Beautiful Villages
Many beautiful villages lie within the Borough of Burnley, each with its own special character and attractions. Briercliffe, Cliviger and Holme Chapel, Hapton, Hurstwood and Worsthorne, all have a part to play in the character of the Borough yet each is different from the other.
Briercliffe
The picturesque hamlet of Briercliffe is situated approximately 3 miles north of Burnley with views over Thursden Valley. This stone built community was once a centre for the cotton industry and contains many interesting and historic buildings dating from the period including Queen Street Mill Textile Museum.
Hapton
Surviving on the moors above this small village near to Padiham are the remains of the old hunting lodge of the Towneley family, in what was once one of the largest deer parks in Lancashire after having been enclosed by Sir John Towneley around 1610. There was also once a castle here, and although nothing now remains but the site, this is a spectacular one on the edge of a wooded gorge and is well worth the walk. Hapton also saw pioneering work on electrical power, and it is believed to have been the first place with electric street lighting.
Cliviger & Holme Chapel
Phot©graphy Nick.Harrison@urbanvision.org.uk
This unspoilt village is situated in the beautiful Cliviger Gorge three miles south east of Burnley on the A646. The church is of particular interest; built by Thomas Dunham Whitaker in 1794 it is the burial place of several notable Burnley people. Whitaker was also a great naturalist and planted over 40,000 trees in the area; his work was the inspiration for the Forest of Burnley. The woods at Holme Chapel are an excellent area for walking and also provide access to the Mary Towneley Loop and the rest of the Pennine Bridle Way.
Hurstwood
Lying snugly in a hollow by the River Brun amongst woods, moorland and pasture. Hurstwood is a delightful village of great charm and character. It contains a number of very old attractive buildings, including Hurstwood Hall built by Barnard Towneley in 1579, Spenser’s Cottage, reputed to have been the home from 1576 - 1579 of Edmund Spenser the Elizabethan poet, and Tattersall’s House, possibly the oldest building of all.
Worsthorne
Lying approximately three miles east of the town centre, this historic village with its close association with the Thursby family, great benefactors of the Burnley area, has a number of interesting listed buildings including the Church of St. John the Evangelist with its fascinating wrought iron work.In the movie The Lord of the Rings the part of Gandalf the Grey - the legendary wizard is played by Burnley born Sir Ian McKellan.