Bacup emerged as a settlement following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the Early Middle Ages. For centuries, it was a small and obscure centre of domestic flannel and woollen cloth production, and many of the original weavers' cottages survive today as listed buildings. Following the Industrial Revolution, Bacup became a mill town, growing up around the now covered over bridge crossing the River Irwell and the north–south / east-west crossroad at its centre. During that time its landscape became dominated by distinctive and large rectangular woollen and cotton mills. Bacup received a charter of incorporation in 1882, giving it municipal borough status and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.
In 1974, Bacup became part of the borough of Rossendale.[3] Bacup's historic character, culture and festivities have encouraged the town to be seen as one of the best preserved mill towns in England.[4][5]English Heritage has proclaimed Bacup town centre as a designated protected area for its special architectural qualities.
History
The name Bacup is derived from the Old Englishfūlbæchop. The Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names translates this as "muddy valley by a ridge"; the fūl- element, which meant "foul" or "muddy" was used in the earliest known reference to the area, in a charter by Robert de Lacey, around the year 1200, as used in the Middle English spelling fulebachope.[6] The prefix ful- was dropped from the toponym.[6] The -bæchop element is less clear, possibly meaning "ridge valley",[6] or else "back valley" referring to the locale's position at the back part of the Irwell Valley.[7][8]
The geology and topography of the village lent itself to urbanisation and domestic industries; primitive weavers' cottages, coal pits and stone quarries were propelled by Bacup's natural supply of water power in the Early Modern period. The adoption of the factory system, which developed into the Industrial Revolution, enabled the transformation of Bacup from a small rural village into a mill town, populated by an influx of families attracted by Bacup's cotton mills, civic amenities and regional railway network. Locally sourced coal provided the fuel for industrial-scale quarrying, cotton spinning and shoemaking operations, stimulating the local economy. Bacup received a charter of incorporation in 1882, giving it honorific borough status and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.
Bacup followed the regional and national trend of deindustrialisation during the early and mid-20th century; a process exacerbated by the closure of Bacup railway station in 1966. Bacup also experienced population decline; from 22,000 at the time of the United Kingdom Census 1911, to 15,000 at the United Kingdom Census 1971. Much of Bacup's infrastructure became derelict owing to urban decay, despite regeneration schemes and government funding. Shops became empty and some deteriorated. The houses along the main roads endured as the original terraces from Bacup's industrial age, but behind these, on the hillsides, are several council estates.[3][16][17]
Records in 2005 show Bacup to have some of the lowest crime levels in the county,[18] and the relative small change to Bacup's infrastructure and appearance has given the town a "historic character and distinctive sense of place".[3] In 2007, the murder of Sophie Lancaster attracted media attention to the town and highlighted its urban blight and lack of amenities and regeneration.[16][19][20]
Regeneration
In 2013 it was announced that Rossendale Borough Council was successful in securing £2m funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a 5-year regeneration project, to be delivered by the Bacup Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). The project focuses on the redevelopment and restoration of Bacup's unique built and cultural heritage whilst providing training in traditional building skills and to facilitate activities and events for local people.[21] The injection of funds has significantly contributed to growing property prices in the area[22] with the investments in the area being cited as one of the major reasons why the area is becoming increasingly attractive to people commuting to larger conurbations such as Greater Manchester.[23]
Due to the success of the Bacup THI and following public research and consultation, in 2019 the Rossendale Borough Council announced the development of the Bacup 2040 Vision and Masterplan.[24] Bacup 2040 sets out a new vision for Bacup,[25] aiming to capitalise on the gains made through the THI scheme whilst redeveloping aspects of the town to make it fit for a high-street model less reliant on retail and more suited to the needs of visitors and local residents alike. In order to realise the scheme, the council considered multiple bid options and the Bacup 2040 Vision was used as the basis of its bid for a share of the £1b Future High Street Fund.[26] The Bacup 2040 Board was established in 2019[27] and is made up of representatives from across Bacup, including local residents, business owners, community organisations, charities, councillors, council officers. The board is chaired by a local business owner[28] and has 6 sub-group committees, chaired by representatives of different community organisations,[29] reviewing the various aspects of the vision and plan.[30] The role of the board is to "inform, challenge and validate the scope and proposals for the redevelopment of Bacup."[31]
The Bacup 2040 plan for the £11.5m redevelopment of Bacup's core, including the Market Square, was reported on in February 2020 and later announced by the local council in June 2020.[32][33]
The first stages of the commencement of the Bacup 2040 work was announced in June 2020, with the £1m redevelopment of the long-time derelict Regal Building.[34]
Governance
The coat of arms of the former Bacup Municipal Borough Council
At 53°42′14″N2°11′56″W / 53.70389°N 2.19889°W / 53.70389; -2.19889 (53.704°, −2.199°), 15.4 miles (24.8 km) north-northeast of Manchester city centre and 175 miles (282 km) north-northwest of central London, Bacup stands on the western slopes of the South Pennines, amongst the upper-Irwell Valley. The River Irwell, a 39-mile (63 km) long tributary of the River Mersey, runs southwesterly through Bacup towards Rawtenstall from its source by the town's upland outskirts at Weir.[39] The Irwell is mostly culverted in central Bacup but it is open in the suburbs. In 2003 there was a proposal to use plate glass for a section of the culvert in the centre of the town however the culvert was eventually replaced with concrete.[39] Bacup is roughly 1,000 feet (305 m) above sea level;[40] the Deerplay area of Weir is 1,350 feet (411 m) above sea level;[39] Bacup town centre is 835 feet (255 m) above sea level.[12]
Bacup experiences a temperatemaritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers, yet harsh winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year.
Landmarks
The town's parish church is dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist. Aside from just this church, Bacup has many other churches.[12][43][44] The majority of Bacup's culturally significant architecture is in the Victorian period, but there are older buildings of note are Fearns Hall (1696), Forest House (1815) and the 18th century Stubbylee Hall.[14] The Bacup Natural History Society Museum was formed in 1878.[45]
Bacup is home to the 17 ft (5.2 m) long Elgin Street which held the record as the shortest street in the world until November 2006, when it was surpassed by Ebenezer Place, in the Scottish Highlands.[46]
Many of the town's historic buildings are set to be renewed in a £2m regeneration scheme.[47]
Bacup railway station was opened in 1852[48] by the East Lancashire Railway as the terminus of the Rossendale line.
The Rochdale and Facit Railway was extended to Bacup in 1883. It rose over a summit of 967 feet (295 m) between Britannia and Shawforth. The Rochdale line closed to passenger services in 1947,[49] and the station finally closed in December 1966,[48] with the cessation of all passenger services to and from Manchester Victoria via Rawtenstall and Bury.
In June 2014 the police announced they would be monitoring the road between Weir and Bacup (which passes through Broadclough) as it has become an accident blackspot with a high number of accidents which have resulted in serious injury and even deaths.[50]
A671 Bypass proposals
There have been a large number of road traffic incidents on the A671 as it passes through the small hamlets of Broadclough and Weir near Bacup including fatalities. Currently police are monitoring the road[50] and there have been calls from local residents, led by County Councillor Jimmy Easton,[51] for the creation of a bypass with the suggestion of utilising elements of Bacup Old Road.
The key date in Bacup's cultural calendar is Easter Saturday, when the Britannia Coconut Dancersbeat the bounds of the town via a dance procession. Britannia Coconut Dancers are an English country dance troupe from Bacup whose routines are steeped in local folk tradition. They wear distinctive costumes and have a custom of blackening their faces. The origin of the troupe is claimed to have its roots in Moorish, pagan, medieval, mining and Cornish customs.[52] The Easter Saturday procession begins annually at the Traveller's Rest Public House on the A671 road. The dancers are accompanied by members of StacksteadsSilver Band and proceed to dance their way through the streets.[52]
Bacup Museum is local history hub and exhibition centre in Bacup. The Bacup Natural History Society was formed in 1878.[53] The work of the society is carried out by a group of volunteers who have a base in the Bacup Museum which contains many domestic, military, industrial, natural history, and religious collections.[54]
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill and local relay TV transmitters[56][57]
Beatrice Webb (1858–1943), English sociologist, economist, socialist, labour historian and social reformer.[61] She lived amongst textile factory workers in Bacup in the 1880s.[62]
^Tonge, Jenny (16 December 2005), "Bacup 'left to rot'", Rossendale Free Press, M.E.N. Media, archived from the original on 24 September 2012, retrieved 11 November 2009
^Rossendale Borough Council, Towns and Villages, Government of the United Kingdom, archived from the original on 5 September 2009, retrieved 27 October 2009
