Rossendale
Explore hidden histories, historic photos, and things you never knew about Rossendale from the collections and archives of Historic England.
Discover your local listed buildings and places
Introducing some of Rossendale's most historic sites, included in the National Heritage List for England. Some of these captions have been summarised by AI. Click through for the official List entry.
Grane Mill, Haslingden including boundary walls and north…
Haslingden
Cotton weaving mill of 1906 by engineers SS Stott and Co, extended in 1913, with mid-C20 alterations and partial demolition in the early C21. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Britannia Mill
Bacup
A well-preserved and rare example of a mid-C19 Lancashire integrated cotton spinning and weaving mill complex. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Bacup War Memorial
Bacup
First World War memorial, 1928, with an additional inscription commemorating the Fallen of the Second World War. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Crawshawbooth War Memorial
Rawtenstall
War memorial of 1920, relocated in 2010, with additional names of the Second World War, by HA Paley of Austin and Paley, for the Brooks family. Read the official list entry to find out more.
War memorial in the churchyard of St John the Evangelist,…
Bacup
First World War Memorial, 1924, by William Heyworth, with later Second World War additions. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Helmshore War Memorial clock tower
Haslingden
A First World War memorial clock tower unveiled in 1922, with alterations after the Second World War. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Longholme Methodist Church War Memorial
Rawtenstall
First World War memorial, 1921, with Second World War addition. Read the official list entry to find out more.
Rawtenstall Cenotaph
Rawtenstall
First World War Memorial of 1929 by L F Roslyn, in shap granite with bronze.
Rossendale through time
This timeline shows the first period of use for buildings and places on the National Heritage List for England, just one of the details recorded for every list entry. Click around to see how Rossendale changes over time.
Medieval AD 1066 to AD 1540
This period, sometimes known as the Middle Ages, began with the Norman invasion in AD 1066. It saw a significant rise in military and defensive buildings such as castles and earthworks, as well as religious houses dominating a largely agricultural landscape.
The monarchy and Church dominated the period, which also saw the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the English reformation.
Post medieval AD 1540 to AD 1901
The Post-Medieval period brought seismic changes to life in England, with religious reformation leading to the democratization of worship and the destruction of hundreds of religious houses.
In parallel, there was a huge expansion of scientific study and enlightenment that permanently altered the nation's social structure and landscape. Industrialization and mass production lead to wider global trade, emigration, and immigration.
20th century AD 1901 to AD 2000
The 20th century saw an incredible expansion of England's transport networks, with suburban growth shadowing rapid infrastructural expansion. The establishment of state schools, hospitals, and modern technical colleges, with new architectural styles, radically changed the appearance of towns and cities.
Two catastrophic world wars and the 1918 pandemic also brought unprecedented change, altering England's built environment and social structures forever.
Medieval AD 1066 to AD 1540
This period, sometimes known as the Middle Ages, began with the Norman invasion in AD 1066. It saw a significant rise in military and defensive buildings such as castles and earthworks, as well as religious houses dominating a largely agricultural landscape.
The monarchy and Church dominated the period, which also saw the break with the Roman Catholic Church and the English reformation.
Post medieval AD 1540 to AD 1901
The Post-Medieval period brought seismic changes to life in England, with religious reformation leading to the democratization of worship and the destruction of hundreds of religious houses.
In parallel, there was a huge expansion of scientific study and enlightenment that permanently altered the nation's social structure and landscape. Industrialization and mass production lead to wider global trade, emigration, and immigration.
20th century AD 1901 to AD 2000
The 20th century saw an incredible expansion of England's transport networks, with suburban growth shadowing rapid infrastructural expansion. The establishment of state schools, hospitals, and modern technical colleges, with new architectural styles, radically changed the appearance of towns and cities.
Two catastrophic world wars and the 1918 pandemic also brought unprecedented change, altering England's built environment and social structures forever.
Aerial photos of Rossendale
Aerial photography helps reveal secrets of England's changing landscapes that are impossible to see from the ground.
Haslingden
Grane Mill, Haslingden, 1948
Haslingden
Grane Mill and Bury Road, Haslingden, 1948
New Hall Hey
New Hall Hey Mills, New Hall Hey, 1951
New Hall Hey
New Hall Hey Mills, New Hall Hey, 1951
Broad Clough
Broadclough Mill, Broad Clough, 1950
Bacup
Broad Clough Cotton Mill, Bacup, 1951
Whitewell Bottom
Osborne Mill, Whitewell Bottom, 1951
Whitewell Bottom
Osborne Mill, Whitewell Bottom, 1951
Rawtenstall
The Albion and the Hall Carr Cotton Mills and Worswick Memorial Cricket Ground, Rawtenstall, 1953
Rawtenstall
The Albion and the Hall Carr Cotton Mills alongside Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, 1953
Rossendale in the Historic England Archive
The Historic England Archive cares for over 15 million images, dating from the 1850s to the present day. Discover stunning images of Rossendale's past.
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A group of children walking past the side elevations of back-to-back houses at 465-467 Market Street
Nigel Temple Collection of Postcards of Parks and Gardens
Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1902 - 1907
GENERAL VIEW SHOWING WOMAN ON THE RUSTIC BRIDGE
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
The side elevations of back-to-back houses at 465-467 Market Street (A671)
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A view looking south along Market Street (A671) near the junction of Lloyd Street with number 416 Market Street in the left foreground and the chimney...
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
The ruins of an old stone cottage located on the hillside beside the quarries at Shawforth, to the west of Old Lane.
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
The ruins of an old stone cottage located on the hillside beside the quarries at Shawforth, to the west of Old Lane
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A man standing beside the ruins of an old stone cottage located on the hillside beside the quarries at Shawforth, to the west of Old Lane
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A view looking north west from land off Market Street, Shawforth showing a cluster of houses located on Old Lane and Cowm Street, with the house known...
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A view looking south towards houses on Market Street from a vantage point above Shawforth, probably off Old Lane, showing the working of Moss Quarry...
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A view looking south towards houses on Market Street from a vantage point above Shawforth, probably off Old Lane, showing the working of Moss Quarry...
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A view looking down towards Shawforth from the disused Rochdale and Facit Railway line showing Bishops Court and Freeholds Road
Eileen ‘Dusty’ Deste Collection
Shawforth, Rossendale, Lancashire
Date created: 1966 - 1974
A view from Market Street showing the footbridge crossing the Rochdale and Facit Railway line on the northern outskirts of Shawforth with the former...
Stories about heritage in your local area
Historic England publishes news, blogs, research, videos, and podcasts celebrating England's rich heritage. Discover the stories we have about Rossendale.
Investigating the Built Environment in Lancashire’s Historic Textile Areas
Mentions Rossendale
Exploring the local infrastructure that underpinned the industrial revolution.
Funding Secured for Historic High Streets Recovery
Mentions Rossendale
High Streets across England given the green light for Historic England regeneration schemes to aid their economic recovery.
Rossendale's social history through photos
Over 10,000 images from the Historic England Archive have been specially selected and re-captioned for teachers, students, and anyone who wants to learn more about their local area.
The Old Woollen Mill, Holcombe Road, Helmshore, Lancashire
Period: Georgian (1714 - 1836)
This mill was built by the Turner family in 1789. It was built as a woollen fulling mill.
The Old Woollen Mill, Holcombe Road, Helmshore, Lancashire
