Simonstone is a small village and
civil parish in the
Ribble Valley district of
Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish taken at the
2011 census was 1,154.
It is about west of
Burnley and south of
Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill is in the east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Brierfield, Clitheroe and Padiham. Its summit is above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill in the Pe ...
and
Clitheroe along the
A671 road. The village adjoins the village of
Read, Lancashire
Read is a village in Lancashire 5 miles west northwest of Burnley and 2 miles east of Whalley. It is on the A671 which is the main road between Burnley and Clitheroe. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 1,419.
...
and neighbours
Padiham.
History
St Peter's CE Church is the local
Church of England building in the village and was founded in 1841. The interior of the building is modern and part is also used as the school hall and gym during the week. The building dates from 1879 and was originally a
National School.
The Higher Trapp Hotel is part of the
Best Western chain of hotels. It was originally built in the early 1900s as a private house, and now converted into a country hotel with 29 bedrooms.
Simonstone railway station
Simonstone railway station was located on the east side of Simonstone Lane, south of Simonstone centre and near Padiham, Lancashire, England. It was on a branch line (usually known as the Great Harwood loop) of the East Lancashire Line, from ...
was south of the village and closed in 1957.
Granville Technology Group
Granville Technology Group Ltd was a British computer retailer and manufacturer based in Simonstone, near Burnley, Lancashire, marketing its products under the brand names ''Time'', '' Tiny'', ''Colossus'', ''Omega'' and ''MJN''.
It sold main ...
was based in the village, until its closure in 2005.
Governance
Simonstone was once a
township in the ancient parish of Whalley. This became a
civil parish in 1866, forming part of the
Burnley Rural District
Burnley was a rural district of Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. It was named after but did not include the large town of Burnley, which was a county borough.
The district and its council was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act ...
from 1894 to 1974. With the creation of the new local government districts in 1974 Simonstone was included in
Borough of Burnley. However, after a public campaign and
Boundary Commission review completed in 1985, it subsequently became part of the Borough of
Ribble Valley. During the process the neighbouring civil parish of Northtown was abolished with part transferred to Simonstone, and small adjustments occurred to the boundaries with
Padiham and
Altham along the river.
Together with
Read, the parish forms the
Read and Simonstone
Read is a village in Lancashire 5 miles west northwest of Burnley and 2 miles east of Whalley. It is on the A671 which is the main road between Burnley and Clitheroe. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 1,419.
...
ward of Ribble Valley Borough Council.
Landmarks
Huntroyde Hall
Huntroyde Hall was originally built for Edmund Starkie in the 16th-century and has since been modified many times. Its estate, Huntroyde Demesne (known locally as 'Huntroyde') separates Simonstone from Padiham. The house remained in the ownership of the Starkie family until 1983.
Simonstone Hall
The Hall dates from the 17th century and was originally the home of the Whitaker family. It is a privately owned
listed building. The house was substantially re-built in the 18th century as an early example of
Jacobean revival architecture.
[Pevsner (2009), pp. 490–496] Ancillary buildings include a 17th-century barn and an 18th-century stables.
Education
St Peter's CE Primary School is the village's only school, with around 120 pupils. The school hosts several village events throughout the year, including the 'School Gala' (or Summer Fair) held late in June. The village is in the catchment area of the
Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Simonstone, Lancashire
Simonstone is a civil parish in Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It contains 22 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All of the listed buildings are designated at Grade II, the lowest of the thr ...
References
External links
Parish Council website
{{authority control
Villages in Lancashire
Geography of Ribble Valley
Jacobean architecture in the United Kingdom