Blacko
Encyclopedia
Blacko is a village and civil parish
within the Pendle
district of Lancashire
, England
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 595.
The village is on the old turnpike road
to Gisburn
(A682). The village enjoys views towards Boulsworth Hill
to its south east, the former cotton town of Nelson
, about two miles to its south and Pendle Hill
to its west.
Overlooking the village is Stansfield Tower (also known as Blacko Tower), which was built around 1890. A local grocer, Jonathan Stansfield, built this circular rough stone tower to provide himself with a view over Ribblesdale from the top, but the height fell somewhat short. A Bronze Age
axe, believed to be 3,500 years old, was found near the tower in 1952.
Blacko is set on a hill overlooking Pendle Water
and in 2002 was the winner of the Lancashire Best Kept Village competition. Blacko was runner-up in the competition in 2005, being beaten by the village of Wrea Green
.
Blacko was the childhood home of Lancashire comedian
Jimmy Clitheroe
(1921-1973), famous for his BBC
radio series The Clitheroe Kid
, who lived there from 1922 to 1935. Jimmy went to school in Blacko and appeared in many amateur concert party entertainments in the village's Methodist chapel, before turning professional in 1936.
Also during the 1930s it was the home of the comedian Tommy Trafford
, who played many summer seasons in the Lancashire seaside resort of Southport
between the 1960s and 1980s, so many in fact that he was affectionately known in Lancashire as 'Mr Southport'.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
within the Pendle
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...
district of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 595.
The village is on the old turnpike road
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
to Gisburn
Gisburn
Gisburn is a village, civil parish and ward within the Ribble Valley borough of Lancashire, England. It lies northeast of Clitheroe. The parish of Gisburn had a population of 506, and the ward had 1287, recorded in the 2001 census....
(A682). The village enjoys views towards Boulsworth Hill
Boulsworth Hill
Boulsworth Hill is a large expanse of moorland, the highest point of the South Pennines of south-eastern Lancashire, England, separating the District of Pendle from Calderdale....
to its south east, the former cotton town of Nelson
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
, about two miles to its south and Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill is located in the north-east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Clitheroe and Padiham, an area known as Pendleside. Its summit is above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill, separated from the Pennines to the...
to its west.
Overlooking the village is Stansfield Tower (also known as Blacko Tower), which was built around 1890. A local grocer, Jonathan Stansfield, built this circular rough stone tower to provide himself with a view over Ribblesdale from the top, but the height fell somewhat short. A Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
axe, believed to be 3,500 years old, was found near the tower in 1952.
Blacko is set on a hill overlooking Pendle Water
Pendle Water
Pendle Water is a minor river in Lancashire.Rising on Pendle Hill, Pendle Water cuts a deep valley between Barley Moor and Spence Hill, where it feeds the two Ogden Reservoirs, before making its way eastward through Roughlee, collecting Blacko Water, draining the valley near Wheathead, at Water...
and in 2002 was the winner of the Lancashire Best Kept Village competition. Blacko was runner-up in the competition in 2005, being beaten by the village of Wrea Green
Wrea Green
Wrea Green is a village in the Fylde borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about 2 miles west of Kirkham. Along with the village of Ribby, it forms the civil parish Ribby with Wrea....
.
Blacko was the childhood home of Lancashire comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Jimmy Clitheroe
Jimmy Clitheroe
James Robinson Clitheroe was a British comic entertainer. He never grew any taller than 4 feet 3 inches, and could easily pass for an 11-year-old boy, the character he played in The Clitheroe Kid....
(1921-1973), famous for his BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio series The Clitheroe Kid
The Clitheroe Kid
The Clitheroe Kid was a long-running BBC radio comedy show featuring diminutive Northern comedian Jimmy Clitheroe in the role of a cheeky schoolboy, who lived with his family at 33 Lilac Avenue in an un-named town in the north of England. Jimmy's best friend was Ozzie, alias Oswald Higginbottom, a...
, who lived there from 1922 to 1935. Jimmy went to school in Blacko and appeared in many amateur concert party entertainments in the village's Methodist chapel, before turning professional in 1936.
Also during the 1930s it was the home of the comedian Tommy Trafford
Tommy Trafford
Tommy Trafford was a Lancashire comedian and a noted pantomime dame.He lived his early life in Blacko, near Nelson, where he performed in church productions alongside Jimmy Clitheroe, "The Clitheroe Kid", with whom he went to school...
, who played many summer seasons in the Lancashire seaside resort of Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
between the 1960s and 1980s, so many in fact that he was affectionately known in Lancashire as 'Mr Southport'.