Step Row, adjacent to yesterday's post was built around the same time 1697. The cottages would have been for the agricultural workers. Broadclough which means 'wide valley' was built by the Whittaker family, one of the most important families in the Forest of Rossendale, who were 'Greaves of the Forest' from 1515.
The road in front of the houses was the main packhorse trail between the towns of Bacup and Burnley, two important towns in the area. Saxon and Roman artifacts have been found in this area showing that the area had been occupied from early times. The River Irwell, which was important in the Industrial Revolution and which eventually feeds the Manchester Ship Canal, springs from the hills just higher up the valley.
Seeing your photos everyday is quite the history lesson. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks eury, I rather like history, never did when I was at school, funny how you change with age.
DeleteOh, geez.. now you are going to tell me that I'm going to start liking geography too? LOL!
DeleteInteresting how the stones in the walls are all different - small at one end and large somewhere else. It must have been hard work to build them.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, this is called Random stone walls. Instead of using dressed stone which would cost more they use anything to hand. If you notice the larger stones are going from where the fireplace is in the downstairs room and up to the chimney. Today they would use firebricks but then they didn't have such things so they use large stones to reduce the risk of a chimney fire.
DeleteThat's very interesting about the sizes of the stones. I just like the look of them all different, I guess there would have been a reason for it!
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