3 Padiham and Gawthorpe Hall Take a trip to Padiham in East Lancashire for this picturesque route, starting from historic Gawthorpe Hall. START: Car park at Gawthorpe Hall, Padiham (GPS waypoint SD 805 339) DISTANCE: 3.5 miles DIFFICULTY: HEIGHT GAIN: APPROX. TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes PARKING: Available at the start of the route ROUTE TERRAIN: Woodland tracks, woodland, hard track, riverside paths FACILITIES: Toilets available at Gawthorpe Hall, plus café on certain days SUITABILITY: Dogs permitted, but must be kept under control, not an accessible walk OS MAPS: Landranger 103 (Blackburn and Burnley), Explorer OL21 (South Pennines) Hayley Merrick LANCASHIRE WALKS PADIHAM AND GAWTHORPE HALl are now part of a conservation south, which strengthened trade houses the North West’s largest area. links. Gawthorpe Hall collection of portraits on loan By the 19th century, Padiham The last of the pits closed in the The base for this walk is the from the National Portrait Gallery, The walkers view was a thriving industrial town, 1940s and in the early 1960s, historic Gawthorpe Hall, an as well as the Gawthorpe Textiles based on coal mining and opencast mining took place on Elizabethan gem in the heart of Collection, a wonderful collection Hayley Merrick tries out this weaving. Helm Mill on Factory the north side of the plantation. industrial Lancashire. The Hall of intricate needlework, Padiham walk Lane was the first mill to be This involved the coal being was built between 1600 and embroidery and lace amassed 1605 and was the family seat by the last member of the family This a perfect walk to try out, whether you’ve built in the town, in 1807, and extracted from above ground, got a morning to spare or the whole weekend to explore the area by 1906 the number of mills in instead of from below ground. of the Shuttleworth family for to live at the Hall, Rachel Kay- more than 300 years. The Hall Shuttleworth. completely. I headed over to East Lancashire on a beautiful spring the town had increased to 20. A huge machine was used, morning to test this route out and I really couldn’t think of a better These days, the best preserved which could dig many tons of way to start the day. example is Victoria Mill, now coal each day, and once it was apartments, on Ightenhill Street. all extracted, the ground was Where to visit The walk starts from Gawthorpe Hall – well, the car park at Gawthorpe Hall – and then takes you past the Hall, before heading By the mid-19th century, there reinstated and has become Gawthorpe Hall Textiles Collection down to the river. Either before you start the route, or when you’ve were many coal pits around the farmland. Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley Road, Padiham, Burnley, BB12 8UA finished, it’s definitely worth the taking time to explore the grounds town, with 17 mine shafts at There are several historic manor around Gawthorpe Hall - and even venturing inside if you have Grove Street Plantation, which houses and noteworthy halls in As this walk starts and ends at Gawthorpe Hall, we’d definitely recommend time. The gardens are beautiful and really well maintained, plus is around half way through the area, including the National exploring the grounds and gardens, as well as venturing inside to take a there’s a café around the corner if you fancy something to eat too. this walk. Tramways were built Trust run Gawthorpe Hall with look at the stunning textiles collection. The collection is displayed across to carry the coal from the pits its attached working farm, which five galleries at the Hall and includes historic and contemporary lace, quilts, The first half of this route mainly follows the river and takes you and they ran throughout the dates back to 1639 and is open costume, samplers and embroidery from all over the world. through woodland. Some sections are quite steep and the terrain plantation. You can still see the to the public. Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth, the last member of the Shuttleworth family to live can get a bit uneven, so just be aware of this. There were a number of fallen trees too and evidence of the river being a lot higher, remains of the winding gear Close to the centre of the town at the Hall, amassed the collection and she was renowned for her expert no doubt due to the bad weather we had not that long ago! The today, where the new path is Padiham Memorial Park, which knowledge and needlework skills. She turned the ancestral home into a woodland tracks are well-trodden too, so are easy to follow most meets Grove Lane. spans 12 acres and is split into craft house to keep alive the textile skills that she feared were being lost, of the way, but if you get stuck, just try to follow the course of the Padiham’s industrial growth two sites by the River Calder. filling the house with her world class collection. river and a quick glance ahead can usually get you back on the right was further boosted by the It was designed by Thomas track. arrival of the railways. The rapid Mawson, a renowned landscape industrial development had also designer, and opened in 1921 in As you enter Hagg Wood, you’ll reach the only tricky bit direction- been largely due to Padiham’s memory of those from the town wise along the route - in my opinion anyway - but all you need to do proximity to the Leeds and who were lost in the First World is follow the step-by-step and stick to the track around the wooden Liverpool Canal, two miles to the War. fence, and you’ll be fine. Once you leave the wood, the paths are very well surfaced, mostly flat and the route is fairly straightforward, Hayley Merrick taking you over the river and then alongside it briefly once more. visitlancashire.com A section of the Burnley Way takes you through the Grove Lane A three and a half mile walk from Gawthorpe Hall, Plantation, which used to be the site of a number of coal mines; through woodland, alongside the River Calder and out you can even see echoes of the area’s past as you make your way into the countryside. through the woodland. Now though, the plantation is quiet and peaceful, with lots to see in terms of wildlife so make sure you keep This is a very varied walk with fantastic scenic views Now this collection is on display at Gawthorpe for all to see, as is an archive your eyes peeled! and lots to see in terms of wildlife, so make sure you of Rachel’s letters. Events at the Hall include ‘exploration days’, with a The route soon joins the river again and takes you on towards bring your camera! chance to study the textiles up close with the curator, plus ‘an audience Padiham town centre, veering off before reaching the road. This is with ’ workshops, where you can learn textile skills inspired by the As some of the paths through the woodland sections … the perfect place to take a bit of a detour if you feel like exploring collection, with help from a visiting expert. are steep and quite uneven, we can’t class this as an the town, just head straight on and then right instead of turning left accessible route option. Dogs are permitted – and The Gawthorpe Textiles Collection is a registered charity. Today, the staff over the bridge. and volunteers continue to work towards achieving Rachel’s vision for the there is only one stile along the way – but please make The last section takes you back alongside the river and through collection by providing learning opportunities, delivering events, displays sure all pets are kept under control, especially around woodland again, before ending back again at Gawthorpe Hall, and exhibitions so that more people can engage with, and be inspired by, livestock at this time of year. where there’s bound to be time for a drink and something to eat at the collection. the café! The town and civil parish of is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin, Gawthorpe Hall is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 12pm to 5pm. The Padiham lies on the River Calder, in around 1294. For hundreds of grounds are open daily between 8am and 7pm, with the tearoom open close to Burnley and Pendle Hill. years it was a flourishing market Wednesday to Sunday, from 11am to 5pm. Entry is £4 for adults, £3 for It was once a small rural village, town, until industrial expansion concessions, with no charge for accompanied children and National Trust and a township in the ancient and redevelopment took place members. The grounds and gardens are free to explore. parish of Whalley. during the Industrial Revolution. Many of the historic buildings Padiham is first recorded as Hayley Merrick Padyngham, which remaining in the centre of the town, including the town hall, 64 Lancashire Walks and Wildlife While you are there! Cut out this page and 3 Padiham and Gawthorpe Hall take with you... OFF STOCKBRIDGE DRIVE, BURNLEY ROAD, PADIHAM, BURNLEY, BB12 8UA A three and a half mile circular walk through woodland and beside the River Calder, starting from the historic Gawthorpe Wildlife watch Hall and gardens. This is a great time of year to have a go at doing this walk as Dogs permitted but must be kept under control. there’s fantastic scenery, lovely views of the river and there are stunning carpets of bluebells during the woodland sections.