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Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of
Rossendale Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England: Places *Rossendale Valley, a river valley *Borough of Rossendale, a local government district *Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constitu ...
, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles/24 km north of Manchester, 22 miles/35 km east of
Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...
and 45 miles/70 km south east of the
county town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
of Lancaster. The town is at the centre of the Rossendale Valley. It had a population of 23,000.


Toponym

The name Rawtenstall has been given two possible interpretations. The older is a combination of the Middle English ''routen'' ('to roar or bellow'), from the Old Norse ''rauta'' and the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
stall 'pool in a river' (Ekwall 1922, 92). The second, more recent one, relates to Rawtenstall's identification as a cattle farm in 1324 and combines the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
''ruh'' 'rough' and ''tun-stall'' 'the site of a farm or cow-pasture', or possibly, 'buildings occupied when cattle were pastured on high ground'


History

The earliest settlement at Rawtenstall was probably in the early Middle Ages, during the time when it formed part of the Rossendale Valley in the Honour of Clitheroe, and consisted of simple dwellings for forest servants and animals. More substantial buildings may have followed in the 15th and 16th centuries with corn and flour mills. The town entered a major period of growth during the Industrial Revolution, as new mills were constructed to process cotton. The climate and weather were conducive to the industry, as was the town's nearby location to the rapidly developing industrial and mercantile centre at Manchester, dubbed ' Cottonopolis'. Only a few of these mills survive today, and none are operational anymore. During this period, the brothers Thomas, David and Peter Whitehead became important entrepreneurs in the town. They built a number of mills, including one of the earliest mills in the valley, at Lower Mill, and the still existing
Ilex Mill Ilex Mill is a cotton mill built in 1856 by Peter Whitehead (businessman), Peter Whitehead in Rawtenstall, Lancashire. It reached its peak of production in 1895 when it had 50,000 spindles and 748 looms. However, by 1899 the building had been sold ...
. They also built substantial houses for themselves at Holly Mount, as well as large numbers of terraced houses for their workers. Other industries active in this period included quarrying and small scale
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
, as well as an expanding commercial sector. As with many mid-Lancashire towns, it saw a population decline in the 20th century, going from 30,000 inhabitants in the 1911 census to 21,500 in the 1971 census. With the decline of the traditional manufacturing industries,
shoemaking Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...
became one of the last survivors. this was usually known locally as the slipper industry, since slipper-making grew from the local processing of felt, which itself grew from the textile industry. The firm of H. W. Tricketts, in nearby Waterfoot, had been a major producer and exporter of footwear across the British Empire, but shoemaking declined rapidly from the 1980s. Firms closed as production moved overseas, and the remaining companies are largely importers. The church of St Nicholas (Church of England) is at Newchurch (rebuilt 1825) as is the Roman Catholic church of St Peter (1892). Other churches are St Michael's Lumb, St James's Waterfoot, St Anne's Edgeside, St John's Cloughfold, St Mary's Oakenhead, St John the Evangelist's Crawshawbooth, St Mary and All Saints Goodshaw (rebuilt 1790). Another RC church (dedicated to St James the Less) is at Oakenhead and there are a number of Nonconformist chapels.


Governance

A local board was formed for the town in 1874 and the district it governed was extended to cover parts of the townships of Lower Booths (Rawtenstall itself), Higher Booths, Newchurch and Haslingden in the ancient parish of Whalley and Cowpe, Lench, Newhall Hey and Hall Carr, and part of Tottington (Higher End) in the ancient parish of
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
. Subsequently, Rawtenstall was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1891 and in 1894 a civil parish was created to match the borders of the borough. Following the local government reorganisation in 1974 Rawtenstall became part of the Borough of Rossendale. Rawtenstall is part of the Rossendale and Darwen constituency, after the constituency of
Rossendale Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England: Places *Rossendale Valley, a river valley *Borough of Rossendale, a local government district *Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constitu ...
was abolished in 1983. The constituency sends one member of parliament to the House of Commons. Jake Berry MP has been the Member of Parliament for Rossendale and Darwen since 2010.


Geography

The neighbouring towns in the valley are Bacup, Haslingden and Ramsbottom. The area is bounded to the north by
Loveclough Loveclough is a small hamlet at the edge of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England, near Crawshawbooth and Rawtenstall, 20 miles north of Manchester, 21 miles east of Preston, and 44 miles south east of Lancaster. Governance Lovecloug ...
and Whitewell Bottom, to the east by Waterfoot and Cowpe and to the south by Townsend Fold and Horncliffe. The
River Irwell The River Irwell ( ) is a tributary of the River Mersey in north west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup and flows southwards for to meet the Mersey near Irlam. The Irwell marks the boundary be ...
passes through the town on the first part of its route between Bacup and Manchester, collecting
Limy Water The Limy Water is a minor river in Lancashire, England. It is long and has a catchment area of . The stream rises on the hillside close to Crown Point in Habergham Eaves near Burnley just east of the Clowbridge Reservoir which it feeds. After e ...
close to the junction of Bury Road with Bocholt Way. Over recent years the area has become increasingly popular with visitors, attracted by historic buildings, dramatic
landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...
s and the heritage railway, the East Lancashire Railway which offers tourists and visitors a chance for days out at Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom and
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
stations among many rural communities along the line.


Climate

Like most of the United Kingdom, Rawtenstall has an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
.


Transport

The town has had bus routes since the early 1930s. The town is served locally by Transdev, with a bus station in the town centre. There is also frequent services such as the X43 which offers connections to the towns of Burnley and Nelson and the city of Manchester. It is operated by Burnley Bus Company. In 2007 a proposal to demolish part of the previous bus station and build a Lidl store on the site was agreed and the new store was finally completed in 2009.
Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. Since the 2017 election, the council has been under Conservative control. Prior to the 2009 La ...
and
Rossendale Borough Council Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England: Places *Rossendale Valley, a river valley *Borough of Rossendale, a local government district *Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constitu ...
then eventually replaced the old bus station with a modern bus interchange, which commenced service on Sunday 24 November 2019.
Rawtenstall railway station Rawtenstall railway station serves the town of Rawtenstall in Lancashire, England, and is the northern terminus of the East Lancashire Railway. It was formerly on the national railway network on the line to Bacup as well as Bury and Manchester ...
also serves the town, but since the closure of the main line to Manchester, it now operates mainly as a tourist route, as part of the East Lancashire Railway, of which Rawtenstall station forms the northern terminus. The
M66 motorway The M66, also known as the Bury Easterly Bypass, is a motorway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is long and provides part of the route between the M62 and M60 motorways and the M65, with the rest being provided by the A56. ...
from Manchester is linked to Rawtenstall via the A56 Edenfield bypass, allowing for a driving time between Manchester and Rawtenstall of around half an hour. Today, Rawtenstall's nearest rail station is in the town of
Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
and over the county border in West Yorkshire in the town of Todmorden in
Calderdale Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, whose population in 2020 was 211,439. It takes its name from the River Calder, and dale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the u ...
. The nearest metro link is in
Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
.


Education

The town has a number of primary and secondary (high) schools, including
Alder Grange School Alder Grange School is a secondary school and sixth form located in the east Lancashire town of Rawtenstall, England. Facilities The school's sporting facilities include a gymnasium, a 3G pitch with astroturf, and Alder Grange Sports Centr ...
, Bellmont School, St Paul's C of E Primary, Cloughfold Primary School, Leabrook School and All Saints' Catholic High School. Though located in Waterfoot, rather than Rawtenstall, the traditional grammar school, Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School takes part of its name from the town. Rawtenstall also has a
public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...
, built in 1906 with Carnegie funding.


The Town Centre

By 2000, Rawtenstall's 1960s shopping centre had become deserted and boarded-up, and after 2003 various proposals were put forward regarding reconstruction or refurbishment. An agreement between Rossendale Council and the owners of the Rawtenstall centre, Ashcap, in February 2011, was said to "improve Rawtenstall town centre". In late 2011 the shopping centre was demolished, creating a new town square area, where local markets and other events are infrequently held. Rossendale Council funded the demolition using money set aside for a public pool in neighbouring town Haslingden. This move was controversial locally, but the completed bus station has also attracted positive comment. Since 2017 several new bars, shops, bistros and venues have opened in the centre of the town, along with a rejuvenated market under new management. Close by to the Cricket Ground is the Weavers Cottage. This is a characterful 18th century loom shop, which has been restored as a small museum containing a Victorian kitchen, a clog shop and a working hand loom. The Rossendale Valley's local newspaper, the ''
Rossendale Free Press The ''Rossendale Free Press'' is a weekly newspaper that covers the geographical Rossendale Valley and Uplands published in Chadderton, Greater Manchester, England with news coverage centred on the four main towns of Rawtenstall, Bacup, Haslingden, ...
'' was originally based in Rawtenstall, before being bought out by the Manchester Evening News in 2009 and subsequently moving to Manchester. Rawtenstall also has one of the largest indoor markets in Rossendale (a sign declaring it to be "probably the friendliest market in the world"), which suffered a serious
arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
attack in March 2011. The town is also home to the traditional herbalist and temperance bar Fitzpatrick's Herbal Health, which claims to be the oldest brewer of sarsaparilla and
dandelion and burdock Dandelion and burdock is a beverage consumed in the British Isles since the Middle Ages. It was originally a type of light mead but over the years has evolved into the carbonated soft drink commercially available today. Traditionally, it was mad ...
in the country. Fitzpatrick's gained television acclaim in April 2005 when it won the Famous Sarsaparilla Taste-off on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. It is the last bar of its kind in England. The acclaimed fashion boutique Sunday Best was opened in 1971 by Jan Shutt and is situated on Bank Street. Sunday Best won '' The Daily Telegraph'' magazine's best shop in Britain award for women's fashion in 2011 whilst Roland's Florist on Bacup Road was runner up in the best florist category. The awards were judged by TV shopping guru
Mary Portas Mary Portas (''née'' Newton; born 28 May 1960) is an English retail consultant and broadcaster, known for her retail- and business-related television shows, founding her creative agency Portas and her appointment by David Cameron, the British P ...
. Police facilities in Rawtenstall were one of five sites used for the training of new recruits to the Lancashire Constabulary. In late 2011, due to funding cuts, Rawtenstall Police Station, along with various other stations in the area, closed down. Rawtenstall is also the location of the area's county and magistrates' courts.


Culture

Rawtenstall was featured in the documentary series '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' which was aired on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
at 9.00pm on 2 February 2006. The subject, actress
Jane Horrocks Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...
, was born in Rawtenstall in 1964. The Irwell Sculpture Trail passes through the town, where four of the sculptures are located; the Whispering Wall, the Gateway, the Willow Tree and the Bocholt Tree. The last, by sculptor Bernard Tindall, celebrates Rossendale's twinning links with the town of
Bocholt, Germany Bocholt () is a city in the north-west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, part of the district Borken. It is situated 4 km (2½ miles) south of the border with the Netherlands. Suderwick is part of Bocholt and is situated at the border an ...
. The ''Shoe Trail'' also passes the outskirts of the town, and goes through nearby places such as Whitaker Park.


Whitaker Park and The Whitaker

Whitaker Park is located on the outskirts of the town centre, between Haslingden Road (A681) and Haslingden Old Road. It consists of the former house of the mill owner George Hardman, built in the 1840s, and originally standing in 28 acres of parkland. It is still set in extensive landscaped grounds. Donated to the township of Rawtenstall in 1902 by Richard Whitaker, who brought the house from Hardman for the purposes of civic recreation, the property is now known as The Whitaker, previously Rossendale Museum and Art Gallery. The gardens and surrounding land are laid out as a public park. The park itself has tennis courts, a bowling green, basketball court, an
Incredible Edible The Incredible Edible project is an urban gardening project which was started in 2008 by Pamela Warhurst, Mary Clear and a group of like minded people in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, UK.Paull, John (2011"Incredible Edible Todmorden: Eating the S ...
area, a skateboard area and a
playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...
as well as formal gardens and fountains. The recently refurbished museum contains exhibits of local history, gallery spaces, and a cabinet of curiosities room. There is an extensive exhibition of taxidermy, and gallery areas for displaying contemporary art and other exhinbitions. Arthur Mee considered it 'one of the best small museums in the North', saying "...perhaps the most fascinating things in the museum are the Domestic Bygones, with hourglasses, toys and spinning wheels, snuff boxes and tinder boxes, the sand dredgers used before blotting-paper was known, rushlights and moulds for making candles, a grand collection of the homely things our forefathers (sic) used". In 2019 The Whitaker was awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund award of £1.7 million to convert the museum and the former barn and stables. This has doubled its size and enabled the museum to develop its displays and education work, its cafe/restaurant and bar, as well as the study spaces and a shop. It reopened at the end of July 2021, and now includes the old Rossendale Council Parks Department yard at the rear which has been converted to a multi-purpose public area.


Sport

Rawtenstall is home to the North of England's largest dry ski-slope. ''Ski Rossendale'' is located five minutes from Rawtenstall town centre in the Oakenhead area, directly above Whitaker Park and Rossendale Museum. Over its 40-year existence it had seen world record attempts and was used by Olympic athletes and novice skiers. It re-opened after a period of closure in November 2011 with new funding, with a large ceremonial fireworks display on its opening day, Bonfire Night. Rawtenstall Cricket Club, who compete in the Lancashire League, have their home ground, Worswick Memorial Ground, within the town. Rawtenstall is also home to Rossendale RUFC, who compete in the
Regional 1 North West Regional 1 North West is a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the twelve teams drawn from across North West England. The other level five leagues are Regional 1 Midlands, Regional 1 North East, Regional 1 South Central, R ...
.


Notable people

* David Whitehead (1790–1865) Lancashire businessman, developed several mills in Rawtenstall. * Peter Haddon (1898–1962) an English actor. * Ernest Tomlinson (1924–2015) composer, noted for his light music * Brian S. Hartley (1926–2021) a British biochemist and academic * Fred Tomlinson (1927–2016) singer, songwriter and composer * Elizabeth Bainbridge (born 1930) retired opera singer * John Egan (born 1939) industrialist, past president of the Confederation of British Industry *
Jane Horrocks Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...
(born 1964) actress, voice artist, musician and singer, '' Absolutely Fabulous'' * Natalie Casey (born 1980) – actress, starred in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps * Phil Lester (born 1987) YouTuber and BBC Radio 1 presenter. Sport * Winston Place (1914−2002) cricketer, opening batsman for Lancashire * Colin Blant (born 1946) an English retired footballer with over 260 club caps * Mark Brennan (born 1965) a former footballer with 462 club caps *
Lee Cartwright Lee Cartwright (born 19 September 1972) is a retired footballer who made over 400 league appearances for Preston North End. Early years Born in Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, Cartwright was signed from school as a trainee in 1989 by No ...
(born 1972) retired footballer who made over 400 league appearances for
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
* Thomas Hamer (born 1998) Parasport
swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...


See also

* Listed buildings in Rawtenstall *
Rawtenstall Corporation Tramways Rawtenstall Corporation Tramways operated a passenger tramway service in Rawtenstall between 1908 and 1932.The Golden Age of Tramways. Published by Taylor and Francis. History In January 1908 the newly formed Rawtenstall Corporation Tramways a ...


References


External links


Rossendale Borough Council
* {{authority control Towns in Lancashire Unparished areas in Lancashire Geography of the Borough of Rossendale