened as a traditional hotel and public house, replacing the much older Bonny's Hotel. Over the decades, it has witnessed many changes in Blackpool, surviving through generations of holidaymakers, locals and changing times.
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It’s also survived its rough-and-ready local boozer reputation and things are looking up.
“I do advise people to come down at the weekends and have a look for yourself before listening to what other people say because it's not as bad as what everybody says,” says Bobby. “The street (Central Drive) doesn't help, but that can always be changed. Anything can be turned around eventually.”
The pub is on the edge of Blackpool’s major £300m regeneration project aiming to transform the former Central Railway Station site, once one of the busiest in the world, into a major leisure destination.