Baxenden
Encyclopedia
Baxenden is a village and ward located in the Borough of Hyndburn
in Lancashire
, North-West England
. Baxenden is sometimes known to the locals as ‘Bash’.
-Edwardian periods or is more recent.
Historically a part of the Blackburn Hundred
the first record of Baxenden appears in 1194 as the site of a vaccary subject to Kirkstall Abbey
. In the records Baxenden appears under the name Bastanedenecloch likely meaning valley where baking stones are found from the Old English bæc-stan meaning baking stone denu meaning valley (see dale
) and clōh meaning ravine (in Northern Middle English clōh evolved into cloghe which has survived in a number of local place names as clough). By 1305 in the records of the de Lacy
family the name of Baxenden had evolved to Bakestonden where records show 12s 2d were spent transporting seven loads of lead from Baxenden to Bradford. By 1494 the name had evolved to Baxtonden.
Local families of historic significance are the Cunliffes of Hollins, Holdens, Hargreaves & Kenyons.
Historically farming was the main occupation of the residents of Baxenden. Development of the area began during the Industrial Revolution
. The current road through the area was built by Blind Jack Metcalf o’ Knaresborough
around 1791 with the old road becoming what is now known as Back Lane and Hollins Lane. Alongside this road print works, mills and coal mines developed which led to the need for greater housing in the area and the associated services needed.
The Bay Horse pub was the village smithy and used to be a former coaching house and one of the four main ones in the borough. In 1848 the coach fare was 1 shilling for the four mile journey from Haslingden, through Baxenden, to Accrington.
The surnames Baxendale and Baxenden originate from this village.
and is represented in Parliament by the Labour
MP Graham Jones
. It is represented in Hyndburn
borough council by two Conservative
councillors. Hyndburn borough council devolves some limited powers and funding to the Baxenden Area Council for resolving minor local issues.
on the A680 otherwise known as Manchester Road. It is between 200m at its northern edge and 280m at its southern edge above sea level. It is sited in a wedge shaped valley between Great Hameldon and Oswaldtwistle Moor. Hameldon means scarred hill. Oswaldtwistle Moor is a part of the West Pennine Moors
. The valley presumably being carved out by the streams which flow through the area. These streams, Warmden Brook and Woodnook Water, merge beneath Accrington and are tributaries of the River Hyndburn
; itself a tributary of the Rivers Calder
and then Ribble
.
. Built in 1909 as Hollins Hill for the prominent local industrialist William Haworth. After the death of his sister Miss Anne Haworth in 1920 she bequeathed it to the town and, in honour, the town named the Gallery for her family. Opened 21 September 1921 the Gallery is home of probably Europe’s most significant collection of Tiffany glass
chiefly consisting of over one hundred and forty pieces of his Favrile, or ‘hand-made’, Glass. The gallery also has a collection of oil paintings and watercolours.
Baxenden is probably best known as the origin of Holland's Pies
.
Baxenden is also the home of the chemicals works Baxenden Chemicals.
On the night of 6th September, 1974, the so-called Black Panther, Donald Neilson
, shot the Baxenden sub-postmaster, Derek Astin, at his home, injuring him so that he died soon after arriving at hospital.
The Irish republican social campaigner Michael Davitt
worked as a child at Stelfoxe's Victoria Mill (later the Victoria and Alliance Mill) in Baxenden. It was here, at the age of eleven, where his arm was lacerated so badly by a spinning machine it had to be amputated; for which he received no compensation.
however this was closed in 1951 before the lines themselves were removed in 1970-71 as recommended by the Beeching Axe
. This line was once notorious as one of the most difficult in the country due to its ‘alpine’ nature involving a climb from the junction at Stubbins railway station
for 5 miles at an average of 1 in 78 to a summit in Baxenden at 771 feet above sea level followed by a 2 and a quarter mile drop down Baxenden Bank, at times as steep as 1 in 38/40. Nowadays ‘the lines’ as they are known is a well used footpath which has been recently incorporated into a network of paths that lead throughout the borough.
Buses to Rochdale
, Bury
, Blackburn, Accrington
and Manchester
pass through Baxenden.
.
Hyndburn
Hyndburn is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Accrington. The district is named after the River Hyndburn....
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, North-West England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Baxenden is sometimes known to the locals as ‘Bash’.
History
Whilst people have inhabited the site for centuries, most of the village dates from the VictorianVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
-Edwardian periods or is more recent.
Historically a part of the Blackburn Hundred
Blackburnshire
Blackburnshire was a hundred, or ancient division of the county of Lancashire, in northern England. It was centred on Blackburn, and covered an area approximately equal to modern day East Lancashire....
the first record of Baxenden appears in 1194 as the site of a vaccary subject to Kirkstall Abbey
Kirkstall Abbey
Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall north-west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded c.1152. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under the auspices of Henry...
. In the records Baxenden appears under the name Bastanedenecloch likely meaning valley where baking stones are found from the Old English bæc-stan meaning baking stone denu meaning valley (see dale
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
) and clōh meaning ravine (in Northern Middle English clōh evolved into cloghe which has survived in a number of local place names as clough). By 1305 in the records of the de Lacy
De Lacy
de Lacy is the surname of an old Norman noble family originating from Lassy . The first records are about Hugh de Lacy . Descendent of Hugh de Lacy left Normandy and travelled to England along with William the Conqueror. Walter and Ilbert de Lacy fought in the battle of Hastings...
family the name of Baxenden had evolved to Bakestonden where records show 12s 2d were spent transporting seven loads of lead from Baxenden to Bradford. By 1494 the name had evolved to Baxtonden.
Local families of historic significance are the Cunliffes of Hollins, Holdens, Hargreaves & Kenyons.
Historically farming was the main occupation of the residents of Baxenden. Development of the area began during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. The current road through the area was built by Blind Jack Metcalf o’ Knaresborough
John Metcalf (civil engineer)
John Metcalf , also known as Blind Jack of Knaresborough or Blind Jack Metcalf, was the first of the professional road builders to emerge during the British Industrial Revolution....
around 1791 with the old road becoming what is now known as Back Lane and Hollins Lane. Alongside this road print works, mills and coal mines developed which led to the need for greater housing in the area and the associated services needed.
The Bay Horse pub was the village smithy and used to be a former coaching house and one of the four main ones in the borough. In 1848 the coach fare was 1 shilling for the four mile journey from Haslingden, through Baxenden, to Accrington.
The surnames Baxendale and Baxenden originate from this village.
Governance
The village is part of the constituency of HyndburnHyndburn (UK Parliament constituency)
Hyndburn is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
and is represented in Parliament by the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Graham Jones
Graham Jones (politician)
Graham Peter Jones is a British Labour Party politician and the current Member of Parliament for Hyndburn Previously he was the Opposition Leader on Hyndburn Borough Council.-2010 Election campaign:...
. It is represented in Hyndburn
Hyndburn
Hyndburn is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Accrington. The district is named after the River Hyndburn....
borough council by two Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
councillors. Hyndburn borough council devolves some limited powers and funding to the Baxenden Area Council for resolving minor local issues.
Geography
Baxenden lies south of AccringtonAccrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
on the A680 otherwise known as Manchester Road. It is between 200m at its northern edge and 280m at its southern edge above sea level. It is sited in a wedge shaped valley between Great Hameldon and Oswaldtwistle Moor. Hameldon means scarred hill. Oswaldtwistle Moor is a part of the West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
. The valley presumably being carved out by the streams which flow through the area. These streams, Warmden Brook and Woodnook Water, merge beneath Accrington and are tributaries of the River Hyndburn
River Hyndburn
The River Hyndburn is a river in Lancashire, England. It passes through the towns of Haslingden, Baxenden, Accrington, Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood, before meeting Hyndburn Brook, before ultimately joining the River Calder....
; itself a tributary of the Rivers Calder
River Calder, Lancashire
The River Calder is a major tributary of the River Ribble, starting in Cliviger close to Burnley in Lancashire, England and is around 24 km / 15 miles in length. Its source is very close to that of the West Yorkshire river with the same name, and that of the River Irwell. It flows through...
and then Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
.
Notable Facts
Baxenden ward is site of Haworth Park home to the Haworth Art GalleryHaworth Art Gallery
The Haworth Art Gallery is a public art gallery located in Accrington, Lancashire, northwest England, in the United Kingdom, and is the home of the largest collection in Europe of Tiffany glass from the studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany...
. Built in 1909 as Hollins Hill for the prominent local industrialist William Haworth. After the death of his sister Miss Anne Haworth in 1920 she bequeathed it to the town and, in honour, the town named the Gallery for her family. Opened 21 September 1921 the Gallery is home of probably Europe’s most significant collection of Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass
Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios, by Louis Comfort Tiffany....
chiefly consisting of over one hundred and forty pieces of his Favrile, or ‘hand-made’, Glass. The gallery also has a collection of oil paintings and watercolours.
Baxenden is probably best known as the origin of Holland's Pies
Holland's Pies
Holland's Pies is a manufacturer of pies and puddings based in Baxenden, near Accrington in Lancashire, England. Owned by Northern Foods, the company also produce pasties, sausage rolls and pork pies.- History :...
.
Baxenden is also the home of the chemicals works Baxenden Chemicals.
On the night of 6th September, 1974, the so-called Black Panther, Donald Neilson
Donald Neilson
Donald Neilson is a British multiple murderer and armed robber...
, shot the Baxenden sub-postmaster, Derek Astin, at his home, injuring him so that he died soon after arriving at hospital.
The Irish republican social campaigner Michael Davitt
Michael Davitt
Michael Davitt was an Irish republican and nationalist agrarian agitator, a social campaigner, labour leader, journalist, Home Rule constitutional politician and Member of Parliament , who founded the Irish National Land League.- Early years :Michael Davitt was born in Straide, County Mayo,...
worked as a child at Stelfoxe's Victoria Mill (later the Victoria and Alliance Mill) in Baxenden. It was here, at the age of eleven, where his arm was lacerated so badly by a spinning machine it had to be amputated; for which he received no compensation.
Transport
Baxenden was once served by Baxenden railway stationBaxenden railway station
Baxenden railway station served the village of Baxenden in Hyndburn. It was situated on the line from to , which was opened in August 1848 by the East Lancashire Railway...
however this was closed in 1951 before the lines themselves were removed in 1970-71 as recommended by the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. This line was once notorious as one of the most difficult in the country due to its ‘alpine’ nature involving a climb from the junction at Stubbins railway station
Stubbins
Stubbins is an industrial village in the southern part of the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire.It is half a mile north of Ramsbottom town centre on the A676 between Bolton and Edenfield. For local government purposes, it receives services from Rossendale Borough Council and Lancashire County Council...
for 5 miles at an average of 1 in 78 to a summit in Baxenden at 771 feet above sea level followed by a 2 and a quarter mile drop down Baxenden Bank, at times as steep as 1 in 38/40. Nowadays ‘the lines’ as they are known is a well used footpath which has been recently incorporated into a network of paths that lead throughout the borough.
Buses to Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Blackburn, Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
pass through Baxenden.
Education
Baxenden has one primary school; St John’s Primary built in 1880 to replace a school built in the 1833 sited near the modern junction of Manchester Road with Southwood Drive, and one high school; The Hollins Technology College.Religious sites
There are two churches in Baxenden. St John the Baptist Church founded in 1875, site of the war memorial, and Baxenden Methodist Church. The modern vicarage, built in 1977, stands on the site of the old Baxenden House and the Baxenden vaccary of Henry de Lacy, Baron of PontefractHenry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln
Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln was a confidant of Edward I of England.In 1272 on reaching the age of majority he became Earl of Lincoln...
.