Bleasdale is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the Wyre district of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England, in the

Forest of Bowland The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells and formerly the Chase of Bowland, is an area of gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England, with a small part in North Yorkshire (however ro ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

. The two sources of the

River Brock The River Brock is a river running through the county of Lancashire in England. Commencing its journey on Fair Snape Fell, the infant River Brock runs beneath the Bleasdale Circle before continuing via Claughton and Bilsborrow to St Michae ...

lie within the parish. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 147, increasing to 167 at the 2011 Census.

Landmarks

Within the parish are: * Bleasdale

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

, probably the only one anywhere dedicated to Saint Eadmer. * Bleasdale Circle, a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

circular earthwork, originally with an outer ring (at ) and possibly aligned with the sunrise of the Summer Solstice. * Bleasdale Church of England Primary School (around 13 students, ages 4–11). * The Parish Hall, built in 1929. * The former post office, housed in the

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

opposite Higher Brock Mill (at ) on the

, supporting

brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

and

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coasta ...

. From 1947 to 2002 the post office housed a café for locals,

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

and hiking folk to refresh, fitted with a

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

, dating from about 1700, beneath the building. In the early 1900s, "Jack Custard" was renowned there for the quality of his

custard tart Custard tarts or flans pâtissier are a baked pastry consisting of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard. History The development of custard is so intimately connected with the custard tart or pie that the word itself comes from Anglo- ...

. The ancient Forest of Bleasdale is less well known than its more famous neighbour, the

but its history is recounted by Smith. Being a part of Wyresdale, Bleasdale never fell under the sway of the powerful medieval

Lordship of Bowland The Lordship of Bowland is a feudal barony associated with the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, England. The lordship fell into disuse between 1885 and 2008, during which time it was widely believed to have lapsed; it was revived in 2008. In 1 ...

Notable buildings

* St Eadmer's Church was rebuilt in 1835 by John Dewhurst and restored and enlarged in 1897. It has a west tower and

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic church edifices of the earliest period. Lancet wi ...

s. The church retains its

pew A pew () is a long bench (furniture), bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating Member (local church), members of a Church (congregation), congregation or choir in a Church (building), church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom. Overview ...

s and western

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album * ''Gallery'' (Gr ...

. * Bleasdale Tower was built in the early 19th century by William Garnett. * Clough Heads Cottages was once a boy's

Reformatory School A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concerns ...

Geodesy

"Paddy's Pole" on

Fair Snape Fell Fair Snape Fell is one of the larger hills in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, England. It occupies a position in the very south of the main range of fells, alongside and just to the north of Parlick, to which it is joined by a ridge. The m ...

in Bleasdale parish was the origin (meridian) of the 6 inch and 1:2500 Ordnance Survey maps for Lancashire.

References

External links

Photographs of Bleasdale
on Lancashire County Council website
Saint Eadmer, Admarsh-in-Bleasdale at The fellside team ministry
Villages in Lancashire Civil parishes in Lancashire Geography of the Borough of Wyre Forest of Bowland {{Lancashire-geo-stub

Landmarks

Notable buildings

Geodesy

See also

References

External links