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Blackburn is a large town in Lancashire , England . It is the largest and most populous settlement with the Blackburn With Darwen borough, which has a population of 105,085 . It was a key centre for the Textile industry during the Industrial Revolution . Blackburn is situated to the north of the West Pennine Moors . Blackburn is known to fans of - the title of the unofficial Fanzine of Blackburn Rovers is "4,000 Holes". HISTORY Toponymy Blackburn means 'dark-coloured Burn ' (burn meaning 'stream') from Old English ''blæc'' "black" and ''burna'' "stream", recorded as ''Blacheburne'' in 1128. s for the textile industry, circa 1920. Rowland Baguley and Company, based on Addison Street, produced a wide range of shuttles for the home textile industry and for export before it closed in the early 1930s.]] In 1887, ''John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles'' described Blackburn like this: Blackburn. parl. and mun. bor., par. and township, NE. Lancashire, 9 miles E. of Preston and 210 miles NW. of London by rail -- par., 48,281 ac., pop. 161,617; township, 3681 ac., pop. 91,958; bor., 6974 ac., pop. 104,014; 4 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market-days, Wednesday and Saturday. It is one of the chief seats of Cotton manufacture, besides producing Calico , Muslin , &c., there being over 140 mills at work. There are also factories for making cotton machinery and Steam-engines . B. has been associated with many improvements in the mfr. of cotton, among which was the invention (1767) of the " Spinning Jenny " which was invented in nearby Oswaldtwistle by James Hargreaves , who died in 1770. There are several fine churches and public buildings. A Corporation Park (50 Ac. in area) is on the outskirts of the town. Several lines of railway converge here, and pass through one principal station belonging to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Ry. Co. B. returns 2 members to Parliament. {Link without Title} of Cotton Mill workers in 1920 in Cowell Street in the Nab Lane area.]] Prehistory There is little evidence of settlement in the Blakewater valley where Blackburn would later be situated during the Prehistoric period. It is generally thought that most human activity in east Lancashire during the period occurred on hilltops. Evidence of such activity during the Bronze Age has been discovered in the form of Urn Burial s, with two known examples from the hills around Blackburn. In 1879 , a cinerary urn was discovered beneath a Tumulus at Revidge, north of the town. Another was excavated at Pleasington Cemetery, west of the present town, by gravedigger Grant Higson in 1996 . Rare Treasure Found , Bury Times, 27 March 1996. That prehistoric man was active in the area now covered by the town centre is inferred from the presence of a possible Sacred Spring , possibly in use during the Iron Age , at All Hallows Spring on Railway Road.[http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/archaeologyandheritage/historictowns/BlackburnToFig4_LowRes.pdf Lancashire Historic Town Survey: Blackburn, Lancashire County Council (2005), p. 16. Roman Blackburn Blackburn is thought to have originated as a small settlement along the Roman Road between Bremetennacum Veteranorum and Mancunium which passed through the town to the east of the present Blackburn Cathedral , probably crossing the River Blakewater at Salford.Lancashire County Council (2005), ''Lancashire Historic Town Survey: Blackburn'', p. 16. George C. Miller in his ''Blackburn - the Evolution of a Cotton Town'' says: The ancient military way from Mamucium (Manchester) to Bremetennacum (Ribchester), passing over Blacksnape, plunges on its unswerving course through Blackamoor, over the scarp at Whinney Heights, to pass across the Blakewater in the vicinity of Salford. This fact alone presents a reasonable argument for the existence of a British oppidum or walled village on the site, it being customary for such primitive communities to cluster in the vicinity of a ford or bridge.George C. Miller, ''Blackburn - the Evolution of a Cotton Town'', p.4. The aforementioned All Hallows Spring was purportedly excavated in 1654 Site of All Hallows Spring-Holy well , Archaeology Data Service. Retrieved 31 January 2007. and was found to contain an inscribed stone, allegedly commemorating the dedication of a temple of Serapis by Claudius Hieronymus, Legate of Legio VI Victrix .Lancashire County Council (2005), ''Lancashire Historic Town Survey: Blackburn'', p. 16. Medieval Blackburn The traditional date for the coming of Christianity to Blackburn is era. It was during this period that Blackburnshire Hundred came into existence, probably as a territorial division of the kingdom of Northumbria .Lancashire County Council (2005), ''Lancashire Historic Town Survey: Blackburn'', p. 17. The name of the town first appears in the Market Cross , Archaeological Data Society. Retrieved 31 January 2007. The manor came into the possession of Henry de Blackburn, who divided it between his two sons. Later, one half was granted to the monks of Stanlow Abbey . This Moiety was later granted to the monks of Whalley Abbey . However, during the twelfth century, the town's conjectured importance declined as Clitheroe became the regional centre.Lancashire County Council (2005), ''Lancashire Historic Town Survey: Blackburn'', p. 17. In addition to the settlement in the town centre area, there were several other medieval domiciles located nearby. GOVERNANCE For general election results, see Blackburn (UK Parliament Constituency) (1955-); Blackburn East (UK Parliament Constituency) and Blackburn West (UK Parliament Constituency) (1950-1955); Blackburn (historic UK Parliament Constituency) (1832-1950) Blackburn is administered by Blackburn With Darwen Unitary Authority , which encompasses Blackburn and the small town of Darwen to the south. Blackburn council and its successor have been controlled by the Labour Party since 1945. The town sends one MP to Westminster , the current Leader Of The House Of Commons and former Foreign Secretary , Jack Straw . Previous MPs for Blackburn include former Labour cabinet minister Barbara Castle , who represented the town in Westminster from 1945 to 1979. The Historic Constituency Of Blackburn sent two MPs to Westminster, was created for the 1832 General Election and abolished in 1950 . It was replaced for one parliamentary term by two new single-member constituencies, Blackburn East and Blackburn West , before being replaced at the Next General Election when the two were merged into the Modern Day Constituency , returning a single MP. Allegations of vote-rigging and corruption have dogged the Labour controlled council in recent years. In April 2005, local councillor Mohammed Hussain was jailed for three years for rigging the 2002 town hall election by stealing at least 230 by a former Foreign Office subordinate, the ex-British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray . Murray stood for election in Blackburn on a platform of opposition to the War In Iraq and electoral corruption. Murray described the constituency as a "Labour Rotten Borough " and said of the build up to the election, "I've been approached by several people in the Asian community who are under huge pressure from Labour activists to apply for a postal vote rather than a ballot vote and then hand their postal vote over to the Labour party." Over 50% more people used postal votes in the 2005 general election in Blackburn than in 2001.Could the election be won by fraud?, Robert Winnett and Abul Taher, '' The Sunday Times '', 10 April 2005 The anti-Straw vote was split, however, and the incumbent was returned with a comfortable majority of over 8,000. Around 20% of the Blackburn's population come from '', 23 November 2002 The incumbent Liberal Democrats were pushed into third place behind Labour . Although plans had been blocked by the time of the poll, proposals to convert a nursing home in the ward into a centre for Asylum Seeker s were seen as a key election issue.Straw condemns BNP after victory in his backyard, Graeme Wilson, Adam Powell, '' Daily Mail '', 23 November 2002 Developments in Burnley and Blackburn were regarded as something of a renaissance for the far right in British politics, no such councillors had been elected in the UK since victories in Tower Hamlets nearly ten years before."BNP wins seat on East End council after recount", Mary Braid and Nick Walker, '' The Independent '', 17 September 1993 and Jack Straw in February 2006.]] Commenting on the elections, Blackburn MP Regional Press, David Higgerson, 27 November 2002 Blackburn had two council members from the National Front in the 1970s. Although many towns in North West England suffered race riots in the summer of 2001, the streets of Blackburn remained quiet. The town was the subject of international media interest in 2006 when U.S. Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice visited Blackburn from 31 March to 1 April during a tour of European capitals. The visit reciprocated a trip made by Jack Straw to Rice's home state of Alabama when he was UK Foreign Secretary . Rice's itinerary included Pleckgate School, Ewood Park football stadium and the Town Hall in Blackburn while in Liverpool she attended a classical music concert. Rice's visit was met with protests from anti-war and human rights campaigners, although many local residents expressed support of the visit. The committee at Masjid Al Hidayah Mosque on Millham Street, Blackburn, in conjunction with Muslim scholars from the region, withdrew an invitation to Ms Rice to visit the mosque due to safety issues. In October 2006, comments made by Jack Straw angered some in the Muslim community. Writing in the '''', 5 October 2006; Straw asks women for veil rethink , 5 October 2006, BBC News Online Coat of Arms The Coat Of Arms of the former Blackburn Borough Council has many distinctive emblems. The arms displays Argent a Fesse wavy Sable between three Bees volant proper on a Chief Vert a Bugle stringed Argent between two Fusils Or. On the Crest , a Wreath of the Colours a Shuttle Or thereon a Dove wings elevated Argent and holding in the beak the Thread of the Shuttle reflexed over the back and an Olive Branch proper. The Latin Motto of the town is 'Arte et Labore', correctly translated as 'by art and by labour' but often translated as 'by skill and hardwork'. The motto, granted on 14 February 1852 to the former Borough of Blackburn, is poignant as Blackburn, once a small town, had risen to importance through the energy and enterprise of her spinners and manufacturers, combined with the skill and labour of her operatives. The Borough of Blackburn was formed by the amalgamation of the County Borough of Blackburn, the Borough of Darwen, part of the Turton Urban District and the parishes of Yate and Pickup Bank, Eccleshill, Livesey, Pleasington and Tockholes from the Blackburn Rural District. Other notable features include:
GEOGRAPHY Location and transport links Blackburn is situated in the county of ''; RecPath used for distances. Blackburn is served by a Newly Redeveloped Train Station located in the town centre next to the bus station and served by Northern Rail . The nearest train station on the West Coast Main Line is Preston . Blackburn has three junctions with the M65 Motorway . The town is less than an hour's drive from Manchester and Blackpool and just over an hour away from Liverpool , Leeds and Chester .Transport information from Teaching in Blackburn with Darwen , Blackburn with Darwen Council, accessed 27 October 2006 Geology and terrain equipment on Coalpit Moor, formerly known as Blackburn Moor, from 1846.]] Located in the midst of the East Lancashire Hills, some areas of the town are characterised by steep slopes. The town centre is located in a depression surrounded by a number of hills. The area of Revidge to the north can be reached via a steep climb up Montague Street and Dukes Brow to reach a peak of 218 metres above (456 metres), Winter Hill (456 metres), Pendle Hill (557 metres) and Green Hill (628 metres). The River Blakewater , which gives its names to the town, flows down from the moors above Guide and then through the areas of Whitebirk, Little Harwood, Cob Wall and Brookhouse to the town centre. The river was Culvert ed during the Industrial Revolution and runs underground in the town centre, under Ainsworth Street and between Blackburn Cathedral and Blackburn Bus Station. On the western side of the town centre the Blakewater continues under Whalley Banks and through the Redlam area before joining the River Darwen outside Witton Country Park and continuing on to join the River Ribble at Walton-le-Dale . The geology of the Blackburn area yields numerous resources which underpinned its development as a centre of manufacturing during the industrial revolution. during the Pleistocene Ice Age , and the Sandstone -and- Shale bedrock is overlain in much of the area by Glacial Deposit s called Till (which is also called "boulder clay") of varying thickness up to several tens of feet. Glacial Outwash (sand and gravel) also occur in small patches, including along Grimshaw Brook. Geology of the Blackburn Area , Grimshaw Origins and History, 2000 A Landscape Strategy for Lancashire - Landscape Character Assessment , Lancashire County Council Contaminated land inspection strategy , Blackburn with Darwen Council Areas Blackburn consists of a number of areas: DEMOGRAPHY According to the . In terms of Religion , 63.3% of residents are Christian (national average 71.7%), 19.4% Muslim (national average 3.0%) with 16.6% no religion or not stated. This gives the town the third highest proportion of Muslims in England and Wales and the highest outside London . 55.1% of the town are in employment, with 4.1% unemployed and 1.2% long term unemployed. This compares unfavourably with respective national averages of 60.6%, 3.4% and 1.0%. 8.7% of residents are looking after a home and/or family, the fifth highest for any borough in England and Wales. Average houselhold size is 2.54 people, the 9th highest in England and Wales. The town is slightly below the national averages on health indicators. Just over one in five (20.3%) of the population say they have a "limiting long term illness" compares with a national average of 18.2%. Over one in ten (11.1%) describe their general health as "not good" compared with an average of 9.2%. ECONOMY The Mall is the main is a Market close to the Mall. A Retail Park with recent developments is near the town centre. The town center is now run down but is subject to a new multimillion pound investment, and Blackburn with Darwen Council have already made some impressive refurbishments and renovations of key public places, notably the Church Street area with its Art Deco Pavillions complemented by tasteful street furniture and sculptures. More renovation is in progess. The markets, although not as bustling and diverse as those in Bury and somewhat gloomy (although a major revamp of the markets is also planned) continue to offer a wide range of local produce - Lancashire cheeses, tripe, Bowland beef and lamb can all be found, and special mention must be made of Walsh's Sarsapirilla stall - try a pint of the black stuff, a man's version of the sweet Mawson's product found in Rawtenstall. The Townsmoor Development situated just out of the town center to the east of the cathedral outward towards the Bolton Rd area and Grimshaw Park, is a typical retail park found in any sizeable town and caters for all DIY, food, electrcal and leisure needs. LANDMARKS sits in the middle of the town centre]]
EDUCATION Primary Schools
Secondary Schools
Colleges University
SPORTS Blackburn Rovers and Football See Also: Blackburn Rovers F.C. The Premier League Football side Blackburn Rovers is based at the Ewood Park stadium. The club has done much to raise the profile of the town, winning the Premier League in 1995 and the League Cup in 2002. The club was established in 1875, and in 1888 became a founder member of The Football League . In 1890 Rovers moved to its permanent home at Ewood Park . Until the formation of the Premier League in 1992, the majority of Blackburn Rovers' success was pre-1930 when they won the league twice and FA Cup six times. Blackburn has had a particular strong history of football. Rovers weren't the town's only side in the 19th Century ; other rivals included Blackburn Olympic F.C. (1883 winners of the FA Cup against Rovers themselves) and Blackburn Park Road F.C. , among others. In the early 1990s Jack Walker , a local boy and life-long supporter who made millions in the steel industry, invested heavily in the club. He lured former Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish as manager and a number of shrewd player purchases followed, most notably Alan Shearer . This lifted the club back into the first division, just before it became the F.A. Premier League — making Blackburn one of only a handful of clubs to be founders of both the Football League and the Premier League. After finishing runners-up to Manchester United in 1993/1994, Rovers won the championship the following year. A slump followed in the late 1990s, with relegation to League Division One . In 2001, the team secured promotion back into the Premier League, and in 2002 won the League Cup . NOTABLE PEOPLE The following people were born or brought up in Blackburn: Arts
Sports
Business
Science
Politics , British Liberal Statesman , Writer and newspaper editor, was born in Blackburn in 1838.]]
REFERENCES Further reading EXTERNAL LINKS General
Press
Multimedia
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