Clitheroe Rural District was a rural district in the county of Lancashire , England. It was created in 1894 and abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 .
76-421: It was based on Clitheroe and included 16 other civil parishes . It had a population of 5,838 in 1901 and 8,799 in 1961. 53°52′N 2°23′W / 53.87°N 2.39°W / 53.87; -2.39 This Lancashire location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Clitheroe Clitheroe ( / ˈ k l ɪ ð ə r oʊ / ) is a town and civil parish in
152-527: A Salvation Army citadel. Since 2017, there is also a Friends meeting house . A former church at Lowergate was granted permission in December 2006 to become a multi faith centre, with a Muslim prayer room. It is open for all faiths to use the rest of the building. The conversion was completed in March 2014. Clitheroe Castle is argued to be the smallest Norman keep in the whole of England. It stands atop
228-419: A garderobe , but this is debated. The walls above show no signs of any wall openings even to the staircase. The re-building work may have removed any evidence of a doorway to what was possibly a second floor of sleeping accommodation, or the walls may have concealed a pitched roof, similar to the keep at Peveril . There is also no evidence of fireplace openings in any part of the keep. The repairs made during
304-510: A 35-metre knoll of limestone and is one of the oldest buildings in Lancashire . The castle's most prominent feature is the hole in its side which was made in 1649 as was ordered by the government. Dixon Robinson was in residence as Steward of the Honour of Clitheroe from 1836 until his death in 1878 and resided at the castle for the same period. His son Aurthur Ingram Robinson lived at
380-494: A community based station which broadcast to the town and across the Ribble Valley on 106.7 FM and also online. The town is served by the local newspapers, Burnley Express (formerly The Clitheroe Advertiser & Times ) and Lancashire Telegraph . The three main secondary schools in the town are Clitheroe Royal Grammar School , Ribblesdale High School and Moorland School . There are several primary schools in
456-450: A community rail group, is campaigning for services from Clitheroe to be extended north to Hellifield . On Saturdays, DalesRail trains run to Settle and Ribblehead. A number of freight trains also pass through Clitheroe each week. There are frequent bus services from Clitheroe Interchange to the surrounding Lancashire and Yorkshire settlements. Transdev Blazefield , with its Blackburn Bus Company and Burnley Bus Company subsidiaries,
532-542: A further 12 loads from Leagram Park and 45 wagon loads of stone slates for the roof. The work took five carpenters over 17 weeks to complete. The Hundred court was held here, with the steward of the honour acting as judge, originally every three weeks. At some time probably in the 12th century this changed to twice a year, with the three-week court continuing but being limited to claims less than 40 shillings . The demesne manors instead held halmote courts , with those for Chatburn, Worston and Pendleton also being held at
608-466: A rebellion against the earl in 1315, Clitheroe was amongst the castles raided for weapons. Lancaster's property was transferred to the crown ( escheated ) following his attainder and death in 1322; his brother Henry was later granted his lands, which subsequently became part of the Duchy of Lancaster . In the 15th century, additional repairs were undertaken and a new chamber was built in 1425. During
684-466: A separate dungeon elsewhere in the bailey. Today the buildings on the castle site form Clitheroe Castle Museum . The museum is based in the former Steward's House, a Grade II listed building, originally built in the 18th century, with later additions and modifications. The former courthouse is now a temporary exhibition space called the Steward's Gallery. The museum was originally opened in 1954 in
760-510: A verse of a poem by Carol Ann Duffy , were installed along the route, with the fourth located at the castle. The town's annual Guy Fawkes Night bonfire fireworks display is among a number of regular events staged. The keep is on the summit of a large carboniferous rock, which is the highest and most prominent point for miles around. This is now identified as a Waulsortian mudmound . The rock comprises light grey, unbedded, micritic limestone , heavily jointed with calcite veining. There
836-673: A war memorial. Today the buildings on the site are the home of Clitheroe Castle Museum . The keep is the second smallest surviving stone-built keep in England. The castle was listed as a Scheduled Monument on 10 April 1915 (and later, under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 law). It was Grade I listed on 19 May 1950. After the Norman Conquest , the Anglo-Saxon hundred of Blackburnshire
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#1732772909349912-651: Is a shopping centre known as the Swan Courtyard . In May 2007, when Kwik Save entered administration, its store on Station Road closed. In September 2008, Booths bought the site, and expanded their store, where it currently houses charity shop YMCA . At the 2011 United Kingdom census , Clitheroe civil parish had a population of 14,765. 5 electoral wards cover the same area (Salthill, Littlemoor, Edisford and Low Moor, St Mary's and Primrose). It has small Eastern European and Asian Populations which are both of similar sizes. There are three Anglican churches:
988-402: Is a square tower with flat pilasters at the corners giving the appearance of corner towers , with the walls being 8.75 feet (2.7 m) wide at the base. The ground floor is thought to have been accessed from above via a trapdoor . There are recessed arrowslits in the middle of the walls on three sides, except the northwest. Two of these have been converted into entrances, with the other, on
1064-551: Is a turf labyrinth designed by Jim Buchanan. In 2010, ten plaques featuring key events in the history of Clitheroe where installed on the walls of the creative activity area next to the keep. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the trials of the Pendle witches , a new long-distance walking route called the Lancashire Witches Walk was created. Ten tercet waymarkers, designed by Stephen Raw, each inscribed with
1140-541: Is from 1283, granted by Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln , confirming rights granted by one of his forebears between 1147 and 1177. According to local legend, stepping stones across the River Ribble near the town are the abode of an evil spirit, who drowns one traveller every seven years. During World War II , the jet engine was developed by the Rover Company . Rover and Rolls-Royce met engineers from
1216-407: Is not mentioned in the known accounts of the battle, it may have been the reason for the battle's location. New construction work was carried out in the late 12th century by Robert de Lacy (died 1193). This Robert died without an heir, and his lands passed to his cousin, and then to her grandson Roger , the constable of Chester . He changed his surname to de Lacy and his descendants would also be
1292-412: Is some galena and sphalerite mineralisation in the joints. It is rich in fossils: mainly Crinoid ossicles together with gastropods and brachiopods . There has been much debate on how these mud mounds were formed. One theory led to them being called reef knolls, knoll reefs, or bioherms but work in 1972 by Miller & Grayson explained their structure. Clitheroe Castle is the most southwesterly of
1368-571: Is the most prominent operator; it operates mainly interurban services to other towns in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire. Other operators include Preston Bus , Vision Bus, Pilkington Bus, Holmeswood Coaches and Stagecoach in Lancashire . Clitheroe F.C. play in the Northern Premier League Division One North . Originally established in 1877 as Clitheroe Central, they play their home games at
1444-454: Is thought that there was a castle at Clitheroe in 1102, as Robert de Lacy granted lands formerly the property of Orme le Engleis, within the baillie and below, to Ralph le Rous. A charter from 1122 also mentions the castle's chapel. In the summer of 1138, a Scottish force under William fitz Duncan harried the area, defeating an English force at the Battle of Clitheroe . Although the castle
1520-455: Is thought that, as the keep was so small, other essential buildings such as the great hall may have been located on the site where the education suite now stands. A 1602 survey mentions Mr Auditor's chamber, the hall and buttery , and there would likely also have been stables and lodgings for any stationed soldiers. The southwest corner of the site next to the Steward's house was formerly the kitchen gardens. The medieval castle keep and some of
1596-703: Is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon for "Rocky Hill", and was also spelled Clyderhow and Cletherwoode , amongst others. The town was the administrative centre for the lands of the Honour of Clitheroe . The Battle of Clitheroe was fought in 1138 during the Anarchy . These lands were held by Roger the Poitevin , who passed them to the de Lacy family, from whom they passed by marriage in 1310 or 1311 to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster . It subsequently became part of
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#17327729093491672-637: The Borough of Ribble Valley , Lancashire , England; it is located 34 miles (55 km) north-west of Manchester . It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Clitheroe built-up area had an estimated population of 16,279. The town was listed in the 2017 The Sunday Times report on the best places to live in Northern England, while
1748-496: The Civil War , Prince Rupert left a garrison at the castle on his way to relieve the parliamentarian siege of York. They repaired the main gateway and stocked the castle with provisions, only to abandon it following the royalist loss at the Battle of Marston Moor . When the Lancashire militia was ordered to disband in 1649, they refused, occupying the castle for a brief period in a dispute over unpaid wages. The same year Clitheroe
1824-651: The Duchy of Lancaster until Charles II at the Restoration bestowed it, on George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle , from whose family it descended through the house of Montague to that of Buccleuch. At one point, the town of Clitheroe was given to Richard, 1st Duke of Gloucester . Up until 1835, the Lord of the Honor was also by right Lord of Bowland , the so-called Lord of the Fells . The town's earliest existing charter
1900-583: The Earls of Lincoln (from 1232). The castle was garrisoned due to the rebellion of Richard I's brother, Prince John , in the 1190s. During the early 14th century repairs were carried out to buildings within the castle and a new gate was built. When Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln died in London in 1311, ownership of his properties passed to Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster who had been married to his daughter and heiress Alice . When Sir Adam Banastre led
1976-563: The Honour of Clitheroe . The castle site was purchased by public subscription by the then borough council from Lord Montagu of Beaulieu for £9,500 in November 1920, to create a memorial to the 260 soldiers from the town who died in the First World War. In the late 1980s the southeast elevation of the keep underwent substantial preservation work. As part of a large redevelopment of the museum, 2008 saw further restoration work to
2052-602: The Labour Representation Committee . He was the first Labour MP to win a by-election, and the third ever elected. He was returned unopposed, but easily won the subsequent 1906 general election , at which he was challenged by an Independent Conservative . Shackleton was General Secretary of the Textile Factory Workers Association, and at the time, there were a large number of mill workers living locally. Labour lost
2128-675: The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene ; St James' Church; St Paul's in Low Moor . The Roman Catholic church of St Michael and St John Church is at Lowergate and St Augustine's High School in Billington is the local Roman Catholic secondary school. Trinity Methodist Church is on the edge of Castle Park in Clitheroe. There is also a United Reformed Church in the town; the Clitheroe Community Church and
2204-464: The Pennines . Its earliest history is debated but it is thought to be of Norman origin, probably built in the twelfth century. Property of the de Lacy family, the honour later merged with the earldom and then Duchy of Lancaster . Given to George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle in 1660, the castle site remained in private ownership until 1920, when it was sold to the people of Clitheroe to create
2280-462: The Ramsbottom and Twenty-20 cups in the 2006 season. The Clitheroe Golf Club was founded in 1891, and originally the course was at Horrocksford on land now quarried away. The current course was designed by James Braid , and play began in the early 1930s. It is located south of the town in the neighbouring parish of Pendleton . Clitheroe Rugby Union Football Club, formed in 1977, play at
2356-467: The Ribble Valley constituency, Clitheroe has been represented by a Conservative Member of Parliament for many years, with the exception of Michael Carr , who won a by-election in 1991 for the Liberal Democrats , but who lost the seat at the general election a year later. The current MP is Jonathan Hinder , who was first elected in 2024. ICI founded a chemical plant in 1941, which
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2432-557: The Wars of the Roses , Edward IV ordered £200 be spent on repairs to the castle, but afterwards it seems to have fallen into disrepair. Duchy records for the honour show that the castle had a constable and a porter in the 1480s. A survey in 1602 described the castle as very ruinous, warning that buildings were very likely to fall down, with another in 1608 stating that parts of the decayed buildings had actually collapsed. In 1644, during
2508-467: The curtain wall remain above ground, although the medieval buildings in the bailey have not survived. However, there are sub-surface remains of the castle gateway and other buildings. A document from 1304 mentions ditches and moats, thought to be a distance from the castle at a lower level, but these have since been filled in. The footpath that ascends the castle mound to the keep, and the western access road are believed to be later additions. The keep
2584-405: The 10 Liberal Democrat borough councillors on Ribble Valley Borough Council , while Clitheroe Town Council has been Liberal Democrat-controlled for that period too. Likewise, since 1993, the town has elected a Liberal Democrat County Councillor to Lancashire County Council. Clitheroe was one of earliest seats to elect a Labour MP, when David Shackleton won the 1902 Clitheroe by-election for
2660-669: The Castle after 1878, and inherited the Steward title too (see Honour of Clitheroe ). The town has good local public transport links, centred around Clitheroe Interchange . Clitheroe railway station is on the Ribble Valley line , providing hourly passenger services to Blackburn , Manchester Victoria and Rochdale ; the route is operated by Northern Trains . Services are operated usually by Class 150 diesel multiple units , & Class 156 units. Regular passenger train services had ceased in 1962; they resumed in 1994, though only south towards Blackburn at first. Ribble Valley Rail ,
2736-577: The Castle grounds, built and funded by the Lancaster Foundation charitable trust. In June 2016, Clitheroe-raised mixed martial artist, Michael Bisping , won the UFC Middleweight Championship , by defeating Luke Rockhold by way of knockout in the first round of the fight. On 5 July 2019 he was inducted into The UFC Hall of Fame. He is the first English fighter to be inducted. In 2018, the short documentary Alfie
2812-618: The Domesday Book ) to the Baron of Pontefract , Robert de Lacy . When de Poitou lost his English holdings in 1102, Henry I not only allowed de Lacy to keep these lands, but added to them with the vills of Chipping , Aighton and Dutton . Clitheroe became the centre of this new honour . The valley of the River Ribble has formed a significant transport route for a long time. A Roman road runs up it, passing just south of
2888-618: The East Lancashire Commissioning Care Group. Clitheroe also has its own Ambulance , Fire and police stations . Clitheroe is twinned with Rivesaltes , a small town in France. Clitheroe Castle Clitheroe Castle is a ruined early medieval castle in Clitheroe in Lancashire , England. It was the caput of the Honour of Clitheroe , a vast estate stretching along the western side of
2964-597: The Littlemoor Ground on Littlemoor Road in the town and run two adult rugby teams. In August 2005, a cycle race, the Clitheroe Grand Prix , took place in the town, with Russell Downing finishing ahead of Chris Newton . In August 2006, Ben Greenwood won, with Ian Wilkinson second, but in April 2007, the council decided not to support another event, citing poor attendance. The town was also
3040-689: The Odd-Job Boy of Clitheroe featured on BBC Three. The film follows the ups and downs of 18-year-old Alfie Cookson, who set up his own business on a tandem pushbike and trailer after struggling to work for other people. Clitheroe has hosted the Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues Fest since making a return in 2010 after more than 40 years. It is held annually, usually during Early May Bank Holiday weekend. The annual Clitheroe Food Festival takes place in early August. Eighty or more Lancashire food and drink producers are selected to participate by
3116-613: The Pinnacle, it dates back to the mid-1800s rebuilding work at the Place of Westminster. Clitheroe Civic Society has been running a project to restore the monument after it was discovered that corroding iron fixings have been damaging the stonework. In April 2006, a new skatepark officially opened in the Woone Lane corner of the castle grounds, the £200,000 cost funded by the Lancaster Foundation charitable trust. Also opened in 2006
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3192-545: The Shawbridge Stadium. There is also a youth football club, Clitheroe Wolves, founded in 1992. Cricket has been played in Clitheroe since the 1800s, with Clitheroe Cricket Club being formed in 1862 as an amalgamation of two sides, Clitheroe Alhambra and the local Rifles Corps. Based at Chatburn Road and members of the Ribblesdale League since its inception, the club won the league title and both
3268-458: The Steward's Gallery. It underwent a £3.5-million refurbishment and redevelopment, and was officially opened on 23 June 2009 by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester . Its social history collection contains about 5,000 items, and the geology collection includes four type and figured specimens. It also has smaller collections of natural history , local art and period costume, and the archaeology collection includes items recovered from excavations on
3344-467: The apron broke, dropping a pile of stones and causing the shot to land near the church in Pendleton . The guidebook to the castle relates this local tale, "they always said that the hole in the side of the keep was made by Cromwell in the Civil War . It's only a story but they say that he attacked the castle and fired at it with a cannon from the top of Pendle Hill – it must have been a good cannon for
3420-470: The castle and its honour were given as a reward to the first Duke of Albemarle by Charles II for helping him to regain the crown. From the late 17th century, the castle became the residence of the steward of the honour. Occupants of the castle include John Barcroft of Colne (who died there in 1782). Ownership of the castle subsequently passed down through the family to the Dukes of Buccleuch . A plan of
3496-480: The castle dated 1723 is thought to have been created when a new house was built for the steward. However it seems that around this time much of the remaining curtain wall was demolished, with garden terraces created. The castle continued to operate as the administrative centre for Blackburnshire until 1822 when the town hall in Church Street was built. In 1848, with the ruined keep in danger of collapse, it
3572-414: The castle in mentioned in charters from 1120, and was ecclesiastically separated from the ancient parish of Whalley. Some records call it extra-parochial and it is sometimes described as the parish church of the castle and demesne , with the forest districts of the honour. The chapel had reinforced walls and formed part of the inner bailey wall, and was located at the southern end of the terrace next to
3648-434: The castle site. The steep limestone outcrop which rises 39 metres (128 ft) above the surrounding land is strategically located to effectively bar the pass and provide extensive views over the surrounding area. A 14th-century document called Historia Laceiorum attributed construction of the castle to Robert de Lacy (died 1193) , the grandson of the first Robert de Lacy. Although it is generally accepted that he built
3724-410: The castle. The castle is known to have acted as a jail, and important men were occasionally imprisoned there. King Henry VI may have been held briefly as he was captured outside Clitheroe in 1464, during the Wars of the Roses . In 1506 the porter was imprisoned in his own jail after attending a meeting of armed men at Whalley. Whether the keep was used as the jail is uncertain; there could have been
3800-489: The chapel at Whitewell . The chapel was in ruins in 1660, and the allowance for the chaplain was transferred to St Mary Magdalene's Church . By 1717 nothing but the decayed walls remained. The inner bailey probably also contained the great hall. A document dated 1324 refers to the rebuilding of a structure, which given the large quantities of material and labour required, would have been on an appropriate scale. The materials included 30 wagon-loads of timber from Bowland with
3876-551: The different companies at Clitheroe's Swan & Royal Hotel . The residential area 'Whittle Close' in the town is named after Frank Whittle , being built over the site of the former jet engine test beds. The town only has three Scheduled Ancient Monuments, Bellmanpark Lime kiln and embankment, Edisford Bridge and Clitheroe Castle . The town elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons . The Great Reform Act reduced this to one. The parliamentary borough
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#17327729093493952-470: The door including a wicket gate ; a small part may be preserved in the wall to the east. Possibly similar the one at Tickhill , the upper floor may have served as a lodging for the castle porter who acted as the jailer. To the west, the remains of the curtain wall climb the slope, connecting to the wall at the top. It has been suggested that the 6 foot (1.8 m) wide wall that surrounds the keep on three sides may represent an earlier construction phase than
4028-596: The festival organisers. Lancashire's top professional chefs, the town's retailers, groups and volunteer organisations also take part. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada . Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Lancashire on 95.5 FM, Heart North West on 105.4 FM, Smooth North West on 100.4 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire on 96.5 FM, Capital Manchester and Lancashire on 107.0 FM, and Ribble FM,
4104-456: The high street. In May 2007, planning permission was granted for a Homebase , although the store didn't open until April 2009. In April 2015, work officially started on a new development, consisting of Aldi and Pets at Home. In October 2015, Aldi officially opened, with Pets at Home and Vets4pets following shortly afterwards. Clitheroe has five supermarkets: Booths , Tesco , Sainsbury's (including an Argos ), Lidl , and Aldi. There
4180-430: The keep and the first archaeological survey of the site was completed, including test digs . The Historic England scheduled monument record classifies Clitheroe as an enclosure castle , the principal defence being the wall surrounding the site. It was essentially a motte-and-bailey layout, with a natural outcrop utilised as the motte. The keep is the second smallest surviving stone-built keep in England. It
4256-399: The keep itself. It may have been a shell keep containing a number of lean-to buildings, with the southern section later demolished and the present keep built inside. Like the keep this section of wall was re-built in the mid-19th century, with the work distinguishable from the original, the north-western exterior face being best preserved. A section of western curtain wall survives next to
4332-504: The keep, it is thought that some form of fortification already existed. Some form of wooden fortress may have existed on the site before the Norman conquest. A reference to the " castellatu Rogerii pictaviensis " in the Domesday Book entry for nearby Barnoldswick , has been used to argue that it was first built before 1086 by Roger the Poitevin . Others have countered that the passage more likely refers to Lancaster Castle however. It
4408-494: The landscaping include a fern-leaf beech and a dawn redwood . The war memorial , a sculpture of a soldier standing atop a pedestal in a mourning pose with head bowed and arms reversed, is located south of the keep. The main inscription reads "Erected by the inhabitants of Clitheroe in grateful remembrance of their fellow townsmen who gave their lives in defence of their king and country in the Great War 1914 1918". The sculptor
4484-586: The old stable block. When Henry de Lacy (c.1251–1311) gave Whalley to the monks of Stanlaw ( Whalley Abbey ), he withheld the chapel and its district. In 1334, the Abbey entered a legal battle for control over it, finally purchasing the advowson from John of Gaunt in 1365. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the late 1530s, the benefactions it had received under the monks were transferred to
4560-550: The plant. Another local firm, the family-owned animal feed producer Dugdale Nutrition can trace its history back to John Dugdale who was trading at Waddington Post Office in 1850. Historically, Dawsons green grocers was a significant player in the town retail fabric, circa late sixties and early seventies. Batemans Boys Wear fulfilled a retail need from approx 1968–1980. There are numerous banks and building societies, including Lloyds Bank , HSBC , and NatWest . Clitheroe has three jewellers, with Nettletons Jewellers being on
4636-464: The restoration work used limestone from quarries at the nearby village of Chatburn, making the additions identifiable. The first-floor arrow loop on the southeast side has today widened, most likely the result of natural decay. There is an ancient local legend that the Devil once gathered rocks in an apron, and threw a boulder aimed at the castle, from a place on Pendle Hill called Apronful. However
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#17327729093494712-418: The seat at the 1922 election , and did not regain it until their 1945 landslide victory . The Conservatives won the seat back at the next general election, in 1950 , and held it from then until 1983 , when the constituency was abolished due to boundary changes. From 1885 to 1983, when the seat existed, the boundaries covered areas outside Clitheroe itself, including parts of Burnley and Colne . As part of
4788-477: The site. The 6.4-hectare (16-acre) castle grounds site was established as a public park after the castle site was acquired by the council. Of the £15,000 raised in 1920, £9,500 was spent to purchase the site, and the rest used laying out the park. It incorporates the early 18th-century garden terraces created for the steward's residence. Bowling greens, tennis courts, a putting green, a bandstand and pavilion café were installed, and specimen trees planted as part of
4864-436: The southwest side, filled-in. The main entrance to the keep was on the first floor on the northwest side, accessed by an external staircase. Next to this, in the western corner tower, is the lower entry to a spiral staircase , which today rises to a height of 46 feet (14.0 m) from the ground, somewhat higher than the other surviving walls. It is thought that the keep would have had a parapet with at least one turret above
4940-448: The staircase. The first floor also had another door in the southwest wall with recessed arrowslits in the other walls. The doorway may have led to the ramparts of the adjacent curtain wall. What today appears to be another doorway next to this, leading by a right-angled passage into the keep, was actually a barrel vaulted mural chamber, which seems to have had an arrowslit in the wall at this end, now breached. This chamber may have been
5016-598: The start point of the second stage of the 2015 Tour of Britain . Public sports facilities are available at Edisford, with the Ribblesdale Pool and Clitheroe Tennis Centre located there, along with a number of football pitches and netball courts. The site is shared with the Roefield Leisure Centre, developed and operated by a registered charity whose supporters began fund-raising in 1985. In April 2006, Clitheroe Skatepark officially opened in
5092-422: The time to reach that far!" It is thought the gatehouse tower stood approximately at the site of the stone gate piers on the drive up to the museum. A tall embattled wall, it is believed, ran round the top of the hill, turning behind the steward's house, and then behind the steward's gallery and around the keep. A 16th-century sketch shows a four-sided, two-storey gatehouse with a Norman round-headed doorway,
5168-561: The town. These are St James's Church of England Primary School, St. Michael and John's Roman Catholic Primary School, Pendle Primary School, Edisford Primary School, Brookside Primary School and newly built (2024) Ribblesdale Primary School. Clitheroe has a health centre, accommodating the Pendleside Medical Practice and the Castle Medical Group. There is a community hospital. The area is served by
5244-435: The well, now separated from the other walls by the stables and court house buildings. The bailey is thought to have been divided into an inner and outer section, with a second gatehouse and/or defensive ditch to control the entry, of which no trace survives. The garden terraces that were created in the mid-18th century cut up much of the site, making it difficult to identify the castle's limits. The chapel of St Michael within
5320-698: The wider Ribble Valley , of which Clitheroe is the most populous settlement, was listed in the 2018 and 2024 Sunday Times report on the best places to live. Clitheroe and the wider Ribble Valley have also been listed as healthiest and happiest place to live in the United Kingdom. The town's most notable building is Clitheroe Castle , which is said to be one of the smallest Norman keeps in Great Britain. Several manufacturing companies have sites here, including Dugdale Nutrition, Hanson Cement , Johnson Matthey and Tarmac . The name Clitheroe
5396-546: Was Louis Frederick Roslyn , and the same figure is used in the memorial at Slaidburn . There is also a memorial plaque to those killed in the Second Boer War, installed in 1907. The centrepiece of the old rose garden south of the castle is a turret from the Houses of Parliament , presented to the borough by its MP ( Sir William Brass ) in 1937, in commemoration of the coronation of King George VI . Also known as
5472-623: Was abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 . It was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , and remained a municipal borough , based at Clitheroe Town Hall , until the Local Government Act 1972 came into force in 1974, when it became a successor parish within the Ribble Valley district. Since 1991, the town of Clitheroe has elected at least 8 out of
5548-435: Was among a number of castles that parliament decided should be ' slighted ' to prevent further use, although it is uncertain what demolition work actually resulted. The 19th-century conservation and buttressing of the keep destroyed parts of the original fabric which could have preserved evidence of the slighting. The castle's materials, including timbers, stone, and slate from the chapel roof, were valued for removal. In 1660
5624-424: Was decided to undertake a series of repairs. At least £221 was spent on the work which included re-building the staircase tower, considerable work to the eastern corner, refacing areas of the interior and exterior with Chatburn limestone, and the installation of a series of buttresses on the southwest and southeast walls. Before he died in 1878 Dixon Robinson resided at the castle for over 40 years as Steward of
5700-535: Was part of a fief given to Roger de Poitou , and the Domesday Book of 1086 shows he had given it to Roger de Busli and Albert de Gresle . Clitheroe is not mentioned by name, and it is assumed that Blackburn had previously been the administrative centre. However some time during the reign of William Rufus , Poitou gave Blackburnshire and the Bowland area, north of the River Ribble (under Craven in
5776-591: Was sold for a reported £260 million in September 2002, to Johnson Matthey . Conservatory manufacturer Ultraframe was started in Clitheroe, by John Lancaster in 1983. In March 1997, it floated on the stock exchange, being valued at £345 million in 2003. In June 2006, however, a downturn led to a takeover by Brian Kennedy's Latium Holdings. Hanson Cement has been criticised for using industrial waste in its kilns. The company claims that its filters remove these and that government inspectors have approved
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