Darwen
Encyclopedia
Darwen is a market town
and civil parish located within Lancashire
, England
. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen
— a unitary authority area. It is known locally as "Darren", and its residents are known as "Darreners".
The main road through Darwen is the A666
towards Blackburn to the north and Bolton to the south.
The town stands on the River Darwen
, which flows from south to north and is visible only in the outskirts of the town, as within the town centre it is submerged.
derw "oak", originally applied to the river
; an etymology supported an older form of the name, Derewent (1208). It has also been claimed that the name Darwen stems from "Dwrgwyn", from the Old Welsh (also a Brythonic language) dwr or "water" and gwyn Brythonic for "white" or "clear". Thus the name may mean "clear water".
The area around Darwen has been inhabited since the early Bronze Age
, and the remains of a barrow
from approximately 2000 BC have been partially restored at the Ashleigh Barrow in Whitehall. Artefacts including a bronze dagger and urns containing human ashes were found, and a small number of these finds are now on display at Darwen Library Theatre. The Romans
once had a force in Lancashire, and a Roman road
is visible on the Ordnance Survey
map of the area. Mediaeval Darwen was tiny; little or nothing survives. One of the earliest remaining buildings is a farmhouse at Bury Fold, dated 1675. Whitehall Cottage is thought to be the oldest house in the town, and was mostly built in the 17th and 18th centuries but contains a chimney piece dated 1557.
Like many towns in Lancashire, Darwen was a centre for textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
. Samuel Crompton
, inventor of the spinning mule
, lived there for part of his life. Rail links and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal arrived in the mid-19th century. The most important textile
building in Darwen is India Mill, built by Eccles Shorrock
& Company. The company was ruined, however, by the effects of the Lancashire Cotton Famine of the 1860s.
Much of the town was built between about 1850 and 1900; placenames, date stones in terraces, and the vernacular architecture of cellars, local stone, locally-made brick, pipework and tiles and leaded glass, the last now mostly gone, reflect this. It was one of the first places in the world to have steam trams. The arrangement of town hall, market, public transport, eating/hotel facilities and the pre-suburban mixed-size vernacular housing, with local variations according to topography, is very characteristic of northern England. The year 1900 perhaps represents the peak of Victorian
optimism in the area. The working classes were then much more identifiable as masses than now. George Orwell
, for example, described the sound of clogs on cobblestones of the large number of female millworkers. The rise of the Labour Party
from about 1900 coincided with a decline in the Liberal Party
, which followed the Manchester School
in economics, increasingly seen as permitting unjustified exploitation. However, Darwen usually voted for the Conservative Party
until a Conservative government made unpopular administrative rearrangements
in the early 1970s.
Andrew Carnegie
financed a public library
here; the town also had an art and technology college and a grammar school. In common with many northern nonconformist towns, there are many chapels of assorted denominations, which flourished until the psychological blows of the First World War.
One of Darwen's biggest claims to fame is that it hosted a visit from Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1931. He had accepted the invitation from Corder Catchpool, owner of Greenfield Mill, to see the effects of India's boycott of cotton goods. The unemployed mill workers greeted the man with great affection even when they were out of work, as they understood it was not India but greedy and irresponsible mill owners who were responsible for their situation.
India Mill is now home to many companies, including Brookhouse (producers of aeroplane parts) and Capita Group
, which runs TV licensing. Since the 1950s, the textile industry has strongly declined in the region, although many industrial buildings from the period survive, now used for other purposes. India Mill and its famous chimney have been sold in a £12 million deal. Among Darwen's other famous industries are Crown Paints
, formerly Walpamur Paints, the earliest British paint manufacturer, which actually named one of its paints 'Darwen Satin Finish'. Crown Wallpaper
manufactured wallpaper, Lincrusta
and Anaglypta
in the town. ICI Acrylics
(now called Lucite International) was where acrylic glass
(Perspex for windows and signage, and Sani-ware or Lucite used for the maufacture of baths and shower trays) was invented; it is still manufactured in two separate plants within the town. Spitfire
canopies and (later) coloured polythene washing-up bowls were first made here.
of Darwen existed for ninety-six years, from 1878. The borough was merged with Blackburn in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
. The town became part of the Lancashire non-metropolitan district of Blackburn, which was renamed Blackburn with Darwen
in 1997, shortly before it became a unitary authority
.
The population of the town declined from 40 000 in the 1911 census to 30 000 in the 1971 census.
Locally, Darwen has been represented by Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat
councillors in the main council wards for the town. In the 2008 local elections
, the For Darwen Party
picked up the majority of the wards in the town to put pressure on Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council for Darwen to have its own council again. In June 2009 Darwen Town Council was formed.
There are five council wards within Darwen out of the 23 in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen. These are:
Darwen had its own parliamentary constituency
until 1983 when it became part of the present Rossendale and Darwen constituency. This marginal seat is currently held by Conservative
Jake Berry
.
for Darwen should not be confused with the coat of arms used by the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen
, which is the coat of arms for Blackburn.
Darwen was granted its coat of arms on 7 August 1878. At the foot of the coat of arms is the town motto in Latin Absque Labore Nihil, which translates as "Nothing without labour". The arms depicts three cotton bolls and the River Darwen
which runs through the town. The cotton represents the cotton industry
in which the town grew and prospered during the Industrial Revolution
and the three bolls to represent the three main areas of Darwen - Over Darwen, Lower Darwen
and Hoddlesden
. At the helm of the coat of arms is a barred helmet
representing nobility, and above it the torse
in the town colours of blue and gold. At the crest a man stands shouldering a pick-axe, which refers to the town's motto and also represents the mining
industry that was present to the east of the town at that time.
The Darwen Academy opened in September 2008 at the premises of the former Darwen Moorland High School on the outskirts of the town, which had closed in July 2008 to reopen as the academy after the summer holidays. All students from Darwen Moorland transferred to the academy. Students have subsequently moved down to the new site, into a state-of-the-art £49m academy, with sixth form and modern facilities. The plan to build the academy proved controversial (see Future and regeneration of the town below).
Darwen Vale High School is also being rebuilt and will be completed in 2012, as part of government's Building Schools for the Future
(BSF) initiative.
flowing at its base. The river passes through the town from south to north, subsequently joining the River Ribble
, one of the longest rivers in North West England
. The town is mainly accessible from the north (Blackburn) and south (Bolton) by the A666 road. Its weather conditions made it perfect for cotton weaving and as a result it became one of the largest mill towns in Lancashire.
The Guinness Book of Records mentions that Darwen had one of the largest flash flood
s in the United Kingdom.
In 1897 a town council meeting met to deliberate how best to celebrate the forthcoming Queen Victoria
Diamond Jubilee
. In this meeting the idea of building the tower, in conjunction with public access to the moors, was put forward. Through a competition for designs, Ralph Ellison from the Borough Engineers won and on 22 June 1897 work began on his plan. On 24 September 1898 the opening ceremony was held, attended by over 3,000 people. Present at the ceremony were Councillor Alexander Carus, Mayor Charles Huntington, the High Sheriff of Lancashire
and Lord of the Manor
Rev. W.A. Duckworth.
The tower, which is open to the public, overlooks the town from the moors
and stands at an altitude of 374m and a height of 26m. A spiral staircase leads to the top of the tower, from where on a clear day one can see Blackpool Tower
, the Isle of Man
, North Wales
and the Furness Peninsula. In November 2010, the dome of the tower was blown off by strong winds.
, a Scottish migrant to the USA who made his fortune as a producer of iron and steel. He donated £8,000 in response to a speculative appeal for funds by the Library Committee. The opening took place on 27 May 1908 and was attended by Mayor Councilor G.P. Holde, Councillor Ralph Yates and Carnegie himself, The library has served the town ever since, with the original lecture hall being transformed into the Library Theatre in June 1971.
, and five shop units opened in 2011, and is a venue for meetings of the Darwen Town Council established in 2009.
along the valley floor. It is connected to the motorway system at Junction 4 of the M65
at Earcroft, on the town's northern boundary, and considerable traffic passes through the town centre along the A666, causing high levels of air pollution
. The local council has recently attempted to address the situation by adding a new road layout to the town centre, with public transport and junction improvements to reduce traffic.
Darwen stands athwart the Ribble Valley railway line
, operated by Northern Rail
. Darwen railway station
has one train per hour between Clitheroe
and Manchester
(via Bolton
). Darwen's bus terminal (Darwen Circus) hosts buses up to every 12 minutes to Blackburn/Accrington on weekdays. There is also a service, every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on Sundays, to Bolton and Clitheroe, but the Bolton service terminates at 7:00pm. Both services are operated by Transdev Lancashire United.
In 2008 the "Pennine Reach" scheme, to improve public transport between Darwen, Blackburn and Hyndburn, was proposed by Lancashire
and Blackburn with Darwen councils, including plans for the addition of bus lane
s to the A666. However, it has been controversial, with some residents placing "Say no to Bus Lane, we don't want it" signs in their windows, and the neighbouring district of Hyndburn
pulled out of the scheme. The scheme was put on hold in 2010 as local authorities reviewed their spending after their budgets were cut, before being abandoned later in the year due to lack of government funding, and the councils are now looking at other ways to improve public transport.
in 1997, many businesses have been attracted to the area, with industrial estates growing to the north of the town at Junction 4 of the motorway. The motorway services opened up a lot of easily accessible land for businesses, allowing large industrial units to be built.
In 2004 Crown Wallcoverings, previously one of the biggest businesses in the town, closed with the loss of more than 200 jobs. The Crown building was a large redbrick ten-storey building with numerous chimneys. In 2006 the empty building and 60-metre high (200 ft) chimney was demolished. In 2008 building work started on the site to build 79 two-bedroom apartments and 56 three-bedroom family homes. The building of these homes was halted during 2009 due to a lack of buyers because of the economic downturn.
In December 2006, Darwen's Leisure Centre closed so that a new £12.7m leisure centre could be built. The previous leisure centre's facilities were run-down and there was a crack in the pool. The new "state-of-the-art" leisure centre was planned on its original site. However, the leisure centre was left empty and untouched for over a year while original plans were scrapped, as they did not include a sports hall as the old leisure centre had. The plan was to have a split site, and the sports hall facilities would be part of Darwen Vale High School. The residents of Darwen wanted all facilities on one site, so the plans were altered. In February 2008 work began on demolishing all the buildings. The centre's original porchway was dismantled and will be rebuilt next to the White Lion pub, to act as a freestanding archway into the centre, so as to preserve its Roman Baths
-style facade.
The new leisure centre opened on 29 January 2010 and features a 25-metre, 8-lane swimming pool, children's pool, activity rooms, a gym with 80 pieces of equipment, a large health suite, a cafe and a 63-space car park. The Roman-Baths-style façade was rebuilt next to the White Lion pub, providing a freestanding archway. To many residents of the town, the new leisure centre is a great success, but some dislike the architectural design of the building, and the fact that the large windows of the swimming pool look out onto the road, where passers by and standing traffic can easily see in, is a concern.
Behind the leisure centre is the new Health Centre, relocated in September 2005 from its original smaller site, which is being redeveloped into houses and apartments.
In 2006/2007 the Darwen Town Centre Masterplan was announced. It included traffic improvements, public transport improvements and new street furniture. As the A666 enters the centre, it originally split into a one-way system. However, at peak times traffic was heavy, and pollution was a worry. The Masterplan scrapped the one-way system and the original A666 one-way system towards Bolton
was closed to all traffic except buses. Pavements were widened, and new street furniture and bus stops added. Cobbled roads were introduced here and the original bus station in front of the Market was made smaller to make a larger area for events and pedestrians. The A666 was redirected along the previous one-way system to Blackburn to make a two-way road. However, at one point a small one-way system occurs as the road was not wide enough for two-way traffic. The A666 now passes both ways in front of the new leisure centre. This was given the go-ahead and implemented in the following years.
Another part of the masterplan was to demolish the three-day market and build a new one 200 metres/yards away so that an open day market and events area could be used. However, no more information has been announced on this.
The most controversial recent project was the new £49m Darwen Academy, built in the Redearth Triangle on the outskirts of the town centre across from Sainsbury's. The plans of the Darwen Aldridge Community Academy were first shown over five years ago, and since then the residents of Redearth Triangle fought a legal battle to stay in their homes. The battle went on for almost a year and ended up in the High Court. However, residents lost the battle and ended up moving to other accommodation. Demolition began late 2007 and building work took place soon after. Darwen Aldridge Community Academy was officially opened in 2011 by Prince William and Kate Middleton only a few months before their wedding. The Academy and sixth form have both made record breaking GCSE and A-Level results in 2011. Labour leader Ed Miliband
also visited the school in 2011.
In Lancashire dialect
, the name Darwen is pronounced Darren, and the locals refer to themselves as Darreners. They are generally resistant to any attempts at submerging the identity of the town within Blackburn. A motorway service area
at junction 4 of the M65 motorway
lies within the town, and was originally named "Blackburn Services". Following local protests it has been renamed "Blackburn with Darwen Services".
The town is the home of the Darwen Library Theatre
(an extension to the library), and the TV show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
. It also has a large non-indigenous community including many Italians
.
Darwen has a few footnotes in entertainment history: its theatre (now demolished) had appearances by Charlie Chaplin
, and it featured in a film by Norman Wisdom
. George Formby's wife was from Darwen.
The Beatles played in Darwen on Friday 25 January 1963, at the Co-operative Hall. They headlined the "The Greatest Teenage Dance" which was commissioned by the Darwen Baptist Youth Club. Support acts included The Electones, The Mike Taylor Combo and The Mustangs with Ricky Day.
, as well as being a showcase for local bands.
Darwen has a brass band, named 'Darwen Brass'. The band, under MD Steve Hartley, won four consecutive first place prizes in NWCBBA (North West Counties Brass Band Association) contests in the 2009/10 season. The contest successes were in Fleeetwood, St. Helens, Preston and Tameside (competing within the 4th section). Following this success, the band was promoted to the 3rd section for the 2010/11 season and finished third at the Fleetwood contest.
The town's local radio station is 107 The Bee, based in Dalton Court just off the motorway services. 107 The Bee broadcasts to Blackburn with Darwen
, Hyndburn
and the Ribble Valley
.
, formed in 1870 and the first English football club to have paid professional players. The team reached the semi-final of the FA Cup
in 1880-81 and played in the Football League between 1891 and 1899. The club was wound up at the end of the 2008-09 season and replaced almost immediately by A.F.C. Darwen. The new club plays in Division One of the North West Counties Football League
and is based at the Anchor Ground. Darwen also has a cricket club, Darwen Cricket Club, currently based at Birch Hall Cricket Ground. The club plays in the Northern Premier Cricket League.
To the north-west of the town lies Darwen Golf Club. The characteristics of the course have changed little since the club was established in 1893. Due to its geographical location within the moors, the course is regarded as a tough test of golfing ability. From its peak viewpoint the course has panoramic views of the surrounding area as far out as Blackpool
and cascades down into the shadow of Darwen Tower.
Until the Sports Centre was demolished, Darwen was home to the North West Open Karate tournament, which hosted many national and world champions. Tower Shukokai Karate Club was resident at the sports centre from 1988 and remains active. Tower's instructors, Andy Allwood, 5th Dan, and Martyn Skipper 4th Dan, both won this tournament in their respective weight categories (Allwood, heavyweight, in the 1990s and Skipper, lightweight, in 2006 after the tournament had relocated to Bury).
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and civil parish located within 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...
. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...
— a unitary authority area. It is known locally as "Darren", and its residents are known as "Darreners".
The main road through Darwen is the A666
A666 road
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...
towards Blackburn to the north and Bolton to the south.
The town stands on the River Darwen
River Darwen
The River Darwen is a river running through Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire.The river was seriously polluted with human and industrial effluent during the Industrial Revolution, up to the early 1970s. The river often changed colour dramatically as a result of paper and paint mills routinely...
, which flows from south to north and is visible only in the outskirts of the town, as within the town centre it is submerged.
History
Most authorities trace the name 'Darwen' to the BrythonicBrythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
derw "oak", originally applied to the river
River Darwen
The River Darwen is a river running through Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire.The river was seriously polluted with human and industrial effluent during the Industrial Revolution, up to the early 1970s. The river often changed colour dramatically as a result of paper and paint mills routinely...
; an etymology supported an older form of the name, Derewent (1208). It has also been claimed that the name Darwen stems from "Dwrgwyn", from the Old Welsh (also a Brythonic language) dwr or "water" and gwyn Brythonic for "white" or "clear". Thus the name may mean "clear water".
The area around Darwen has been inhabited since the early 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...
, and the remains of a barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
from approximately 2000 BC have been partially restored at the Ashleigh Barrow in Whitehall. Artefacts including a bronze dagger and urns containing human ashes were found, and a small number of these finds are now on display at Darwen Library Theatre. The Romans
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
once had a force in Lancashire, and a Roman road
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
is visible on the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map of the area. Mediaeval Darwen was tiny; little or nothing survives. One of the earliest remaining buildings is a farmhouse at Bury Fold, dated 1675. Whitehall Cottage is thought to be the oldest house in the town, and was mostly built in the 17th and 18th centuries but contains a chimney piece dated 1557.
Like many towns in Lancashire, Darwen was a centre for textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
Textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution changed the nature of work and society. Opinion varies as to the exact date, but it is estimated that the First Industrial Revolution took place between 1750 and 1850, and the second phase or Second Industrial Revolution between 1860 and 1900. The three key drivers in...
. Samuel Crompton
Samuel Crompton
Samuel Crompton was an English inventor and pioneer of the spinning industry.- Early life :Samuel Crompton was born at 10 Firwood Fold, Bolton, Lancashire to George and Betty Crompton . Samuel had two younger sisters...
, inventor of the spinning mule
Spinning mule
The spinning mule was a machine used to spin cotton and other fibres in the mills of Lancashire and elsewhere from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. Mules were worked in pairs by a minder, with the help of two boys: the little piecer and the big or side piecer...
, lived there for part of his life. Rail links and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal arrived in the mid-19th century. The most important textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
building in Darwen is India Mill, built by Eccles Shorrock
Eccles Shorrock
Eccles Shorrock was born in Clitheroe in 1827. In the Shorrock family, Eccles was the second out of three generations. He was the nephew of the first Eccles Shorrock who owned a cotton mill in Darwen. When Eccles Ashton was adopted by his uncle, he removed his last name Ashton and later had a son...
& Company. The company was ruined, however, by the effects of the Lancashire Cotton Famine of the 1860s.
Much of the town was built between about 1850 and 1900; placenames, date stones in terraces, and the vernacular architecture of cellars, local stone, locally-made brick, pipework and tiles and leaded glass, the last now mostly gone, reflect this. It was one of the first places in the world to have steam trams. The arrangement of town hall, market, public transport, eating/hotel facilities and the pre-suburban mixed-size vernacular housing, with local variations according to topography, is very characteristic of northern England. The year 1900 perhaps represents the peak of Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
optimism in the area. The working classes were then much more identifiable as masses than now. George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, for example, described the sound of clogs on cobblestones of the large number of female millworkers. The rise of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
from about 1900 coincided with a decline in the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, which followed the Manchester School
Manchester capitalism
Manchester Capitalism, Manchester School, Manchester Liberalism, and Manchesterism are terms for the political, economic, and social movements of the 19th century that originated in Manchester, England....
in economics, increasingly seen as permitting unjustified exploitation. However, Darwen usually voted for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
until a Conservative government made unpopular administrative rearrangements
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
in the early 1970s.
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
financed a public library
Darwen library
Darwen Library is a Carnegie library in Darwen, Lancashire, England. It opened in 1908 and is located on Knott Street.-History:The library was officially opened in May 1908 by Andrew Carnegie, who had donated £8000 to build it...
here; the town also had an art and technology college and a grammar school. In common with many northern nonconformist towns, there are many chapels of assorted denominations, which flourished until the psychological blows of the First World War.
One of Darwen's biggest claims to fame is that it hosted a visit from Mohandas K. Gandhi in 1931. He had accepted the invitation from Corder Catchpool, owner of Greenfield Mill, to see the effects of India's boycott of cotton goods. The unemployed mill workers greeted the man with great affection even when they were out of work, as they understood it was not India but greedy and irresponsible mill owners who were responsible for their situation.
India Mill is now home to many companies, including Brookhouse (producers of aeroplane parts) and Capita Group
Capita Group
The Capita Group Plc , commonly known as Capita Group or Capita, is a business process outsourcing and recruitment company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest business process outsourcing company in the UK, with an overall market share of 27% in 2009, and has clients in...
, which runs TV licensing. Since the 1950s, the textile industry has strongly declined in the region, although many industrial buildings from the period survive, now used for other purposes. India Mill and its famous chimney have been sold in a £12 million deal. Among Darwen's other famous industries are Crown Paints
Crown Paints
-History:The origins of the business lie in the history of paint making in Darwen which can be traced back to the late 1850s. It initially traded as WalPaMur after the initials of The Wall Paper Manufacturers' Company...
, formerly Walpamur Paints, the earliest British paint manufacturer, which actually named one of its paints 'Darwen Satin Finish'. Crown Wallpaper
Crown Wallpaper
Crown Wallpaper was an agglomeration of wallpaper manufacturers in the United Kingdom in 1899....
manufactured wallpaper, Lincrusta
Lincrusta
Lincrusta is a deeply embossed wallcovering. A British invention, it was the brainchild of inventor Frederick Walton who earlier patented linoleum floor covering. Lincrusta was launched in 1877 and was used in a host of applications from royal homes to railway carriages. The linseed gel continues...
and Anaglypta
Anaglypta
Lincrusta was invented in 1877 by Frederick Walton. It became an instant success because it was the first washable wallcovering and appealed to the Victorians because of its sanitary properties as well as its durability and ornate effects. Originally made on a linen backing, it was however, quite...
in the town. ICI Acrylics
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
(now called Lucite International) was where acrylic glass
Acrylic glass
Poly is a transparent thermoplastic, often used as a light or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It is sometimes called acrylic glass. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate...
(Perspex for windows and signage, and Sani-ware or Lucite used for the maufacture of baths and shower trays) was invented; it is still manufactured in two separate plants within the town. Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
canopies and (later) coloured polythene washing-up bowls were first made here.
Government
The municipal boroughMunicipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Darwen existed for ninety-six years, from 1878. The borough was merged with Blackburn in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. The town became part of the Lancashire non-metropolitan district of Blackburn, which was renamed Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...
in 1997, shortly before it became a unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
.
The population of the town declined from 40 000 in the 1911 census to 30 000 in the 1971 census.
Locally, Darwen has been represented by Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
councillors in the main council wards for the town. In the 2008 local elections
Blackburn with Darwen Council election, 2008
Elections to Blackburn with Darwen Council were held in 2008 on 1 May along with all other local elections in the UK.-Election result:The party tallies before the 2008 poll were different from the results from the 2007 election. Arif Waghat was sacked from the Liberal Democrats in August 2007 and...
, the For Darwen Party
For Darwen Party
The For Darwen Party is a small political party with three seats on Blackburn with Darwen Council in England. The party fielded candidates in wards in the small town of Darwen, which lies to the south of Blackburn, with a platform that the views of Darweners are not properly represented in the town...
picked up the majority of the wards in the town to put pressure on Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council for Darwen to have its own council again. In June 2009 Darwen Town Council was formed.
There are five council wards within Darwen out of the 23 in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen. These are:
- Earcroft
- Marsh House
- Sudell
- Sunnyhurst
- Whitehall
Darwen had its own parliamentary constituency
Darwen (UK Parliament constituency)
Darwen was a county constituency in Lancashire, centred on the town of Darwen. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election....
until 1983 when it became part of the present Rossendale and Darwen constituency. This marginal seat is currently held by Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Jake Berry
Jake Berry
James Jacob Gilchrist Berry is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Rossendale and Darwen, having won the seat at the 2010 UK General Election when he beat Labour Party MP Janet Anderson by a majority of 4,000 votes.-Personal life:Berry was born in...
.
Coat of arms
The coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
for Darwen should not be confused with the coat of arms used by the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...
, which is the coat of arms for Blackburn.
Darwen was granted its coat of arms on 7 August 1878. At the foot of the coat of arms is the town motto in Latin Absque Labore Nihil, which translates as "Nothing without labour". The arms depicts three cotton bolls and the River Darwen
River Darwen
The River Darwen is a river running through Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire.The river was seriously polluted with human and industrial effluent during the Industrial Revolution, up to the early 1970s. The river often changed colour dramatically as a result of paper and paint mills routinely...
which runs through the town. The cotton represents the cotton industry
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in which the town grew and prospered during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the three bolls to represent the three main areas of Darwen - Over Darwen, Lower Darwen
Lower Darwen
Lower Darwen is a village in the unitary borough of Blackburn with Darwen, in the town of Darwen, in the county of Lancashire. It is located between the towns of Blackburn and Darwen. Nearby places include Ewood and Blackamoor. It is situated in the valley of the River Darwen...
and Hoddlesden
Hoddlesden
Hoddlesden is a village in the unitary borough of Blackburn with Darwen, in Lancashire, England. The village has a population of approximately 1,300. It is in the borough's East Rural ward, and is situated east of Darwen...
. At the helm of the coat of arms is a barred helmet
Helmet (heraldry)
In heraldic achievements, the helmet or helm is situated above the shield and bears the torse and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according to rank and social status, and these styles developed over time, in step with the development of actual military helmets...
representing nobility, and above it the torse
Torse
In heraldry, a torse or wreath is a twisted roll of fabric laid about the top of the helm and the base of the crest, from which the mantling hangs....
in the town colours of blue and gold. At the crest a man stands shouldering a pick-axe, which refers to the town's motto and also represents the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industry that was present to the east of the town at that time.
Education
After the passing of the Education Act 1870, many schools were established to serve the ever-growing population. Many were later demolished.The Darwen Academy opened in September 2008 at the premises of the former Darwen Moorland High School on the outskirts of the town, which had closed in July 2008 to reopen as the academy after the summer holidays. All students from Darwen Moorland transferred to the academy. Students have subsequently moved down to the new site, into a state-of-the-art £49m academy, with sixth form and modern facilities. The plan to build the academy proved controversial (see Future and regeneration of the town below).
Darwen Vale High School is also being rebuilt and will be completed in 2012, as part of government's Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but...
(BSF) initiative.
Geography
Location
Darwen is a quintessential Lancastrian town in the south-east of the county. Its position in the West Pennine Moors makes its topography relatively arid and it stands within a valley with the River DarwenRiver Darwen
The River Darwen is a river running through Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire.The river was seriously polluted with human and industrial effluent during the Industrial Revolution, up to the early 1970s. The river often changed colour dramatically as a result of paper and paint mills routinely...
flowing at its base. The river passes through the town from south to north, subsequently joining the River Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
, one of the longest rivers in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. The town is mainly accessible from the north (Blackburn) and south (Bolton) by the A666 road. Its weather conditions made it perfect for cotton weaving and as a result it became one of the largest mill towns in Lancashire.
The Guinness Book of Records mentions that Darwen had one of the largest flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
s in the United Kingdom.
Darwen Jubilee Tower
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
. In this meeting the idea of building the tower, in conjunction with public access to the moors, was put forward. Through a competition for designs, Ralph Ellison from the Borough Engineers won and on 22 June 1897 work began on his plan. On 24 September 1898 the opening ceremony was held, attended by over 3,000 people. Present at the ceremony were Councillor Alexander Carus, Mayor Charles Huntington, the High Sheriff of Lancashire
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales...
and Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
Rev. W.A. Duckworth.
The tower, which is open to the public, overlooks the town from the moors
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
and stands at an altitude of 374m and a height of 26m. A spiral staircase leads to the top of the tower, from where on a clear day one can see Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
, the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
and the Furness Peninsula. In November 2010, the dome of the tower was blown off by strong winds.
Darwen Library
Originally situated in the Peel Street Baths (now the Co-operative supermarket in the Circus), the library was transferred to the new technical school building in 1895. Today Darwen Library stands at the corner of Knott Street and School Street to the north of the Circus. It was commissioned by Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
, a Scottish migrant to the USA who made his fortune as a producer of iron and steel. He donated £8,000 in response to a speculative appeal for funds by the Library Committee. The opening took place on 27 May 1908 and was attended by Mayor Councilor G.P. Holde, Councillor Ralph Yates and Carnegie himself, The library has served the town ever since, with the original lecture hall being transformed into the Library Theatre in June 1971.
Darwen Town and Market Hall
The Market Hall was opened on 11 July 1882 and the clock tower was added in 1899, when Dr. Ballantyne became mayor. In the 1930s part of the market ground was made into the town's bus station and still remains today. In 1992 a three-day market was introduced. Although local government proceedings were transferred to Blackburn in the 1970s, the council chambers remained in the building, and were used by the magistrates' court from 1983 until 1992. The town hall currently houses offices of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and the local Neighbourhood Policing TeamNeighbourhood Policing Team
Neighbourhood Policing Teams are a concept developed by the United Kingdom police. It involves small teams of police officers who are dedicated to policing a certain community or area. There are 3,600 NPTs throughout the United Kingdom...
, and five shop units opened in 2011, and is a venue for meetings of the Darwen Town Council established in 2009.
Bold Venture Park
Bold Venture Park stands to the west of the town, at the foot of the moors and the path which leads to the Jubilee Tower. The land in which the park lies was bought by Rev. W.A. Duckworth. It was built by W. Stubbs of the Borough Engineers and Thomas Hogy the landscaper and gardener, and opened in 1889.Sunnyhurst Woods
Sunnyhurst Woods was originally owned by the Brock-Hollinshead family and used for hunting stag. The area was later sold to Eccles Shorrock. To commemorate the coronation of Edward VII the land was turned into a public park on 2 July 1903.Transport
Darwen sits in a large valley strung along the A666 roadA666 road
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...
along the valley floor. It is connected to the motorway system at Junction 4 of the M65
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:...
at Earcroft, on the town's northern boundary, and considerable traffic passes through the town centre along the A666, causing high levels of air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
. The local council has recently attempted to address the situation by adding a new road layout to the town centre, with public transport and junction improvements to reduce traffic.
Darwen stands athwart the Ribble Valley railway line
Ribble Valley Line
The Ribble Valley Line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through Blackburn to the small market town of Clitheroe in Lancashire. Regular passenger services normally only run as far as Clitheroe, but occasional passenger services run along the line through north Lancashire towards...
, operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
. Darwen railway station
Darwen railway station
Darwen railway station serves Darwen, a medium sized Lancashire town. It is served by Northern Rail services on the Ribble Valley Line from Manchester Victoria/Bolton to Blackburn and into Clitheroe...
has one train per hour between Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
(via Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
). Darwen's bus terminal (Darwen Circus) hosts buses up to every 12 minutes to Blackburn/Accrington on weekdays. There is also a service, every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly on Sundays, to Bolton and Clitheroe, but the Bolton service terminates at 7:00pm. Both services are operated by Transdev Lancashire United.
In 2008 the "Pennine Reach" scheme, to improve public transport between Darwen, Blackburn and Hyndburn, was proposed by Lancashire
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...
and Blackburn with Darwen councils, including plans for the addition of bus lane
Bus lane
A bus lane or bus only lane is a lane restricted to buses, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion...
s to the A666. However, it has been controversial, with some residents placing "Say no to Bus Lane, we don't want it" signs in their windows, and the neighbouring district of Hyndburn
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....
pulled out of the scheme. The scheme was put on hold in 2010 as local authorities reviewed their spending after their budgets were cut, before being abandoned later in the year due to lack of government funding, and the councils are now looking at other ways to improve public transport.
Future and regeneration of the town
Since the opening of the M65 motorwayM65 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:...
in 1997, many businesses have been attracted to the area, with industrial estates growing to the north of the town at Junction 4 of the motorway. The motorway services opened up a lot of easily accessible land for businesses, allowing large industrial units to be built.
In 2004 Crown Wallcoverings, previously one of the biggest businesses in the town, closed with the loss of more than 200 jobs. The Crown building was a large redbrick ten-storey building with numerous chimneys. In 2006 the empty building and 60-metre high (200 ft) chimney was demolished. In 2008 building work started on the site to build 79 two-bedroom apartments and 56 three-bedroom family homes. The building of these homes was halted during 2009 due to a lack of buyers because of the economic downturn.
In December 2006, Darwen's Leisure Centre closed so that a new £12.7m leisure centre could be built. The previous leisure centre's facilities were run-down and there was a crack in the pool. The new "state-of-the-art" leisure centre was planned on its original site. However, the leisure centre was left empty and untouched for over a year while original plans were scrapped, as they did not include a sports hall as the old leisure centre had. The plan was to have a split site, and the sports hall facilities would be part of Darwen Vale High School. The residents of Darwen wanted all facilities on one site, so the plans were altered. In February 2008 work began on demolishing all the buildings. The centre's original porchway was dismantled and will be rebuilt next to the White Lion pub, to act as a freestanding archway into the centre, so as to preserve its Roman Baths
Roman Baths
The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The house is a well-preserved Roman site for public bathing....
-style facade.
The new leisure centre opened on 29 January 2010 and features a 25-metre, 8-lane swimming pool, children's pool, activity rooms, a gym with 80 pieces of equipment, a large health suite, a cafe and a 63-space car park. The Roman-Baths-style façade was rebuilt next to the White Lion pub, providing a freestanding archway. To many residents of the town, the new leisure centre is a great success, but some dislike the architectural design of the building, and the fact that the large windows of the swimming pool look out onto the road, where passers by and standing traffic can easily see in, is a concern.
Behind the leisure centre is the new Health Centre, relocated in September 2005 from its original smaller site, which is being redeveloped into houses and apartments.
In 2006/2007 the Darwen Town Centre Masterplan was announced. It included traffic improvements, public transport improvements and new street furniture. As the A666 enters the centre, it originally split into a one-way system. However, at peak times traffic was heavy, and pollution was a worry. The Masterplan scrapped the one-way system and the original A666 one-way system towards Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
was closed to all traffic except buses. Pavements were widened, and new street furniture and bus stops added. Cobbled roads were introduced here and the original bus station in front of the Market was made smaller to make a larger area for events and pedestrians. The A666 was redirected along the previous one-way system to Blackburn to make a two-way road. However, at one point a small one-way system occurs as the road was not wide enough for two-way traffic. The A666 now passes both ways in front of the new leisure centre. This was given the go-ahead and implemented in the following years.
Another part of the masterplan was to demolish the three-day market and build a new one 200 metres/yards away so that an open day market and events area could be used. However, no more information has been announced on this.
The most controversial recent project was the new £49m Darwen Academy, built in the Redearth Triangle on the outskirts of the town centre across from Sainsbury's. The plans of the Darwen Aldridge Community Academy were first shown over five years ago, and since then the residents of Redearth Triangle fought a legal battle to stay in their homes. The battle went on for almost a year and ended up in the High Court. However, residents lost the battle and ended up moving to other accommodation. Demolition began late 2007 and building work took place soon after. Darwen Aldridge Community Academy was officially opened in 2011 by Prince William and Kate Middleton only a few months before their wedding. The Academy and sixth form have both made record breaking GCSE and A-Level results in 2011. Labour leader Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
also visited the school in 2011.
Culture and Community
The Darwen News published a Maudley Medley on 9 March 1878 which still resigns in popularity today:-
-
- Tween two hillsides, both bleak and barren,"
-
-
-
- Lies lovely little "Dirty Darren"
-
In Lancashire dialect
Lancashire dialect and accent
Lancashire dialect and accent refers to the vernacular speech in Lancashire, one of the counties of England. Simon Elmes' book Talking for Britain said that Lancashire dialect is now much less common than it once was, but it is not yet extinct...
, the name Darwen is pronounced Darren, and the locals refer to themselves as Darreners. They are generally resistant to any attempts at submerging the identity of the town within Blackburn. A motorway service area
Motorway service area
In the UK motorway service areas, also known as service stations, are places where drivers can leave a motorway to refuel, rest, or take refreshments. The vast majority of motorway services in the UK are owned by one of three companies: Moto, Welcome Break and RoadChef. Extra are also developing a...
at junction 4 of 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:...
lies within the town, and was originally named "Blackburn Services". Following local protests it has been renamed "Blackburn with Darwen Services".
The town is the home of the Darwen Library Theatre
Darwen library theatre
The Darwen Library Theatre is located in Darwen, near Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It is an extension to Darwen Library, hence the name.The theatre has hosted many local performances and some more famous performers, such as Frank Sidebottom, Journey South and others. It is also the home of the...
(an extension to the library), and the TV show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is a genteel British crime–comedy drama television series which aired from 1996 to 1998 on BBC One. The series starred Patricia Routledge as the title character , Derek Benfield as her patient husband Robert, Dominic Monaghan as their lodger Geoffrey Shawcross...
. It also has a large non-indigenous community including many Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
.
Darwen has a few footnotes in entertainment history: its theatre (now demolished) had appearances by Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, and it featured in a film by Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
. George Formby's wife was from Darwen.
The Beatles played in Darwen on Friday 25 January 1963, at the Co-operative Hall. They headlined the "The Greatest Teenage Dance" which was commissioned by the Darwen Baptist Youth Club. Support acts included The Electones, The Mike Taylor Combo and The Mustangs with Ricky Day.
Music
Darwen Live (formerly Darwen Music Live) is a free two-day music festival held each year over the second bank holiday in May. The main stage is built outside the town hall, and other smaller music stages are usually based around the town in pubs and bars. The festival has attracted artists such as The Buzzcocks and China CrisisChina Crisis
China Crisis is an English pop/rock band. They were formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside with a core of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon...
, as well as being a showcase for local bands.
Darwen has a brass band, named 'Darwen Brass'. The band, under MD Steve Hartley, won four consecutive first place prizes in NWCBBA (North West Counties Brass Band Association) contests in the 2009/10 season. The contest successes were in Fleeetwood, St. Helens, Preston and Tameside (competing within the 4th section). Following this success, the band was promoted to the 3rd section for the 2010/11 season and finished third at the Fleetwood contest.
The town's local radio station is 107 The Bee, based in Dalton Court just off the motorway services. 107 The Bee broadcasts to Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen
Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...
, Hyndburn
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....
and the Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Clitheroe. Other places include Whalley, Longridge and Ribchester. The area is so called due to the River Ribble which flows in its final stages...
.
Sports
The town was the home of Darwen Football ClubDarwen F.C.
A.F.C. Darwen is a football club from Darwen in Lancashire, North West England. The team, formed in 1870 as Darwen F.C., currently play in the Division One of the North West Counties League. They play their home games at the Anchor Ground.-History:...
, formed in 1870 and the first English football club to have paid professional players. The team reached the semi-final of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in 1880-81 and played in the Football League between 1891 and 1899. The club was wound up at the end of the 2008-09 season and replaced almost immediately by A.F.C. Darwen. The new club plays in Division One of the North West Counties Football League
North West Counties Football League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in North west of England. As of 2011, the league covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Southern Cumbria, Northern Staffordshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and the far west of West Yorkshire. In the past, the...
and is based at the Anchor Ground. Darwen also has a cricket club, Darwen Cricket Club, currently based at Birch Hall Cricket Ground. The club plays in the Northern Premier Cricket League.
To the north-west of the town lies Darwen Golf Club. The characteristics of the course have changed little since the club was established in 1893. Due to its geographical location within the moors, the course is regarded as a tough test of golfing ability. From its peak viewpoint the course has panoramic views of the surrounding area as far out as Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
and cascades down into the shadow of Darwen Tower.
Until the Sports Centre was demolished, Darwen was home to the North West Open Karate tournament, which hosted many national and world champions. Tower Shukokai Karate Club was resident at the sports centre from 1988 and remains active. Tower's instructors, Andy Allwood, 5th Dan, and Martyn Skipper 4th Dan, both won this tournament in their respective weight categories (Allwood, heavyweight, in the 1990s and Skipper, lightweight, in 2006 after the tournament had relocated to Bury).
Notable people
- Margaret ChapmanMargaret ChapmanMargaret Chapman née Duxbury was a British illustrator and painter. Born in Darwen, Lancashire, she studied at Liverpool College of Art alongside Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon...
(née Duxbury), an illustrator and painter - Dick Burton golf's Open championThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
, 1939 (who went on to hold the Claret JugClaret JugThe Golf Champion Trophy, commonly known as the Claret Jug, is the trophy presented to the winner of The Open Championship, , one of the four major championships in golf....
for seven years after the Championship was suspended because of World War II) - Bryn HaworthBryn HaworthBryn Haworth is a British Christian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pioneer of Jesus music in mainstream rock. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, UK, he has released some twenty-two albums and several singles since the 1970s as well as guesting as guitarist on many other albums by rock and folk...
, British singer-songwriter was brought up in Darwen - Edward HarwoodEdward Harwood (of Darwen)Edward Harwood was an English composer of hymns, anthems and songs. His setting of Alexander Pope's The Dying Christian was enormously popular at one time and was widely performed at funerals....
, composer (1707–1787) - John Harwood, Mayor of AccringtonAccringtonAccrington 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...
1912–1915, raised the Accrington PalsAccrington PalsThe Accrington Pals was a British First World War Pals battalion of Kitchener's Army raised in and around the town of Accrington in Lancashire. When the battalion was taken over by the British Army it was officially named the 11th Battalion, The East Lancashire Regiment.Recruiting was initiated by...
(11 Battalion East Lancashire RegimentEast Lancashire RegimentThe East Lancashire Regiment was, from 1881 to 1958, an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of two 30th and 59th Regiments of Foot with the militia and rifle volunteer units of eastern Lancashire...
) - Charles Potter, who printed wallpaper in Darwen, was a cousin of Edmund PotterEdmund PotterEdmund Potter senior , was a Manchester industrialist and MP and grandfather to Beatrix Potter.He was a unitarian and, from 1861 to 1874, Liberal MP for Carlisle. Potter moved his business to Glossop in 1825, he rebuilt Joseph Lyne's Boggart Mill, and converted it to a printworks. He moved his...
, grandfather of Beatrix PotterBeatrix PotterHelen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian... - Neil Arthur, lead vocalist of 1980s group BlancmangeBlancmange (band)Blancmange are a British synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid 1980s.-Biography:Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe and Laurence Stevens...
- Sam WadsworthSam WadsworthSamuel John Wadsworth was a professional footballer who played as a defender for Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Huddersfield Town, Burnley and Lytham....
, England international footballer 1922–1926, was captain of the England team and a member of the Huddersfield Town team which won a hat-trick of Football League ChampionshipFootball League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
s in 1923–4, 1924–5 and 1925–6. - James WatsonJames Watson (author)James Arnold Watson is an English author. He has written 12 novels for young readers including Talking in Whispers , Ticket to Prague, and The Bull...
, award-winning author