Visit Helmshore Places

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

  

Helmshore Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Helmshore

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Helmshore history

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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 culture & places

Music

American musical group The Factory Incident released an EP entitled Helmshore in 2001. Karl Hill, one of the guitarists, named it as a tribute to his late mother, Joyce Bargh Hill, who was born in Haslingden.

You can visit Helmshore places with Walkfo Helmshore to hear history at Helmshore’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Helmshore has 27 places to visit in our interactive Helmshore 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 Helmshore, 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 Helmshore places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Helmshore & the surrounding areas.

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

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

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

  

Best Helmshore places to visit

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