Around Preston

So soon after I visited Colne, I found myself comparing the two, and to be honest Colne wins; it felt more "happening" and lively, while Bacup had three buildings in such a poor state they had no roof - a lot for such a small place. And while Colne had some odd parkig rules, it did have plety of parking. Bacup has two small car parks (from Google), no signs to indicate where they are. Where Bacup did win was traffic. Being at the end of the M65, Colne has a lot of traffic. I visited Bacup on a Wednesday afternoon, and the roads were surprisingly quiet. The centre is where the A681 from Rochdale to Burnley crosses the A671 from Rawtenstall to Todmorden. Bacup is, of course, another mill town that flourished in Victorian times, and the town architecture reflects that, but as you can see in the image above is does have some Art Deco buildings. I like that the current business has embraced the style and the shop sign is also in an Art Deco style. The fine building on the left was

Colne is at the east end of the M65; it is also on the end of a railway from Preston. I guess that makes it the last frontier of civilisation before you get to Yorkshire. The town is strung out along the A56, which rises up from Colne Water in the west to Commercial Hotel in the east. It was surprisingly vibrant. Unlike Accrington and Burnley, it did not have the feel of somewhere trying to pull itself out of depression. And a lot less closed shops than Preston. There is an old foundry on the river still in good condition. Looking the other way, you can see the viaduct that brings the railway into the town. The river is to the left, behind the trees. The road goes under the railway, and the station is set back on the left. This was a sizeable station at one time, double track, going on to Skipton. There was a goods yard with over twenty sidings, and a turntable to the north and further facilities, including an engine shed and a second turntable to the south. This was where the Leeds an