Padiham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Padiham | |
  Padiham shown within Lancashire |
|
| Population | 8,998[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Padiham Town Council |
| District | Burnley |
| Shire county | Lancashire |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BURNLEY |
| Postcode district | BB12 |
| Dialling code | 01282 |
| Police | Lancashire |
| Fire | Lancashire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Burnley |
| List of places: UK • England • Lancashire | |
Padiham (ˡpædɪˌɘm) is a small town and civil parish on the River Calder, about 3 miles (5 km) west of Burnley and south of Pendle Hill. It is part of the Borough of Burnley but also has its own town council with limited powers.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first recorded mention of the town, as 'Padyngham', dates from 1294.[2] For hundreds of years it was a market town where produce from Pendleside was bought and sold. (Padiham market continues today, being held every Wednesday and Friday.) The town expanded and was substantially redeveloped during the Industrial Revolution and the central area is now a conservation area.
[edit] Governance
Padiham was an urban district until 1974,[3] and has been a civil parish since 2002. It has its own town council.
As with many of the local government areas reorganised in 1974, not all people in Padiham are happy being largely governed from Burnley, although the town has long belonged to the Burnley postal town and forms a continuous urban area with it. Burnley Borough Council now addresses public correspondence to the people of Burnley and Padiham.
[edit] Transport
The town was on a branch railway line from Burnley to Blackburn until it was closed in the early 1960s. Padiham is now served by buses from Burnley, Blackburn and Preston. Junction 10 of the M65 is 2.3 miles east of the town, giving Padiham access to the motorway network. The nearest airport, Manchester, is 50 minutes' driving time from the town.[4]
[edit] Industry
Padiham's traditional manufacturing base is in decline. The town's last major employer in this sector, Baxi, closed its factory in March 2007 with the loss of 500 jobs.[5] A modern business park, 'Shuttleworth Mead', opened in 2001 on the edge of the town, supported by £2.2m from the European Regional Development Fund and £2m from the North West Development Agency.[6] Tenants include Supanet and Graham & Brown.
[edit] Landmarks
There are three significant halls in the local area: Huntroyde Hall, dating from 1576, and Simonstone Hall, dating from 1660, in nearby Simonstone, are both privately-owned, while Gawthorpe Hall is a National Trust property in Padiham itself, and is open to the public.[7][8] St Leonard's Church, the town's parish church, dates from 1869,[9] and was built on the site of earlier churches dating back to at least 1451,[10] while Sherry's Towel Mill is a working 19th-century cotton mill, also open to the public.
The Town Hall on Burnley Road, designed by Bradshaw Gass & Hope and built in 1938, is a Grade II listed building.[11]
Padiham Memorial Park at the top of Church Street, was designed by Thomas Mawson, an influential and prolific landscape designer.[12] It was officially opened in 1921 as a memorial to those from the town who gave their lives in the First World War. A local man, Thomas Clayton, funded the park in his will; public subscription provided additional money for the park’s many features.[13] The park covers five hectares on two sites divided by the River Calder. The upper section is mainly formal, dominated by Knight Hill House (currently used as an Age Concern Day Centre), and has a rose garden, lawns and two memorials. The lower section, off Park Street, has two bowling greens, tennis courts, skate park and Padiham's leisure centre. The park is a Green Flag award winner.[14]
[edit] Notes
- ^ 2001 census data. Accessed 8 December 2007.
- ^ www.padihamlife.co.uk. Accessed 13 November 2007.
- ^ www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Accessed 12 November 2007.
- ^ www.theaa.com. Accessed 14 January 2008.
- ^ "Job Threat After Factory Closure", www.bbc.co.uk, 15 March 2007. Accessed 14 January 2008.
- ^ Shuttleworth Mead official site. Accessed 14 January 2008.
- ^ www.r-alston.co.uk. Accessed 13 November 2007.
- ^ www.genuki.org.uk. Accessed 13 November 2007.
- ^ Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society. Accessed 13 November 2007.
- ^ Duncan Armstrong, Owd Padiham, Duncan Armstrong, 1985.
- ^ Lancashire County Council Library and Information Service. Accessed 25 February 2008.
- ^ Burnley Borough Council. Accessed 28 February 2008.
- ^ Burnley Borough Council. Accessed 28 February 2008.
- ^ Green Flag Award Scheme. Accessed 27 February 2008.
[edit] External links
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