SAM Spence (Letters, August 24) states there is not a lot of Victoriana left in Blackburn and that it goes against the grain for the council to save anything of worth, such as the cobbles in Darwen Street.

I beg to differ. Despite the fact that the 1960s and 1970s saw the loss of much of Blackburn's Victorian heritage, there are still plenty of wonderful Victorian gems left, if one knows where to look.

For example, the Old Town Hall, the Museum building, the former Cotton Exchange (now the cinema), the Old Bank on the corner of Darwen Street, the shops housing the Coffee Exchange in Fleming Square, Richmond Terrace and the Old Technical College building are just a few that spring immediately to mind. Not to mention Blackburn's fine example of a Victorian park, Corporation Park.

What Blackburn needs to do now is not only to value and celebrate its unique Victorian heritage, but also to look to the future, move forward and invest in schemes to revitalise and improve the town, like, for example, the plans to redevelop the Darwen Street and Church Street areas.

Then, instead of continually knocking the town we might be able to instil a little of that most quintessential Victorian quality in Blackburn's citizens -- a sense of civic pride.

JUDITH MOSS, Columbia Way, Blackburn.