By the mid-19th century, the Lancashire town of Burnley had developed into a thriving centre of industry, dominated by the booming cotton trade, its skyline pierced by the chimneys of mills that churned out cloth for the world. Around 1854, Pentridge Mill rose on land bordered by Todmorden Road, Holmes Street, and Oxford Road, builtContinue reading “Cotton Chronicles; Pentridge Mill”
Tag Archives: #Northwestnatureandhistory
Tarleton Then and Now
A Condensed History of the Lancashire Village of Tarleton, Spanning from its Viking Origins to the Modern Day At the heart of West Lancashire’s fertile mosslands, roughly 19 miles northeast of Liverpool and 9 miles southwest of Preston, sits Tarleton, a quiet and pretty village that owes its existence to the fertility of the surroundingContinue reading “Tarleton Then and Now”
Northwest Walks: Grit Fell, the Three Sisters and the Three Chairs
In the far Northwest of the Bowland fells the geology and scenery dramatically changes to the extent that it feels like an entirely different part of the country. The peaty earth is thinner, the gritstone below exposed to the northern gales, the backdrop is of that of the wide, sweeping, Morecambe bay and Fylde plainsContinue reading “Northwest Walks: Grit Fell, the Three Sisters and the Three Chairs”
Privet in its Prime
Privet in its Prime Perfect for Pollinators Pretty and Perfumed A B-H (June 2025)
HARP in Bowland; The Refurbishment of the Haweswater Aqueduct and its impacts on the communities of the Hodder Valley
The Haweswater Aqueduct delivers water from Haweswater Reservoir in the Lake District to over two million people throughout Cumbria, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester. It’s a 110km/82 mile-long pipeline, carrying up to 100 million gallons per day under gravity induced flow, built in the 1930s to 1950s and is currently undergoing extensive upgrades. This refurbishment isContinue reading “HARP in Bowland; The Refurbishment of the Haweswater Aqueduct and its impacts on the communities of the Hodder Valley”
Round-leaved Sundew
The Round-leaved Sundew, Drosera rotundifolia, (Drosera meaning ‘dewy’ in latin) is a small carnivorous plant found in bogs, it is locally common but hard to find, in England its strongholds are our upland moors, in particular those found in the Northwest. Insectivorous A small and peculiar looking plant, with reddish coloured ‘leaves’ covered in stickyContinue reading “Round-leaved Sundew”
The Banded Demoiselle
Between the patches of dappled sunlight and shadows that the overhanging Alder leaves cast on the slow-moving river a flash of iridescent blue catches the eye. This is the Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens), a damselfly of such striking beauty that it seems more like a fragment of stained glass than a creature of flesh andContinue reading “The Banded Demoiselle”
The Greater Butterfly Orchid
The Greater Butterfly Orchid, Platanthera chlorantha is a herbaceous perennial that typically grows to a height of 20 to 60 cm. It is easily recognised by its pair of broad, shiny, elliptical leaves at the base, with smaller, lanceolate leaves higher up the stem. The plant’s flower spike, which blooms from May to July, bearsContinue reading “The Greater Butterfly Orchid”
Northwest Nature and History 