Whitworth, Lancashire
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Whitworth is a town situated in the Rossendale Valley of Lancashire, England. It is in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Bacup to the north and Rochdale to the south.
Local government services in Whitworth are provided by three local authorities; Lancashire County Council, Rossendale Borough Council and Whitworth Town Council.
The town of Whitworth embraces the entire length of the Whitworth Valley and covers an area seven miles square. It consists of the communities of Healey, Whitworth, Facit and Shawforth that are linked by the A671, part of the great turnpike road built in the 18th century.
Whitworth is twinned with Kandel, Germany.
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[edit] Geography and administration
[edit] Civic history
Whitworth Town Council was formed in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972. Prior to this date, Whitworth formed the Whitworth Urban District which was the administrative unit of the valley but was abolished following the reorganisation.
The history of local government in Whitworth began in 1874. The latter end of that century, as has previously been mentioned, saw a great deal of local development. As a result, a Local Board was set up in 1874 to administer Whitworth. Further independence arrived towards the end of the century with the creation of the Parish of Whitworth, one of nineteen new parishes carved out of the original vast Rochdale Parish. Complete independence came in June 1894 when an urban district council replaced the Local Board. The first meeting was held on January 3, 1895 and the first chairman was William Ernest Whitworth. With this, Whitworth had become ecclesiastically and administratively autonomous from its neighbour. However, in 1974 when Whitworth Urban District was abolished and Whitworth was absorbed into the newly created Rossendale Borough.
The Urban District Council did much to shake off the legacy of the 19th century and Whitworth became as progressive a place, for its size, as any in Lancashire. For example, in four days, 325 officials travelled to Whitworth, then one of Lancashire's smallest local authorities, to inspect the unique housing development at Leavengreave.[citation needed]
Today the Town Council consists of twelve elected Members and a part-time Town Clerk. Its mission statement is "To improve the quality of life for the community of Whitworth". The Town Council acts as a pressure group upholding the rights and values of Whitworth, a sounding board for local opinion and a centre for promoting the town's historical, cultural and social identity.
[edit] Mayor
Whitworth's current mayor is Councillor Tom Aldred and the current deputy mayor is Councillor Tina Mycock.
[edit] History
[edit] Early history
The early history of Whitworth is unclear; exact dates are difficult to pin down. At the very earliest period, Whitworth was at the edge of the famed and extensive Forest of Rossendale, which covered 22,000 acres and reached a point somewhere near Bacup. Flint arrows, stone hammers and spearheads found in the area point to the existence of Neolithic man who roamed the bleak open moors.[citation needed] The Goidelic Celts occupied the Pennine Hills, where wolves were encountered as late as the 13th century. Saxons fought off the marauding Danes and Scots and a decisive battle was fought at Broadclough, north of Bacup.
In those early years, Whitworth came within the parish of Rochdale which, although vast, was itself a part of the Hundred of Salford, one of the main divisions into which the County Palatine was divided in Norman times. The Abbot of Whalley Abbey held much of the land in this area. Saxton’s Map of Lancashire of 1577 does mark Whitworth, setting it between neat pyramid-like hills on either hand. Facit is of rather newer origin. The first settlement was in the 13th century and the name apparently meant "Bright Flowery Slope" in reference to the hillside all around.
[edit] Development
The 16th century saw the gradual destruction of the Forest of Rossendale and the extension of sheep farming, the growth of weaving and eventually the first industry in the area. Industrialisation, however, remained a "household" affair through the 18th century and the settlements of Whitworth, Facit and Shawforth remained villages. Impetus was given to the development of the area through the construction, during the middle of the century, of a turnpike road through the valley. It ran from Manchester via Rochdale and Whitworth to Bacup and then on to Burnley, Colne and Skipton. It was one of the few such roads in East Lancashire and provided a ready means of conveying local goods to Manchester and Yorkshire. The road was of vital importance in Whitworth’s industrial expansion and with it, the settlements in the township thus began to grow. By the 19th century, quarrying and coal mining were the chief industries although the manufacture of yarn remained important.
The latter end of the 19th century saw a great deal of development including the opening in 1881 of a rail link between Bacup and Rochdale. Passenger services on the railway stopped in 1947. Two reservoirs, at Cowm and Spring Mill, were completed in 1877 and 1887 to augment Rochdale’s water supplies. In 1910, a tram service was introduced by Rochdale Corporation, first to Whitworth and later extended to Bacup. Buses replaced these in 1932. The first public electricity supply and electric street lighting were both installed in 1923. The population of Whitworth reached its peak of 9,574 in 1901 following which the recession in industry in the 1930s and the effects of World War II saw it decline. The first post war census in 1951 declared a population of 7,442 which declined further to 7,031 by 1961. Since then, however, the figure has risen to its present total of around 7,700.[citation needed]
Despite the decline in population, Whitworth in this century has seen improvements in the living conditions of its people and in the amenities provided. Old housing, a relic of the "bad days" of the cotton boom, has been replaced, modernised or renovated in both the public and private sector. Civic buildings have been erected and parks and open spaces provided. In April 1976, an area in and surrounding Healey Dell, at the south end of the valley became legally designated as a statutory local nature reserve, the only one in Rossendale.
[edit] Landmarks
Construction of a new civic hall on Market Street in Whitworth began in early 2006 after the previous hall was destroyed by an electrical fire on December 6, 2003 [1]. The new hall is called "The Riverside" and is run by the Community Leisure Association of Whitworth (CLAW). It was officially opened at 2pm on Saturday 28th October 2006.
[edit] Communal facilities
The facilities available in Whitworth for the pursuit of sports, although limited, are varied, and in some instances unique. Chief among these is water sports. The Whitworth Water-Ski and Recreation Centre [2] based at Cowm Reservoir provides integrated facilities for both the able bodied and the disabled.
It specialises in providing for the latter but facilities for all include water skiing, inflatables, and banana rides. The Whitworth Leisure Centre in John Street was opened in June 2003 thanks largely to the efforts of the Community Leisure Association of Whitworth (CLAW). The centre, which replaced the defunct Whitworth Swimming Pool, caters for a variety of activities including swimming in the refurbished pool. The location of Whitworth close to high moorland, and Brown Wardle Hill in particular, makes it an ideal venue for hang gliding while the rugged quarry areas make for interesting motor sports.
More usual sporting activities are also catered for including golf at Lobden Golf Club, crown green bowls at the Festival Park Bowling Club and fishing care of the Whitworth Angling Club.
A number of football clubs exist in the area, the most senior of which is the Whitworth Valley Football Club.
[edit] Gallery
 View from Brown Wardle looking out over Watergrove Reservoir, formerly the site of the town of Watergrove. |
 The Red Lion Pub. |
