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Our lecture season got underway Friday evening (25th September) with a most interesting and informative talk from Peter Higginbotham, entitled ‘Workhouses of the North’. From as early as 1601 laws were passed to provide ‘out relief’ for the able bodied poor but it wasn’t until 1723 that parishes were granted the right to refuse ‘out relief’ and require people to enter a workhouse if they were unable to support themselves.
In 1834 an Act was passed requiring around 15,000 parishes to form Poor Law Unions and their own workhouse. Across the country, workhouses were built to provide grim accommodation for those who entered its doors. Continue reading “Workhouses of the North”

The Barn conservatory is now looking good following its repair and redecoration, while the draught proofing (so essential for the winter lectures!) is also done.

Meanwhile, a stone’s throw away, the gardening group planted some flag iris in the woodland area and generally pruned things back, at its meeting on Wednesday 16th September. This coming Wednesday, 23rd, the Friends committee will be putting the final touches to the autumn and winter programme, another sign that the summer is slipping away! Continue reading “Summer jobs coming to a close”

Heritage Open Days weekend (12-13th September) was ‘bonanza time’ for lovers of mills and machinery with Higherford Mill, Weaver’s Triangle, Oak Mount Mill Engine, Haslingden Grane Mill Engine, Queen Street Mill and Bancroft Mill Engine all open to the public. As well as being shown around the historic building, visitors to Higherford Mill  could also see complex old machinery being restored by Anthony Pilling of Pilling Looms. These included a Continue reading “Textile Buildings Opened for Heritage Open Days”

Don’t miss September’s edition of Lancashire Life where there’s an article on Pendle Heritage Centre and its walled garden. Called ‘Pendle Passion’ by Rebekka O’Grady, Peter Aldred and Bob Anderson of the heritage centre are both interviewed. The article also covers Barrowford shops, including Michelle B and Fleur Centre… in all good newsagents now!

The article is now online

Just to let everyone know that the repair and redecoration of the barn is underway, supported by the Friends. Thanks everyone.

Here are the local heritage stories of the past month…

Burnley and Padiham area…

Major conservation work underway at Gawthorpe Hall

Lottery project costing £1.16m aims to restore Thompson Park buildings and structures

Historic Burnley pub facelift under wraps

Historic mill to be demolished in Burnley centre to make way for shops

200-year history of the Bull Hotel site

Accrington and Oswaldtwistle area… Continue reading “Heritage in the Press – August 2015”

It’s a late summer scene in the garden at the moment, with the last of the summer flowers making a show. It’s a lovely place to be. There are lots of jobs to do and we had a fun time working on the woodland walk and helping Jacqueline, the gardener, with pruning back the plants and tending the box hedges. Then we excavated the Dipping Well! It looks great! We’ve arranged to meet again on the 16th September and all are welcome to join us. Here are the latest photos of the garden, just click to enlarge…

Continue reading “Gardens Group Update – 19th August”

On Saturday 8 August, Joanna Tyldesley and her family and friends were joined by heritage centre staff and friends for a reception to celebrate the life of John Tyldesley, who was the inspiration behind the Garden Museum at the Pendle Heritage Centre. After a buffet lunch and presentation of the Medlar tree, John Miller and Joanna Tyldesly gave short speeches before everyone went for a tour of the garden led by John and Peter Aldred. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and we had a great time trying out the herbs and fruit and looking round the museum. Here are some photos… Continue reading “Medlar tree to celebrate the life of John Tyldesley”

Click Here to download Lancashire County Council’s August Community Heritage Newsletter.

Here are the local heritage stories of the past month…

Rossendale area…

Rossendale rebranded The Valley of Distinction to draw in more tourists

Hundreds enjoy day of Lancashire heritage at the Whitaker

Community gives mixed response to rebrand of the Valley

Rooley Moor wind farm plans refused

Hundreds respond to survey on Rawtenstall bus station plan

18th Century former Edenfield pub could be demolished

Barrowford, Nelson Colne area…

500 new homes plan on edge of Barrowford

Housing plan for Trawden countryside unveiled Continue reading “Heritage in the Press – July 2015”

It was a lovely day at Holehird Gardens, today – the plants and scenery were out of this world. Hole Hird is a mansion near Winderemere, designed by the Manchester gothic architect, Joseph Stretch Crowther (1820-1903).  Complementing the house is a terraced lower garden with an elevated walk that curves with the landscape, a  gothic stairway, fountain and pond all with views to the Lake District mountains.

The modern gardens were created by Lakeland Horticultural Society in the last 40 years. They extend much further uphill, embracing the old walled kitchen garden on their way. They are maintained solely by around 80 volunteer gardeners and it was fascinating to learn how all this was organised. Many volunteers were around on our visit, happily beavering away while saying ‘hello’ and answering our questions as we passed.

Continue reading “Sunny day at Holehird for gardens group”

The judging day for Barrowford in Bloom was a success despite the rain setting in shortly after the Heritage Centre gardens were inspected. The inspectors (volunteers like ourselves) chatted with the B in B team over coffee at the heritage centre barn before being taken round the walled garden by Peter Aldred. They were impressed with the quality of the garden and the garden museum. They then went on to Barrowford Park and the other sites before returning back for lunch. While this was going on, the gardening group set to dead-heading the roses and tidying up the garden adjacent the gardener’s cottage before retreating to the tearoom when the rain came down at lunchtime.

Tunstall Church, near Lancaster, is one of my favourite medieval buildings and this is my photo of the mysterious dark painting that is hung there.

Now it has been restored and it’s provenance ‘rediscovered’ by the BBC – CLICK HERE FOR THE STORY.

Seven Friends joined the Edgar Wood Society visit to ‘Briarcourt’, Lindley Huddersfield (18th July). This Arts & Crafts house was designed by Edgar Wood in 1894 and built in 1895. It was considered a cutting edge design in its day and even now, after decades of various local authority uses, it is extremely impressive, as the photos taken on the visit show.

Continue reading “Visit to Edgar Wood’s ‘Briarcourt’, Lindley, Huddersfield”

The Museum of Lancashire, Preston hosted a “Festival of Archaeology 2015” event on Saturday 25th July. Well over 200 visitors enjoyed a day of Archaeology, with lectures entitled “Vikings, Treasure and Politics: the Historical Context of the Cuerdale Hoard” given by Dr Fiona Edmonds of Cambridge University Continue reading “Festival of Archaeology 2015, Preston”

If you missed it, you can still see Tony Robinson visiting the Wycoller Hall ruins in his Channel 4, Walking through History programme on the Bronte family – click here to open the page.

Over 2013 and 2014, the Pendle Heritage conservation group re-opened the views to the Hall  which had become blocked by saplings and shrubs. It’s rewarding to see the Channel 4 film crew now making use of them.

Here are the local heritage stories of the past month…

Clitheroe area…

Metal detector unearths treasure in Waddington

£250,000 facelift will boost Clitheroe and its economy

Clitheroe church will share funding boost

Hidden gardens open to public

Restored Georgian mansion gardens open to public

Slaidburn Steam & Vintage Vehicle Display Continue reading “Heritage in the Press – June 2015”

On the invitation of the Heritage Trust for the North West, Thursday’s Friends committee meeting (25th June) was held at the newly restored Lomeshaye Mill, the most recent of the Trust’s conservation projects.

After the meeting, which concentrated on the Friends’ autumn and winter programmes, John Miller gave us a tour of the now largely restored building. The mill has four floors in total and two have been fully refurbished with the other two receiving repairs, such as replacement columns. The mill exterior has been repaired and new provided windows throughout. The windows and other restoration work was carried out by the Trust’s conservation team. A new central staircase and lift have been inserted and the old industrial lift repaired. The Trusts’ joinery workshop is on the ground floor and new heritage related uses are being devised for the other floors.

Continue reading “Conservation of Lomeshaye Bridge Mill”