Visit Haslingden Places

Welcome to Visit Haslingden Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Haslingden

  

Haslingden Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Haslingden

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Haslingden history

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Thirteen Stones Hill is 2 km (1.2 mi) west of the town and probably dates from about 3000BC. Part of what is now Haslingden, along with the neighbouring towns of Rawtenstall and beyond that Bacup were part of the Forest of Rossendale. The Forest was a hunting park during the late 13th and 14th centuries; ‘Forest’ referred to it being parkland rather than being heavily wooded.

Haslingden landmarks

St James’s Church and the ‘Top of the Town’

Haslingden’s Anglican parish church, dedicated to St James the Great, was rebuilt in 1780 on a site occupied by a church building since 1284. St James’s Church now sits well to the north of the town centre, but until the 1930s it was adjacent to the ‘Top of the Town’

Other churches

Manchester Road Methodist Church is a classic building with an Italian-inspired interior. Murray’s Guide also mentions St Thomas, Helmshore (1851); St Stephen, Grane (1867); St John the Baptist, Stonefold (1885); St Peter, Laneside (1893)

The Public Hall

The Public Hall was opened in 1868 and built by a private company formed by ‘gentlemen representing the working classes and temperance movement’ It was bought by the town council in 1898 but by the 1990s it was largely unused except for occasional entertainments. The hall has since been sold by the council to a group representing the Asian heritage community.

Schools

Wesleyan School was the site of the first experiment in the world at a standardised intelligence test. It followed from a suggestion by the industrialist and Liberal politician Sir William Mather in 1900. The test was set by Henry Holman, a schools inspector and educationalist, in 1903.

Library

Michael Davitt migrated to Haslingden with his family in 1840 as a result of the family being evicted from their tenant farm by a British Landlord. He began working in a cotton mill but at the age of 11 his right arm was entangled in a cogwheel and mangled so badly it had to be amputated. He also started night classes at the Mechanics’ Institute and used its library.

Railway

Haslingden was once connected to Accrington and Bury by railway. The East Lancashire Railway built a station here, which remained open to passengers under British Railways until 7 November 1960 and to goods until 2 November 1964. The Bury – Accrington line itself remained in use until December 1966.

Other notable places

The town centre is home to the famous Big Lamp from where all distances in Haslingden are measured. Cissy Green’s Bakery can be found on Deardengate and Holland’s Pies factory. To the northeast there is a 2 kW digital television transmitter.

Beauty spots

There is an extensive area of moorland to the west of Haslingden. The area forms part of the West Pennine Moors. Plans were made in 2007 to build a wind farm consisting of twelve wind turbines on the moors.

The Halo

The Halo artwork designed by John Kennedy was selected and opened in 2007. It is sited in the hills above Haslingden as the centrepiece of a reclaimed landscape. It glows at night with an impressive viewpoint.

You can visit Haslingden places with Walkfo Haslingden to hear history at Haslingden’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Haslingden has 27 places to visit in our interactive Haslingden map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Haslingden, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Haslingden places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Haslingden & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 27 audio facts unique to Haslingden places in an interactive Haslingden map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Haslingden Places Map
27 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Haslingden historic spots	Haslingden tourist destinations	Haslingden plaques	Haslingden geographic features
Walkfo Haslingden tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Haslingden

  

Best Haslingden places to visit

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Haslingden has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Haslingden’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Haslingden’s information audio spots:

St Paul’s Church, Constable Lee St Paul’s Church is in Burnley Road, Constable Lee, Rawtenstall, Lancashire. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Rossendale, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Rawtenstall Library Plans for a new library in Rawtenstall were drawn up in 1903 following the promise of a donation of £6,000 from the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Originally the building was to have included an Assembly Room and Town Hall but the full proposals failed through lack of funding.

St John’s Church, Rawtenstall St John’s Church is a redundant Anglican church in Cloughfold, Rawtenstall, Lancashire. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Rossendale General Hospital Rossendale General Hospital was an acute general hospital at Rawtenstall in Lancashire. It was managed by the East Lancsire Hospitals NHS Trust.

River Ogden The River Ogden is a minor river in Lancashire. It is approximately 4.4 miles (7.1 km) long and has a catchment area of 9.77 square miles (25.298 km)

Helmshore Mills Textile Museum Higher Mill was built in 1796 for William Turner, and Whitaker’s Mill in 1820s. The mills are said to be the most original and best-preserved examples of cotton spinning and woollen fulling left in the country that are still operational.

Musbury Valley Musbury Valley is a small valley in the Helmshore area of Rossendale Valley, Lancashire. Its south side is flanked and dominated by Musbury Tor. In the 14th century it was part of the Earl of Lincoln’s hunting park.

Musbury Tor Musbury Tor or Tor Hill is a flat-topped hill in south-east Lancashire. It overlooks the village of Helmshore and separates Alden Valley to its south. Mainly consisting of farmland and pastures, its summit is 340.1 metres (1,116 ft) above sea level.

Visit Haslingden plaques