Bygone Burnley: Padiham, with historian Roger Frost MBE

The town of Padiham, on the outskirts of Burnley, has a rich history all of its own and we have devoted a full feature-length video examining some of its most important heritage aspects.

No history article on Padiham could be done without including its impressive town hall, built at the turn of the 20th century, and one of the most impressive buildings of its kind anywhere. Designed by a famous Bolton firm of architects, it has been praised by the 20th Century Society.

Building a new town hall was a big opportunity for Padiham Urban District Council to replace old offices, and they created something special for an urban district, something very ornate and full of great facilities.

Roger said: “Padiham’s history starts in around the late 7th Century, slightly older than Burnley. It is what is known as an ‘ing-ham’ town which indicates the Anglo-Saxon origins of the place.

“The town still retains its medieval road system, the main road and Mill Street especially.”

Roger next looks at the Free Gardener’s pub and its links to a charitable organisation which provided assistance to working class families to help pay for funerals and the like, similar to the freemasons.

Opposite the pub is the old police station, built in the 1840s, at a time when the police were under the control of the county authorities – the Hundred of Blackburn.

St Leonard’s Church, the parish church of Padiham, is also examined by Roger who said: “St Leonard’s origins lie in the 15th Century although the church was rebuilt in the 1860s.

“Although the current church is only around 150 years old or thereabouts it is a very fine building. The original building occupied the very central area of 15th and 16th Century Padiham.”

Mill Street is an example of Padiham’s original road layout, as Roger explains. The town’s corn mill, original school and one of the town’s two cinemas were located in the area.