Oakenclough () is an English hamlet located on the edge of 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 ...
in
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 ...
.
Oakenclough is a small and scattered community, which appears to have developed largely as a result of a
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
being sited here to make use of the water power available from the swiftly flowing
River Calder. In 1827, Quaker John Jackson bought the mill from Richard Curtis, a paper manufacturer and farmer who had gone bankrupt. Jackson built and lived in the adjacent house, known as Calder Bank, where his descendants continued to live for well over a hundred years. Jackson's brothers, Jonathan and Richard, founded nearby
Calder Vale
Calder Vale is an English village, located on the edge of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire. It lies on the River Calder in a deep valley with only a single road providing vehicular access. The name ''Calder'' is thought to be derived from t ...
in 1835, when they built a mill on the river. It was used to weave cotton and is still in use today, even though the river no longer provides the power.
Built by public subscription, St. John's Church, and the small church school next to it, stands at the top of Church Wood between Calder Vale and Oakenclough.
Gallery
File:Oakenclough Works.jpg, Oakenclough Works. In view is the paper mill, a shed
A shed is typically a simple, single-story roofed structure that is used for hobbies, or as a workshop in a back garden or on an allotment. Sheds vary considerably in their size and complexity of construction, from simple open-sided ones de ...
manufacturer, and a scrapyard
Further reading
*
External links
Villages in Lancashire
Geography of the Borough of Wyre
Forest of Bowland
{{Lancashire-geo-stub