Haslingden and Helmshore Through Time

Haslingden’s motto, ‘Nothing without labour’, is clearly demonstrated in this selection of old and new photographs of the high Pennine town and Helmshore, its picturesque village neighbour in the valley below. Both places were among the sturdy offspring of the Industrial Revolution, which transformed a thinly-populated corner of Lancashire into a thriving manufacturing district, famous for its woollen and cotton goods. This book records the coming and going of the mills, which once dominated the skyline; the switch from railway to motorway; and the changes of the last half century, which have made both Haslingden and Helmshore popular residential areas for people working in Manchester and other large towns. The municipal and spiritual life of the district along with sports and pastimes also feature.