Stubbins is an industrial village in the southern part of the Rossendale Valley, in

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, England.

Etymology

''Stubbing'' 1563. Old English meaning 'a place with tree stumps', implying a place from which many trees have been cleared.

History

Stubbins has a long history; its name dates back to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

when people were carving new farms out of the heavily wooded countryside. Like other communities in Rossendale, Stubbins grew in the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

. The change to an industrial village began towards the end of the 18th century, when a calico printworks was built on the site now occupied by

Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of Tissue paper, tissue, Pulp (paper), pulp, paper, toilet and paper towe ...

. The 19th-century owners of the printworks began to give the village its present shape by building rows of terraced houses for their workers. The other main employers were the Porritt family, who built Stubbins Vale

Mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

in 1851 and the Ramsbottom Spinning and Manufacturing Co., a co-operative of working men whose 1861 factory was christened ''Union Mill''. Much of Stubbins Vale Mill was demolished in the 1970s, but the old weaving sheds were taken over as the administrative head office of TNT Express, the international carrier.

Governance

For local government purposes, Stubbins receives services from Rossendale Borough Council and

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...

. Nearby are the hamlets of Chatterton and Strongstry. It is part of the Rossendale and Darwen constituency; Andy MacNae has been its Member of Parliament since 2024.

Description

Much of the land to the west of the village is in the care of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

and consists of hillside pasture and woodland leading up to Holcombe Moor and

Peel Tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the England, English and Scotland, Scottish Border country, borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and ab ...

. The adjoining parkland at Chatterton was given to the people of the district of Ramsbottom as a peace

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

by the Porritt family. The village public house (now private offices, redeveloped in 2006), the ''Corner Pin'', was originally the ''Railway Hotel'', recalling the days when the village was still served by the railway. Col. A.T. Porritt gave much of the nearby countryside to the National Trust in memory of his son, Richard, who was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Transport

Stubbins railway station was served by a branch line, but was closed in 1972. The line is still used by the heritage East Lancashire Railway, which is now accessible from nearby . Services between , and operate every weekend throughout the year, with additional services on some Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between Easter and the end of September. The village is sited half a mile north of Ramsbottom town centre, on the A676 between

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

and Edenfield.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Villages in Lancashire Geography of the Borough of Rossendale