Oswaldtwistle

Oswaldtwistle is a small town east of Blackburn that has spread to merge with Accrington. Not as large as Bacup and Colne, and, frankly, rather more run down. I do not think it was ever as big, and the number of impressive Victorian buildings is considerable fewer, but there are a number of interesting ones.

Twistle means a place where two brooks meet. I saw no sign of either brook, but the Leeds-Liverpool Canal passes on the north, and we can start there.

This is the view looking towards Liverpool, from bridge 110. 

The wall is only about a foot high, just high enough to trip you as you go over it. Here is the bridge from the canal.

The remains of a basin can be seen just before the canal goes under the railway. The basin was used by Aspen Colliery.

This is bridge 110a, where the railway crosses, suggesting the bridges were numbered before the railway arrived, unlike on the Lancaster Canal.

The area's industrial heritage is very apparent, and not necessarily in a good way.

The factory you see at the back is William Blythe Ltd. Set up in 1845 to support the textiles industry, it is one of the oldest chemicals companies in the UK.

Bridge 111d is crossed by Bridge Street. Beyond it, the canal turns sharply to the left.

On the corner, this ruin was Hargreaves Warehouse. It was subject to a fire in 2022, but had stood derelict before that.

This is what it used to look like from the other side. It is (or was?) grade II listed.

There is no way from the tow path to the road at the bridge, but you can cut through just a short way along. Not the most scenic of areas... This is take from the bridge, looking back, the canal passes behind the building.

At the end of Bridge Street I turned left, then right, on to Market Street, the B6231, towards the centre of Oswaldtwistle.

The road passes under the railway, and there is a second way under for pedestrians on the left; access to the platforms is via steps going up from that.

On the far side, there is also a ramp giving disabled access to that platform, but as far as I can see, not on the other side, which is okay for people going to Preston or Manchester or Blackburn, but not if you are going to Colne. Or coming back Preston or Manchester or Blackburn...

This place used to be a bank. And the building to the left used to be a pub.

And this used to be a cinema on the left, and another pub on the right.

But across the road is this fancy school.

A bit further down Market Street is Oswaldtwistle Mills, a retail site that was formerly Moscow Mill. This seems to be the big success story of the town; it was certainly business when I was there!

And further still, a school that looks like a mill.

The road goes up hill, and there are numerous small shops (this is looking back down!).

At the top of the hill is the Civic Centre. A rather plain building compared to what other towns in the area managed.

Conversely, the war memorial is one of the most fancy I have seen.

At the end of Chapel Street is... a chapel. This is Rhyddings Methodist Chapel, and, although it looks old, was only built in 1984. An earlier church was here from 1846.

At the end of Mill Street is... a mill. This is Stone Bridge Mill. Still looking very much as it would done a century ago.

On the other side of the B6231 is the Tinker and Budget, which is over 200 years old. The Tinker Brook is one of the brooks that pass through Oswaldtwistle - and under Stone Bridge Mill. The other is the White Ash Brook, which raises the question, what does "Budget" mean here?

ETA: A reader informs me a budget was the bag a tinker would keep his tools in.

The library, built in 1915, on the site of an old pub.

Further down is the Rose and Crown, which closed about ten years ago, and is now apartments.

And opposite is Holy Trinity Free Church.

Another mill, this is Vine Mill. Pretty sure that was a bonfire, and not the mill ablaze...