As another tribute to Lancashire Day I am putting on our trip to Darwen early. We got a lift over there and had a very pleasant day exploring the town and the surrounding area.
Darwen:
Status: Blackburn With Darwen Unitary District, Lancashire, Town, England
Date: 29/06/2013
Travel: Car
Eating & Sleeping: Greggs
Attractions: Jubilee Tower, Spitfire, India Mill Chimney, Bold Venture Park, Market Hall/Town Hall, Darwen Library, St Cuthbert’s Church etc
Standing atop a hill just outside the town is the famous Darwen Jubilee Tower, which is also visible from the M65 as you pass the town. It was built in 1898 in honour of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, and opened to the public the same year. It is 85 feet tall, and from the top gives commanding views back down over Darwen, over the Blackburn, as well as the rest of Lancashire and even to the Isle of Man on a clear day, as well as various other surrounding counties.
Its about a half an hour walk up the hill from the end of the road sections, but the view is well worth it. We went straight up to the tower in case the weather went off, but as you walk up the hill you pass through a lovely park, Bold Venture Park, that contains statues, a small lake and different birds. It is a long park so you can walk through it going up the hill or coming back down.
The park was constructed back in 1889, on land bought by the Reverend William Alfred Duckworth. Landscape gardeners W. Stubbs and Thomas Hogy were responsible for the parks layout, and it includes a number of interesting features.
Throughout the park are a number of artworks, including the metal peacock you can see sitting on a tree branch high above one of the paths. Other artworks we saw included a metal bird cage, a metal phoenix outline and a large chair and table. The sculptures are by Marjan Wouda and Thompson Dagnall who are part of “The Friends of Bold Venture Park” with funding from the National Lottery. Together they help to improve the park and it looks fantastic.
The park is partially on a hill, and a stream runs all the way down it, over a number of mini waterfalls, to the lake at the bottom. The range of flowers and shrubs as you make your way through the park is very impressive and a range of colours shine around you.
Moving towards the bottom of the park we found a memorial to the coronation of King Edward VII (1841 – 1910) from 1902, as well as some beautiful flower arrangements and a small fountain. Further past this is the lake, full of a variety of ducks, one of which Gemma named as Darwen Duck, another of her many duck friends she has made throughout our adventures.
At the far end of the lake is the War Memorial from 1921, to commemorate World War I, and later World War II. Four stone lions guard it, on pedestals at each corner of the platform it stands on.
The park is incredible and very well maintained and we thoroughly enjoyed stopping for a break here, before moving on into the heart of the town centre.
Moving into the town centre, you will come across the main square which contains the Town Hall, which also houses the Market Hall. Darwen Town Hall was constructed in 1882, with the Clock Tower being added in 1899. On the right in the circular building is the 3-Day Market, which houses a number of stalls.
The main bus station in the town was also located here, and there were many buses coming and going all the time, giving the town good links, especially to nearby Blackburn. The weather had brightened up since our visit up the hill to the Tower so the whole square was bathed in sunlight. Not far away from the centre is the library which is an old building with a domed roof. The library has been located here since 1895, and was financed by Andrew Carnegie (1836 – 1919, from Dunfermline). Find out more about him in my Dunfermline post here.
Also in the square is the imposing tower of St Peter’s Church, constructed between 1827 and 1829 by Thomas Rickman (1776 – 1841) and Henry Hutchinson (1800 – 1831). The church was first dedicated to Holy Trinity but this changed in 1972 to St Peter, as the parish merged with another local one. It is located on the aptly named Church Street and looks out over the Town Hall Square. It’s a great looking building and fits in with many of the other stone buildings in Darwen.
This is another good example of the types of building in and around the town centre. This one is called the Millstone Hotel, and it has had a number of famous customers including the Beatles in 1962. The building is at least 100 years old as a former owner named Fergus Suter (1858 – 1916 from Glasgow) died in 1916.
Moving onto Bolton Road (A666), we found the Boer War Memorial, erected in 1903. It commemorates the wars of the same name. There were two Boer Wars, between 1880 – 1881, and 1899 – 1902. It involved the British Empire fighting settlers of two Boer republics, the Orange Free State and Transvaal Republic. Names of soldiers from Darwen who fought in the wars are transcribed around it’s base.
The First Boer War started when the British annexed Transvaal (also known as South Africa), and South Africa fought to retain its independence, and ultimately won.
The Second Boer War began when again the British invaded Transvaal, as well as the Orange Free State, but this time the British Won and the two republics became part of the Union of South Africa. This then became a dominion of the British Empire, before taking independence in 1910 and declaring itself a republic in 1961.
The next interesting find was again further down the road, called the former Belgrave Independent Methodist Church, founded in 1806. The original chapel was called Townsend Chapel, built by Reverend Henry Townsend. A new meeting house was required when the congregation grew and this opened in 1847, the building you can see in the picture. This closed in the 1970’s before being converted into apartments in the 1990’s.
The front of the building is quite striking with the rather odd extra tower section that doesn’t seem to fulfil a purpose, however aesthetically it is very interesting. In the near distance the most striking landmark in Darwen loomed, and we had to go and investigate…
This is the India Mill Chimney. Like nearby Burnley and other towns in Lancashire, Darwen was once a major industrial town and had many chimneys like this spread throughout the town. The only one left standing today is the India Mill Chimney, which at the time was the largest and most expensive in the whole country, dating back to 1867. It stands an incredible 85 metres high. Although other chimneys dwarfed this one around Lancashire including the twin chimneys in Preston but they have all been demolished leaving this architectural wonder in Darwen. There are still some factories around the chimney and production still goes on for aircraft parts.
Outside the old factory are some old pieces of machinery including a large steam driven piston and wheel, and some other interesting pieces, all of course out of action but on show for the public to enjoy.
Moving back into the town, we found a sculpture of a Spitfire. There were (and still are) many companies in the area that make parts for different machines including aircraft, and back in the day Spitfire canopies were being made here.
The statue was gifted to the town in 2012 as a War Memorial to everyone who contributed to World War II. Darwen was the smallest town in England to help to finance a Spitfire during the war, and the sculpture is in recognition of this. It’s amazing how even the smallest places can make a big difference to the war, and indeed the Spitfire helped to turn the tide of battle in the UK’s favour.
Across from the Spitfire is an ornate arch, built in 1932 when the old Darwen Baths were opened. They had swimming facilities during summer, as well as a popular assembly and dance hall. By the 1960’s the dance hall was falling out of favour so it became a swimming pool all year round. In 1993 it celebrated 60 years since its opening and the baths have been refurbished recently to create a grand leisure centre, shown on the right of the arch, with the large letters confirming this up and behind the arch. This is another great find in the town, and it has surprised us at every turn.
Darwen is a beautiful little town, and with the views from the Jubilee Tower it is a great day out. There is a train station connecting it with Blackburn, Clitheroe and Manchester, as well as the M65 (For Preston and Colne), leading back to Preston where links to M55 (Blackpool), M6 (Scotland and London) and the M61 (For Manchester) can be reached.
It is an idyllic Lancashire Town, and in a great location amongst the Lancashire hills not too far from the Yorkshire border, with plenty to see and explore, and one of the most beautiful parks in a small town we have seen. Darwen was also one of the first places in the world to have steam trams.
The British Isles were the limit, but now the world! 