Oswaldtwistle
Encyclopedia
Oswaldtwistle is a town within the Hyndburn
borough of Lancashire
, England. It lies on the course of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
, 3 miles (4.8 km) east-southeast of Blackburn and is contiguous to Accrington
.
, King of Northumbria
passed through, giving the area its full title of Oswald's Twistle, which in time came to be Oswaldtwistle. However, it is more likely derived from the name of the Anglo-Saxon
who farmed the land.
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet
, who, as a factory-owner, effected wide developments in the cotton industry, was born at Peelfold, within the township, in 1750. Another historical figure associated with the textile industry was James Hargreaves
, inventor of the Spinning Jenny
.
, Betfred
, Oswaldtwistle Clinic, Age Concern
, Travis Perkins
building merchants as well as a Co-Op
supermarket, which was a Gateway
, Solo and a Somerfield
before becoming a Co-Op. Also there is a Tesco Express and a SPAR. Other stores include an appliance repairs/sales, numerous takeaways, numerous barbers (M & F), estate angents, off licences, bakers, butchers, funeral directors and many more shops.
of the textile industry (with the introduction of looms powered by steam engines from the 1820s onwards) resulted in redundancies
, low wages, and starvation. On 26 April a large number of angry cotton workers attacked the White Ash factory in Oswaldtwistle, about a mile from Hargreaves' workshop, destroying looms and other equipment. The riots went on for three days, extending to all cotton towns in central Lancashire.
to the south of Oswaldtwistle, with Haslingden Grane bordering the moor's southern edges, Belthorn to the west and Haslingden
to the east. The area forms part of the West Pennine Moors
. Plans were made in 2007 to build a wind farm
consisting of twelve wind turbines on the moors. This attracted both support and opposition, but the plan was approved by councillors in 2010. Further developments have yet to take place, and the plan remains controversial.
made by Stockley's Sweets.
, Rick Wakeman
, Steve Harley
, The Houghton Weavers, Marty Wilde
& Derek Acorah
.
The ground floor has recently been refurbished and in August 2010 opened as the Civic Arts Centre. The first production performed at the Arts Centre was Romeo and Juliet. There are workshops and drama sessions most evenings, plus photography projects and new plays being written and performed. Civic Arts Centre
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....
borough of 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. It lies on the course of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
, 3 miles (4.8 km) east-southeast of Blackburn and is contiguous to Accrington
Accrington
Accrington 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...
.
History
The name is derived from "Oswald" and "Twistle". The word "twistle" is an old English word meaning "brooks meet". Legend has it that St.OswaldOswald of Northumbria
Oswald was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is now venerated as a Christian saint.Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile; after defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of...
, King of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
passed through, giving the area its full title of Oswald's Twistle, which in time came to be Oswaldtwistle. However, it is more likely derived from the name of the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
who farmed the land.
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet , was a British politician and industrialist and one of early textile manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution...
, who, as a factory-owner, effected wide developments in the cotton industry, was born at Peelfold, within the township, in 1750. Another historical figure associated with the textile industry was James Hargreaves
James Hargreaves
James Hargreaves was a weaver, carpenter and an inventor in Lancashire, England. He is credited with inventing the spinning Jenny in 1764....
, inventor of the Spinning Jenny
Spinning jenny
The spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning frame. It was invented c. 1764 by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire in England. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn, with a worker able to work eight or more spools at once. This grew to 120 as technology...
.
Economy
The centre of Oswaldtwistle is home to a: Lloyds TSBLloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
, Betfred
Betfred
Betfred is a United Kingdom-based bookmaker, named after its co-founder Fred Done.Pronounced to rhyme with "bone". It was first established as a single shop in Ordsall, Salford, in 1967. Its turnover is over £3.5 billion having risen from £550 million in 2003. The company has more than 1350 betting...
, Oswaldtwistle Clinic, Age Concern
Age Concern
Age Concern was the banner title used by a number of charitable organisations specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people based chiefly in the four countries of the United Kingdom....
, Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins plc is a British builders merchant based in Northampton. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
building merchants as well as a Co-Op
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
supermarket, which was a Gateway
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
, Solo and a Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
before becoming a Co-Op. Also there is a Tesco Express and a SPAR. Other stores include an appliance repairs/sales, numerous takeaways, numerous barbers (M & F), estate angents, off licences, bakers, butchers, funeral directors and many more shops.
Power-loom riots
The people of Oswaldtwistle were involved in the power-loom riots of 1826. The mechanisationMechanization
Mechanization or mechanisation is providing human operators with machinery that assists them with the muscular requirements of work or displaces muscular work. In some fields, mechanization includes the use of hand tools...
of the textile industry (with the introduction of looms powered by steam engines from the 1820s onwards) resulted in redundancies
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
, low wages, and starvation. On 26 April a large number of angry cotton workers attacked the White Ash factory in Oswaldtwistle, about a mile from Hargreaves' workshop, destroying looms and other equipment. The riots went on for three days, extending to all cotton towns in central Lancashire.
Oswaldtwistle Moor
Oswaldtwistle Moor (adjacent to Haslingden Moor) is an extensive area of moorlandMoorland
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...
to the south of Oswaldtwistle, with Haslingden Grane bordering the moor's southern edges, Belthorn to the west and Haslingden
Haslingden
Haslingden is a small town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels', though the town is in fact set on a high and windy hill. In the early 20th century Haslingden had the status of a municipal borough, but following local government...
to the east. The area forms part of the West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
. Plans were made in 2007 to build a wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
consisting of twelve wind turbines on the moors. This attracted both support and opposition, but the plan was approved by councillors in 2010. Further developments have yet to take place, and the plan remains controversial.
Oswaldtwistle Mills
Oswaldtwistle Mills is a notable attraction; a textile mill converted into a craft fair and with an exhibition about life in the mill a hundred years ago. It is also home of the world's largest pear dropPear drop
A pear drop is a British boiled sweet made from sugar and flavourings. The classic pear drop is a combination of half pink and half yellow in a pear-shaped drop about the size of a thumbnail, although they are more commonly found in packets containing separate yellow drops and pink drops in roughly...
made by Stockley's Sweets.
Civic Theatre
Also of note is the 474 capacity, recently refurbished, Civic Theatre, known as the "Friendly Theatre" and the brand new Civic Arts Centre. Past performers at the Civic Theatre include: Ken DoddKen Dodd
Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE is a British comedian and singer songwriter, famous for his frizzy hair or “fluff dom” and buck teeth or “denchers”, his favourite cleaner, the feather duster and his greeting "How tickled I am!", as well as his send-off “Lots and Lots of Happiness!”...
, Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, Steve Harley
Steve Harley
Steve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still occasionally tours .-Biography:As a child, Harley suffered from polio, spending four years in hospital up to the...
, The Houghton Weavers, Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, and is the father of pop singers Ricky Wilde, Kim Wilde and Roxanne Wilde.-Career:Wilde was performing under the name Reg Patterson at London's Condor Club in...
& Derek Acorah
Derek Acorah
Derek Acorah is a British medium. He is best known for his work on Most Haunted, broadcast on Living, between 2002 and 2005. He recently presented the series Derek Acorah on Sky Real Lives...
.
The ground floor has recently been refurbished and in August 2010 opened as the Civic Arts Centre. The first production performed at the Arts Centre was Romeo and Juliet. There are workshops and drama sessions most evenings, plus photography projects and new plays being written and performed. Civic Arts Centre
Rhyddings Park
Rhyddings Park is the only formal park within Oswaldtwistle. It was originally the grounds of a private house belonging to a local mill owning family. It has been a public park since 1909. More information about Rhyddings Park can be found on the website of its active community group, Map location of Rhyddings ParkNotable people
- Jackie BrayJackie BrayJohn Bray was an English football player who played in the left half position. He won 6 caps for England between 1934 and 1937.-Playing career:...
, England international footballerEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, born in Oswaldtwistle - Joel ByromJoel ByromJoel Alan Byrom is an English professional footballer who plays for League One side Stevenage as a midfielder, having joined the club in May 2009....
, footballer, Stevenage midfielder - Raymond "Ossie" ClarkOssie ClarkRaymond "Ossie" Clark was an English fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era...
, fashion designer, nicknamed "Ossie" after the town - James HargreavesJames HargreavesJames Hargreaves was a weaver, carpenter and an inventor in Lancashire, England. He is credited with inventing the spinning Jenny in 1764....
, creator of the spinning jennySpinning jennyThe spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning frame. It was invented c. 1764 by James Hargreaves in Stanhill, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire in England. The device reduced the amount of work needed to produce yarn, with a worker able to work eight or more spools at once. This grew to 120 as technology... - Gordon BirtwistleGordon BirtwistleGordon Birtwistle is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Burnley, England, from May 2010. He currently serves as PPS to Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury...
, Lib Dem MP for Burnley since May 2010 - Eddie PaynterEddie PaynterEdward "Eddie" Paynter was an English cricketer: an attacking batsman and excellent fielder. His Test batting average of 59.23 is the fifth highest of all time, and second only to Herbert Sutcliffe amongst Englishmen; against Australia alone Paynter averaged an extraordinary 84.42.Born in...
, England international test cricketer, born in Oswaldtwistle - Christopher Rigby, Published quiz book author with Miles Kelly PublishingMiles Kelly PublishingMiles Kelly Publishing is an independent children's publishing company founded by Jim Miles and Gerard Kelly in 1996. It is based in the village of Bardfield End Green near Thaxted in Essex, UK, after moving from its base of 13 years in Great Bardfield in 2010. its books are available throughout...
, born in Blackburn, lives in Oswaldtwistle