Clayton-le-Moors
Encyclopedia
Clayton-le-Moors is a township in Hyndburn
in Lancashire
, England
. The town is locally referred to as 'Clayton'. To the west lies Rishton
, to the north Great Harwood
, and two miles to the south, Accrington
. Clayton-le-Moors is situated on the A680 road alongside the M65 motorway
.
Attractions include Mercer Park, freely open to the public, with an updated war memorial, once the grounds of Mercer House. The house was previously Oakenshaw Cottage and it was where John Mercer
lived towards the end of his life. Mercer, a self-taught chemist born in Great Harwood, invented the mercerisation process for treating cotton which is still in use today. He was a pioneer of colour photography.
Clayton-le-Moors is said to be a town of halves. Residents were 'top-ender' or 'bottom-ender', depending on which side of the Load O'Mischief pub, now demolished to make way for the M65 motorway. The two had firm opinions about each other and rarely mixed
There was, however, an annual football match between each at the running track at Wilson's Playing Fields. The fields sit behind a woodland in Whalley Road - close to Sparth House. The synthetic track is surrounded by football pitches, a cricket pitch and changing rooms. There are shops around Pickup Street and Barnes Square.
Kuon Ji Ju Jitsu Association, is a martial arts club which was established in October 1982, by Sensei Tony Gregson under the guidance of Sensei Thomas Duckett. Initially held in the Methodist Church as Goshin Kempo Ju Jitsu on Church St, it has recently moved to the Local Civic Library on Pickup St.
s, known colloquially as the Top Club. Come and Welcome is the middle club and bottom (Park View) club. The top closed in the 1990s and is now an eating house, the middle is no longer functioning, but the bottom – Park View – remains open.
The Load O' Mischief was well known throughout Lancashire and gave its name to a bus stop outside its location in Whalley Road and for bus routes from Accrington. It was closed and bulldozed to make way for the M65 motorway but is still referred to as a way of referencing that stretch of Whalley Road.
The Dunkenhalgh is a four-star hotel built around a 700-year-old house – the manor of Dunkenhalgh. The house was built for the Grimshaw family, who also built Clayton Manor. They lived there until around 1715 when the manor passed to the Lomaxes.
The manor was recently renovated. Maple Lodge offers four-star accommodation. The house was built in the early 1700s and retains many original features.
was a professional racing cyclist from Clayton-le-Moors, and rode the Tour de France, finishing 16th in 1963 was his best achievement. He later moved to Great Harwood, where there is a road named after him.
Comedian Eric Morecambe
, of the double act Morecambe and Wise
, lived in Clayton while working in a mine as a 'Bevin Boy
'. Alex Higgins
lived in the town after his arrival from Northern Ireland
. East Lancashire had a thriving snooker scene and Higgins was keen to learn from great players in the area. Vicky Entwistle
, the actress who played the factory worker Janice Battersby in Coronation Street
, has a link to Clayton-le-Moors. Her parents ran a newsagent shop close to the M65 bridge in Whalley Road. Originally from Great Harwood
, Netherwood Hughes
, one of the last surviving veterans of World War I
, died at the Woodlands Home for the Elderly in 2009, aged 108.
Hyndburn
Hyndburn is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Accrington. The district is named after the River Hyndburn....
in 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...
. The town is locally referred to as 'Clayton'. To the west lies Rishton
Rishton
Rishton is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, about west of Clayton-le-Moors and north-east of Blackburn. It was an urban district from 1894 to 1974....
, to the north Great Harwood
Great Harwood
Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who...
, and two miles to the south, Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
. Clayton-le-Moors is situated on the A680 road alongside the M65 motorway
M65 motorway
The M65 is a motorway in Lancashire, England. It runs from just south of Preston through the major junction of the M6 and M61 motorways, east past Darwen, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and ends at Colne.-History:...
.
Description
It is thought that the town developed while the Leeds Liverpool Canal was being built. The half-way point of the Leeds Liverpool Canal is Clayton-le-Moors. A mural that depicted this fact has been demolished. The town's main thoroughfare is Whalley Road, which still has some canal workers' cottages.Attractions include Mercer Park, freely open to the public, with an updated war memorial, once the grounds of Mercer House. The house was previously Oakenshaw Cottage and it was where John Mercer
John Mercer (scientist)
John Mercer was an English dye and fabric chemist and fabric printer born in Great Harwood, Lancashire. In 1844 he developed a process for treating cotton, mercerisation, that improves many of its qualities for use in fabrics.John Mercer never went to school, he learned basic reading and writing...
lived towards the end of his life. Mercer, a self-taught chemist born in Great Harwood, invented the mercerisation process for treating cotton which is still in use today. He was a pioneer of colour photography.
Clayton-le-Moors is said to be a town of halves. Residents were 'top-ender' or 'bottom-ender', depending on which side of the Load O'Mischief pub, now demolished to make way for the M65 motorway. The two had firm opinions about each other and rarely mixed
There was, however, an annual football match between each at the running track at Wilson's Playing Fields. The fields sit behind a woodland in Whalley Road - close to Sparth House. The synthetic track is surrounded by football pitches, a cricket pitch and changing rooms. There are shops around Pickup Street and Barnes Square.
Sport
Clayton Le Moors Harriers, founded in 1922, is one of the largest athletic clubs in the North of England, catering for cross-country, fell and road running.Kuon Ji Ju Jitsu Association, is a martial arts club which was established in October 1982, by Sensei Tony Gregson under the guidance of Sensei Thomas Duckett. Initially held in the Methodist Church as Goshin Kempo Ju Jitsu on Church St, it has recently moved to the Local Civic Library on Pickup St.
Education
St. Mary's Primary School was built in 1896 as a Catholic school. The original building, which stood where the playground is, was demolished in 1985 and replaced with a new modern building. The other primary schools include the Church of England's All Saints and the non-denomination Mount Pleasant. There is also a public library in the town.Pubs
There are a few pubs: The Albion, Hare and Hounds, Hyndburn Bridge, Forts Arms, The Royal Oak, Old England Forever, Wellington Hotel, Sparth Manor - built at an unknown date but sold for the first time in 1556, and Conservative Club. There were three working men's clubWorking men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
s, known colloquially as the Top Club. Come and Welcome is the middle club and bottom (Park View) club. The top closed in the 1990s and is now an eating house, the middle is no longer functioning, but the bottom – Park View – remains open.
The Load O' Mischief was well known throughout Lancashire and gave its name to a bus stop outside its location in Whalley Road and for bus routes from Accrington. It was closed and bulldozed to make way for the M65 motorway but is still referred to as a way of referencing that stretch of Whalley Road.
Hotels
Hotels include the Dunkenhalgh in Blackburn Road, Maple Lodge in Blackburn Road, and Sparth House in Whalley Road.The Dunkenhalgh is a four-star hotel built around a 700-year-old house – the manor of Dunkenhalgh. The house was built for the Grimshaw family, who also built Clayton Manor. They lived there until around 1715 when the manor passed to the Lomaxes.
The manor was recently renovated. Maple Lodge offers four-star accommodation. The house was built in the early 1700s and retains many original features.
Notable people
Alan RamsbottomAlan Ramsbottom
Alan Ramsbottom was a professional racing cyclist from Clayton-le-Moors, England, who twice rode the Tour de France.-Amateur career:Ramsbottom was a talented amateur in Britain in the late 1950s...
was a professional racing cyclist from Clayton-le-Moors, and rode the Tour de France, finishing 16th in 1963 was his best achievement. He later moved to Great Harwood, where there is a road named after him.
Comedian Eric Morecambe
Eric Morecambe
John Eric Bartholomew OBE , known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the award-winning double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death of a heart attack in 1984...
, of the double act Morecambe and Wise
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
, lived in Clayton while working in a mine as a 'Bevin Boy
Bevin Boys
Bevin Boys were young British men conscripted to work in the coal mines of the United Kingdom, from December 1943 until 1948. Chosen at random from conscripts but also including volunteers, nearly 48,000 Bevin Boys performed vital but largely unrecognised service in the mines, many of them...
'. Alex Higgins
Alex Higgins
Alexander Gordon "Alex" Higgins , also known by his nickname of Hurricane Higgins, was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who was twice World Champion and twice runner-up. Higgins earned the nickname The Hurricane because of his speed of play...
lived in the town after his arrival from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. East Lancashire had a thriving snooker scene and Higgins was keen to learn from great players in the area. Vicky Entwistle
Vicky Entwistle
Vicky Entwistle is an English actress who is most famous for playing the role of "loudmouth" factory worker Janice Battersby in ITV1's long-running soap opera Coronation Street....
, the actress who played the factory worker Janice Battersby in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, has a link to Clayton-le-Moors. Her parents ran a newsagent shop close to the M65 bridge in Whalley Road. Originally from Great Harwood
Great Harwood
Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who...
, Netherwood Hughes
Netherwood Hughes
Netherwood "Ned" Hughes was one of the last two Tommies who served the United Kingdom during the First World War, along with Harry Patch, although Patch is the only one to have seen action. Hughes was also one of three British veterans still living in the country, with Patch and Henry Allingham...
, one of the last surviving veterans of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, died at the Woodlands Home for the Elderly in 2009, aged 108.