Last May saw the unveiling of the Lemmy statue in Burslem a homage to Ian Fraser Kilmister who’s statue now resides in the town centre complete with a portion of Lemmy’s ashes within the plinth of the statue.
Lemmy was born in Burslem on Christmas Eve 1945 and spent time living in the area (including Newcastle and Madeley) with his mother and grandmother until he was 10.
The Ian Fraser Kilmister Legacy CIC added another string to their bow this past week with the opening of the new Lemmy Bar in Burslem complete with a mini-museum and Motorhead ales and merchandise.
Plans are afoot for the transformation of the Grade iI listed Queens Theatre to be named Kilmister Halls which will become a music venue that can host 1500 people.
This complete transformation of Burslem to celebrate Lemmy’s life is transformative of the local area, there was a real buzz about the bar when we visited, mostly graced with football fans after Port Vale Football Club located just down the road from the bar played their last home game of a dismal season.
Burslem suffers from a lack of attractions and things to do but the statue has certainly proved popular with people travelling from all over the world to come see it.
The Ian Fraser Kilmister Legacy CIC was also showcasing plans for the transformation of the Grade II listed Queens Theatre. Named Kilmister Halls the music venue and cultural hub will have a capacity of 1,500.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere within the bar, there’s a nice vibe and it was great to see it packed out. I think more museum things on the walls would be nice as the bass (not sure if it was used by Lemmy or a replica) is certainly a talking piece on the wall and instantly gave me some Hard Rock Cafe vibes.
I think it would be cool if they could secure more items or donations to go on the wall as there were a lot of photo frames adorning the walls which are great but it would be much better to have actual costumes and authentic pieces on the wall to give the place a bit more authenticity as opposed to big photo frames which feel very much like a mural as opposed to a museum.
I think the merchandise is great and I love how you can purchase a replica of the actual statue that stands in Burslem town centre, ashes not included which is surprising considering just how much of Lemmy’s ashes are dotted around the world! He has some ashes in Stringfellows in London, some in Rock City, some in bullets given to family and friends, some in the statue in Burslem and some scattered at a German rock festival!
Lemmy is everywhere!
I think Lemmy’s bar is a great step towards the celebration of Ian’s life and a great and much needed addition to a dying and rather stale town centre. There’s slowly but surely some life being breathed into Burslem and I hope that it continues to spread across the town because it desperately needs it.
Here’s hoping the bar remains popular for many moons to come and work on Kilminster Hall gets underway in the next few years as this would be a great addition to the town centre and something I’d be very excited to experience.
Rock on!
