Rossendale Valley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Map sources for Rossendale Valley at grid reference SD8123
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The Rossendale Valley is part of the Forest of Rossendale, an upland area of North West England, principally in Lancashire. Most of the area is within the Borough of Rossendale. It consists of the steep-sided valleys of the River Irwell and its tributaries, which flow from the Pennines southwards to Manchester and cut through the open unwooded moorland, which is characteristic of the area, despite the ancient designation of "forest".
The valley bottoms are characterised by four main settlements, each with a number of villages and hamlets around them. These settlements are Bacup, Haslingden, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall. Most of the development in the area has been built since the time of the Industrial Revolution although the sites of some buildings date from agricultural uses and the activities of landowners in earlier times, in some cases as far back as the 13th century.
Most Rossendalians consider themselves to live in 'The Valley' (or t'valley), and this is still locally a commonly used term to describe the district.
