Travel to Helmshore Map
Helmshore tourist guide map of landmarks & destinations by Walkfo
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Helmshore history
Early history
The area around Helmshore is moorland. Post-Ice Age this would have been forested, and bog oak can still be found on the flat peatland tops over 250 metres high. The forest declined in the Neolithic period and largely disappeared during the Bronze Age.
The Park
The village is dominated by the spectacular flat-topped Musbury Tor, once the centre of the medieval hunting park, or Forest. The ‘whole land of Musbury’ was granted to John de Lacy (before 1241) by Lewis de Bernavill. The park, with its ‘herbage and agistments’ was said to be worth 13s. 4d. in 1311.
The pilgrims’ route
One of the main early tracks that passed through Helmshore was a route from the south (by the Pilgrim’s Cross which was in existence in AD 1176) on Holcombe Moor, and then goes through Haslingden on its way to Whalley. This also connected with Watling Street at Affetside, and a well-established way from Bolton to Rossendale.
The Industrial Revolution
Helmshore owes its development to a damp climate that was ideally suited to the development of the wool, cotton and linen industries. The Turner family first established the settlement, buying land in 1789 and building Higher Mill as a woollen fulling mill powered by two water wheels.
1860 rail crash
The accident happened on the line between Snig Hole and the Ogden Viaduct, both local beauty spots, 400 yards from Helmshore station. About 3,000 people had gone from East Lancashire on three excursion trains to Salford.
Early Bus Service
The 18-seat Leyland bus was operated by Haslingden Council in 1907. It made 14 daily trips with a top speed of 16 mph (26 km/h) In 1919 the Council introduced a 12-seater ‘Whippet’ which turned round at Woodbank.
First World War
A 179m-long German military Zeppelin airship flew over Helmshore on a bombing mission. It was probably following the railway, attempting to inflict damage on the transport system. One bomb dropped near Clod Lane, Haslingden, where there was a gun cotton factory.
Second World War
The biggest poultry supplier in Britain during the war was Rodwells, who had a large poultry operation off Holcombe Road, to the south of Helmshore. By post-war standards it was fairly small, but large-scale poultry production only started elsewhere in the UK during the 1960s.
Local ghosts
Local historian Chris Aspin mentions a number of ghost stories relating to Helmshore. The 1860 rail accident has led to stories of a ghost train whose whistle has been heard in the Snig Hole area. There’s another railway story, relating to a murder in a trackside hut on the disused line.
The old railway line
The railway that ran through Helmshore was closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe. Remedial work has been done during 2018/19 to the viaducts relating to Sustrans cycle route.
Recent
Helmshore was the site of the notorious 2016 murder of businesswoman Sadie Hartley. The village has had a second major expansion since the 1970s with the building of new estates and infill.
Helmshore map & travel guide with history & landmarks to explore
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| Travel Location: Travel Area: | Helmshore [zonearea] | Audio spots: Physical plaques: | 27 2 | Population: | [zonesize] |
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Tourist Guide to Helmshore Map
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