Whalley, Lancashire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Whalley | |
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  Whalley shown within Lancashire |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Ribble Valley |
| Shire county | Lancashire |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CLITHEROE |
| Postcode district | BB7 |
| Dialling code | 01254 |
| Police | Lancashire |
| Fire | Lancashire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Ribble Valley |
| List of places: UK • England • Lancashire | |
Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village.
The village is famous for the village cricket team having played the England team and for hosting the first Roses match between Lancashire and Yorkshire—Yorkshire lost.
The main road through Whalley is King Street, which leads through to Clitheroe Road. Neighbouring Whalley are the small villages of Wiswell, Billington, Barrow, and Read. Close by are Downham,[1] and Pendle Hill made famous in William Harrison Ainsworth's book "The Lancashire Witches".[1]
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[edit] Landmarks
Whalley Viaduct, or more commonly Whalley Arches, is a 48 span railway viaduct crossing the River Calder. The viaduct, built in 1860, is of red brick arch construction and is a listed structure.
The town is home to the ruins of Whalley Abbey, a 14th century Cistercian abbey. The monks of Whalley were moved to describe the site of their abbey beneath Whalley Nab on the banks of the Calder as locus benedictus - a blessed place.
Until the 1980s there was a girl's boarding school called Whiteacre.
The Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints dates to AD628, during the time period that St. Paulinus was said to have preached here; it has three Anglo-Scandinavian crosses in the churchyard.[2] There is also the RC English Martyrs Church near the Abbey.
[edit] Shops & Amenities
Whalley has many small independent shops, hairdressers, numerous take away outlets and estate agents. There is also a SPAR minimarket, Lloyds Pharmacy & Thresher Wine shop. Barclays Bank has a branch on the main street. The centre of the town is dominated by four pubs The Dog, The Whalley Arms, The Swan and the DeLacy Arms. There is also a small club named Rendezvous (Rio's). There is also a public library[2], doctors' surgery & an adult learning centre.
[edit] Transport Links
For its size, Whalley is extremely well connected in terms of public transport links. There are hourly trains from the railway station to Blackburn & Manchester running over the dominant Whalley Viaduct. There are also frequent bus services to the surrounding Lancashire towns/cities. Destinations by bus include; Accrington, Blackburn, Burnley, Bolton, Clitheroe, Darwen, Longridge, Skipton & Manchester. These are operated from the village's central street and Whalley Bus Station.
[edit] Sport
A local club staged speedway meetings at Dean's Pleasure Grounds in the late 1920s. The track was very small and only two riders were allowed to race at any one time. A contemporary photo shows the track on flat land adjacent to a river and the showground with a helter-skelter. Today there are sports facilities including tennis courts, football pitches & the cricket ground which hosted the first ever roses match.
[edit] References
- ^ The Lancashire Witches, available at Project Gutenberg. (1849)
- ^ Welcome to the Library and Information Service web site - Whalley Home Page. Lancashire County Council. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
