Queen Street Mill Burnley - photo Zoe Dawes
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If you think of a ‘girlie weekend-away’ where do you imagine going? Maybe a luxury spa break in a country house hotel? Or a city break with lots of shopping and eating out? Possibly a quick jaunt off to a foreign capital or sunkissed beach? What I bet you won’t think of is a couple of days in one of England’s least known industrial towns in the north of England. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Burnley, in the heart of Lancashire on the edge of the Pennines. A group of us ladies of a certain age stayed in a Travelodge (or was it a Premier Inn?) on the edge of town and had a great time!

Burnley Town Hall

Burnley Town Hall

Situated about 20 miles north of Manchester, Burnley is a microcosm of what this hard-working, down-to-earth area of northern England is all about. Originally a small farming community, ‘surrounded by manor houses and royal forests, it has held a market for more than 700 years. During the Industrial Revolution it became one of Lancashire’s most prominent mill towns; at its peak it was one of the world’s largest producers of cotton cloth and a major centre of engineering.’ (Wikipedia) Its name probably derives from ‘Brun Lea’, after the River Bru.

Gawthorpe Hall Burnley Lancashire - image Zoe Dawes

Gawthorpe Hall

We met at Gawthorpe Hall built by the Shuttleworth family in the early 1600s and now owned by the National Trust. It houses a unique collection of textiles including historic needlework, lace, embroidery and costume, collected by the Hon. Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. I first visited this house with my Mum many years ago. She loved needlecraft and was fascinated with the superb exhibitions on display here.

Patchwork coverlet c.1878 Gawthorpe Textiles

Patchwork coverlet c.1878 – Gawthorpe Textiles

We spent a fascinating time in Queen Street Mill and Textile Museum, the world’s only surviving 19th century steam-powered weaving mill, situated on the edge of town, surrounded by rows of terraced houses and old-fashioned corner shops.  It was one of many cotton mills constructed near the Leeds Liverpool Canal, vital waterway to transport goods to and from the Lancashire mill towns.

Queen Street Mill and Textile Museum Burnley - image Zoe Dawes

Queen Street Mill and Textile Museum Burnley

It provides a riveting glimpse of a time when industry was at its height in Britain, times were tough and engineering ingenuity was vibrant. It was also incredibly noisy. The weaving shed has over 300 Lancashire looms and you can still hear them clattering and rattling away weaving cloth as they did for almost 100 years.

Queen Street Mill looms - image Zoe Dawes

Queen Street Mill looms

The whole factory is still powered by a huge steam engine called ‘Peace’, a favourite of Fred Dibnah.  The Boiler House, Engine Room and Chimney are Scheduled Ancient Monuments and are sure to delight children, steam lovers and anyone who appreciates beautifully constructed machinery.  The steam engine was being repaired when we visited so do check if it is running when you visit.

Peace Steam Engine Queen St Mill Burnley - image Zoe Dawes

Peace Steam Engine

The museum tells the story of cotton weaving with regular demonstrations to show how it was done. I bought a natty cotton apron made from quality material produced by those noisy, historic, important machines.

Queen Street Mill shop

Queen Street Mill shop

On Sunday morning we walked up to the very quirky Singing Ringing Tree, situated on Crowne Point, overlooking the town and distant Pennines.  Panopticons are unique 21st-century landmarks erected across East Lancashire, from Blackburn to Pendle.  It was a windy day and the metal pipes send out an eerie tune rippling across the landscape, creating an evocative soundtrack to Burnley’s rural backdrop.

We then went on to nearby Townley Hall, set in 440 acres of beautiful parkland with a children’s playground, trails and country walks.  The house is a Grade 1 Listed building, dating back to the 14th century with elegant period rooms, a Victorian kitchen, marble sculptures, textiles and decorative arts and a local history displays. There’s also an excellent art gallery featuring romantic and Pre-Rafaelite paintings.

Towneley Hall and gardens

Towneley Hall and gardens

The Long Gallery has impressive dark-wood panelling (I think it’s Elizabethan) and a massive, intricately decorated four-poster bed in one of the bedrooms. We saw the famous Towneley Bear, the Egyptian mummy and peered into the Priest’s Hole – this was a staunch Catholic family home for hundreds of years. Invaluable 15th century Whalley Abbey Vestments are on show and there is also a rather gruesome relic of one of the family in the chapel. We ended the day in the excellent cafe, where we feasted on soup, toasted sandwiches and big wedges of cake. A really grand Lancashire weekend