Haslingden

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Haslingden
Haslingden shown within Lancashire
Population	15,000
OS grid reference	SD783232
District	Rossendale
Shire county	Lancashire
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROSSENDALE
Postcode district	BB4
Dialling code	01706
Police	Lancashire
Fire	Lancashire
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Hyndburn, Rossendale and Darwen
List of places: UK • England • Lancashire

Coordinates: 53°42′18″N 2°19′41″W / 53.705, -2.328

Haslingden is a small town in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire, lying 19 miles north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels', though the town is in fact set on a high and windy hill. In the early 20th century it was an independent borough, but following local government reorganisation in 1974 it became part of the Borough of Rossendale. In 1831 there was a population of 7,776. It forms part of a conurbation with Bacup and Rawtenstall.

Haslingden is the birthplace of the composer Alan Rawsthorne (1905-1971), was the home for many years of the Irish Republican leader, Michael Davitt (1846-1906), and Haslingden Cricket Club is a member of the noteworthy Lancashire League.

[edit] History

Arms of the former Haslingden Council

Part of what is now Haslingden, along with that of the neighbouring towns of Rawtenstall and beyond that Bacup were part of the Forest of Blackburnshire, that part being the Forest of Rossendale. The Forest was a hunting park during the late 13th and 14th centuries; 'Forest' referred to it being parkland rather than being heavily wooded, as the forest declined much earlier, during the Neolithic period.

Haslingden grew from a market town (a market was established in 1676) and later a coaching station to a significant industrial borough during the period of the Industrial Revolution. In particular with the mechanisation of the wool and cotton spinning and weaving industries from the 18th to the 19th centuries, and with the development of watermills, and later steam power.

the hills above Haslingden town

Haslingden was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1891. In the 20th century the population declined from 19,000 in the 1911 census to 15,000 in the 1971 census.

[edit] Buildings and points of interest

[edit] Haslingden Flagstone

Haslingden is notable for its stone quarrying, and Haslingden Flagstone (a quartz-based sandstone) was exported throughout the country in the 19th century with the opening up of the rail network. It was used in the paving of London, including Trafalgar Square.

Flagstone is a type of sedimentary rock, relatively easy to split or quarry in slabs, and hence ideal for paving. Locally it is also used for making fences and roofing. There are Upper and Lower Haslingden Flagstones and the name is given to layers of the stone that appear throughout the area (not only in Haslingden) although the most spectacular examples are in the Rossendale valley.

[edit] Churches

Haslingden's Anglican parish church, St. James', was built in the 18th century on a site occupied by a church building since at least 1284. In that year a deed of gift of the Earl of Lincoln to the monks of Stanlaw granted them the parish of Whalley. When they later took possession and had a valuation of its assets done, they recorded at Haslingden one of the parish's seven independent chapelries. Beside the Memorial Gardens, the Manchester Road Methodist Church is a classic building with an Italian-inspired interior.

[edit] The Public Hall

The Public Hall was opened in 1868 and built by a private company formed by 'gentlemen representing the working classes and temperance movement'. It was bought by the town council in 1898 but is now largely unused. Used for 50 or more years by Rossendale Amateur Operatic Society, and other local groups, the hall was closed by Rossendale Council in 2005 after an audit commission found them to be the worst council in the country (bar none).^{[citation needed]} The hall has since been sold by the council to an Asian group and is in the process of being turned into a mosque. The public hall was once a venue of Winston Churchill during his early political career. Emmeline Pankhurst once addressed the people of Haslingden from the stage and, after the Battle of the Somme in 1916, it was a temporary hospital for the survivors of the Accrington Pals who were sent home for treatment.

[edit] Schools

The Wesleyan School formerly on the site of the current health centre was the was the first site in the world to introduce standardised intelligence tests for five to six year olds.[1] Haslingden High School is a specialist arts college.

[edit] The library

Originally Haslingden Mechanics' Institute and opened in 1860, it became the public library in 1905. A blue plaque commemorates Michael Davitt. The young Davitt migrated to Haslingden with his family to escape the effects of the 1840s Irish Potato Famine. He began working in a cotton mill but at the age of 11 his right arm was entangled in a cogwheel and mangled so bad it had to be amputated. When he recovered from his operation a local benefactor, John Dean, helped to give him an education. He also started night classes at the Mechanics' Institute and used its library. Michael Davitt's family home from 1867-1870 on Wilkinson Street is now marked by a memorial plaque.

[edit] Railway

Haslingden was once connected to Accrington and Bury by railway (Rush, 1983). The East Lancashire Railway built a station here, which remained open under British Railways until the 1960s, when the line was closed due to the Beeching Report (Wells and Bentley, 2000). Much of the trackbed of the railway is no longer visible, with the A56 by-pass built over it between Grane Road and Blackburn Road, however, the line can still be traced through Helmshore towards Stubbins where several magnificent viaducts still remain.

[edit] Other notable places

The town centre is home to the famous Big Lamp originally erected in 1841 and from where all distances in Haslingden are measured, although the original lamp has been replaced by a replica. Cissy Green's Bakery can be found on Deardengate. People visit from across Lancashire to sample the handmade pies which are still made to the original 1920s recipe. To the north of the town is the Holland's Pies factory, and Winfield's, a large warehouse-style retail development selling footwear and clothing, and promoting itself as a family day out.

[edit] Beauty spots

Calf Hey Reservoir in Grane Valley

The nearby Snighole (eel-hole) in Helmshore is a well-known beauty spot. The Grane Valley including three reservoirs to the west of the town is popular with walkers, but there are also lovely walks in all directions.

Victoria Park has a bowling green, children's playground, skateboard park and ball court. The top of the park affords wonderful views of Musbury Hill.

St. James' Churchyard also gives lovely views towards Accrington and down into the old railway cutting which now houses the Haslingden bypass. But the best views are from the Halo on Top o'Slate.

[edit] The Halo

The Halo is a Panopticon artwork sited in the hills above Haslingen as the centrepiece of a reclaimed landscape. It glows at night and is an unusual landmark, and an impressive viewpoint.

[edit] Notable local residents

• Michael Davitt - in 2006 a revamped memorial to Davitt was unveiled by the Irish President Mary McAleese in Wilkinson Street as part of the Davitt centenary celebrations.
• Beryl Ingham
• Alan Rawsthorne
• The Indian cricketer Vinoo Mankad played for the town's Lancashire League cricket team.
• West Indies and Lancashire C.C.C. cricketer Clive Lloyd also played for Haslingden in the early days of his career.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading