The home of compelling and fascinating articles on the history of Lancashire, from the Ice Age to more recent times.
You can also join the very active Lancashire History Group on Facebook.
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Latest posts
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Blackpool North Station through time, including unpublished photos.
Blackpool North station has a long and fascinating history. The first rail line from Preston to Blackpool opened in 1846. The route was constructed by the Preston and Wyre Railway as an extension from Poulton Le Fylde. The Preston Guardian reported on the opening. However, this line was first built to serve the port of…
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Iconic Lancashire Churches by Lancashire History Group Members, Includes Maps
Here is a collection of Photos of iconic Lancashire Churches by Lancashire History Group members. Please join the group, it’s a great resource for history fans. St Bartholomew’s Church, Great Harwood First is St Bartholomew’s Church in Great Harwood. The tower is from the 15th century, and the main body is from the 16th century.…
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Lancashire After The Ice, the first inhabitants
Many thousands of years ago a thick layer of ice covered Lancashire. The ice extended as far South as the Midlands and reached a depth of up to 3 Kilometers. (Internet Geography) This latest phase of Ice advance was known as the Late Devensian. Notably, the peak of the ice age was around 23,000 years…
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Dick Kerr & Co of Preston, tram & locomotive giants.
The Dick Kerr Company was formed by two entrepreneurs in 1883. They were William Bruce Dick and John Kerr. W.B. Dick and Co. were initially manufacturers of the paint used for ship hulls. John Kerr was a local businessman and conservative MP for Preston from 1903-1906. The company soon moved into rail transport and tramway…
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Roger Hampson, Lost Lancashire industrial Scenes
Roger Hampson (1925-96) was a Lancashire artist who painted gritty industrial scenes that are now lost to history. He was a contemporary of L.S Lowry and was born in Tyldesley, Lancashire. Additionally, he served in the Royal Navy in WWII and later became a teacher. Falcon Mill Bolton, shown below, is ironically now used as…
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Mitchell and Kenyon Blackburn’s pioneering filmmakers.
Blackburn was home to one of the country’s first cinemas and the base for pioneering filmmakers Mitchell and Kenyon. The lost fims of Michell and Kenyon were rediscovered in the basement of what had been Mercer’s toy and model shop, Blackburn, in 1994. They were sealed in metal canisters. Notably, this had helped to preserve…
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Accrington in old Photos- Around the Station.
Here are some vintage photos from around Accrington Station. Join the Lancashire History Facebook Group for more transport content.
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C. Whittaker & Co Ltd, Accrington, Lost Companies
In the Lost Companies series, we look at another Accrington-based business. The company was C Whittaker & Co of Dowry Street. They made brick-making machinery amongst many other things. As a result, they had a close connection with the Accrington Brick and Tile Company of NORI fame. C Whittaker and Stationary engines The company began…
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Churchfield House Great Harwood – Heritage Buildings Guide
All ads are by Vintage Style Home our site sponsor. The history of Churchfield house Churchfiled House in Great Harwood is situated opposite St Bartholomew’s Church. It was built in 1851 for a surgeon named Henry Ainsworth Grimes. Consequently, it was sold to a wine merchant in 1857. Joseph Haydock became a member of the…
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The Preston Docks Railway an industrial age survivor.
The River Ribble has long been used for transport. Notably, prehistoric man used the river, as evidenced by a log boat found in 1892. At the time a new docks basin was being excavated. Moreover, a once extensive railway network existed at the docks. Now The Ribble Steam Railway runs along the route once followed…