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Where We Live - with pretty pictures!

RANDOM LINKS ON THIS PAGE (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!) :

| Barnoldswick | Malham Cove | Leeds Liverpool canal | Bolton by Bowland | Waddington | Pendle | Letcliffe Park | Patricia Jones |

James Wilson has lived with his family in Barnoldswick, Lancashire since 1998. The former mill town is home to a couple of major employers, including Rolls Royce & Silentnight. Barnoldswick is situated in West Craven, under the shadow of Pendle Hill, and was taken under the wing of Lancashire County Council in the infamous boundary changes of 1974. It's just ten miles from Clitheroe, Burnley is even closer, while Nelson, home to Pendle Borough Council, is just over six miles away. The Airedale town of Keighley is just over Elslack Moor to the south, while to the north lies picturesque Malhamdale, together with Malham Tarn, Gordale Scar and Malham Cove. A few Barnoldswick facts: Barnoldswick is the longest name in the UK that doesn't repeat any letter. It's often forgotten both sides of the border by County Council, TV stations and the authorities because of it's "last outpost" positioning. Most people in the town seem to have the view that it should be in Yorkshire, not Lancashire. Put up a sign saying Welcome to Lancashire & it probably won't last overnight! Many shops close on a Saturday afternoon!!! (Budgetique, owned by good friends of mine Heather and Stephen Demaine, is one exception)

Malham Cove from the south

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The Leeds-Liverpool canal runs through the town of Barnoldswick, where it attains its highest point along its 141-mile length. The picturesque Greenberfield Locks are located to the east of the town, and have recently provided the location for a fictional ITV series, starring actress Penelope Wilton. 

Our picture (left) shows the lower locks in the Greenberfield series. At the upper end there's a picnic area - you can also see the old route of the canal. More locks were added to conserve water.

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Lancashire has long been renowned for its "Dark, satanic mills" and coal pits, but in our corner of the county quite the opposite is the case. The Pendle District and the Ribble Valley boast some of the finest scenery in the country, rivalling the beauty of the adjacent Yorkshire Dales. Picturesque villages such as Downham, Waddington and Bolton by Bowland are tourist honeytraps, while the Settle-Carlisle railway runs just to the east of the district. Downham village has provided the setting for the BBC series Born & Bred starring James Bolam, and in 1961 director Richard Attenborough chose the village as the backdrop for the film Whistle Down The Wind, starring Hayley Mills and Alan Bates

Bolton by Bowland from the air

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Waddington, just outside Clitheroe, was chosen to take part in a unique experiment with the introduction of satellite television. Householders were offered a total of thirty-two channels at a time when the rest of the UK had a mere four to choose from - the village even had its own dedicated TV channel! Waddington attracts thousands of visitors every year, many of whom descend on the village to sample the local cafes celebrated corned beef hash!

(Left) a bridge at Waddington, with the cafe behind

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What can you say about Pendle? Known world-wide for the story about the Pendle Witchcraft trials, the villages around the perimeter of the hill are some of the most attractive in the region. Barley, Newchurch, Sabden and Blacko all nestle in the shadows of the infamous hill, and are all worth a visit. Pendle itself is besieged with visitors on and around Halloween, and one enterprising shopkeeper in Newchurch has even set up a business (Witches Galore) selling witchcraft souvenirs and memorabilia. 

Right - a view of Pendle captured by renowned artist Patricia Jones. 

Patricia Jones specialises in watercolours of rural scenes and buildings around the Yorkshire dales and the Lancashire and Cumbrian fells. She also has links with North Wales and has painted some superb pictures of the area. Her paintings are now found in collections around the world, and fans of her work travel huge distances to attend her exhibitions. True to the nature of Patricia's art, she deliberately focuses her exhibitions in rural locations, and can often be found in tiny villages such as Linton or Malham. Click the image of Pendle Hill to go to her own site to see more of her fantastic work. I'm privileged to be able to count Patricia and her husband amongst my best friends

Click on the above image to see more superb pictures

by Patricia Jones

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