Bacup

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Town in Lancashire, England

title: "Bacup" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bacup", "towns-in-lancashire", "unparished-areas-in-lancashire", "former-civil-parishes-in-lancashire", "geography-of-the-borough-of-rossendale"] description: "Town in Lancashire, England" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacup" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town in Lancashire, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

FieldValue
countryEngland
coordinates
official_nameBacup
population13,323
population_ref(2011 Census)
shire_districtRossendale
regionNorth West England
shire_countyLancashire
constituency_westminsterRossendale and Darwen
post_townBACUP
postcode_districtOL13
postcode_areaOL
dial_code01706
os_grid_referenceSD868231
static_image_nameYorkshire Street, Bacup.jpg
static_image_captionYorkshire Street, Bacup
london_distance175 mi SSE
map_altBacup is in the south-eastern part of Lancashire, close to the eastern boundary of North West England. On this map Bacup is about one-seventh in from the eastern edge and one-third in from the southern edge.
pushpin_mapUnited Kingdom Borough of Rossendale
pushpin_map_captionShown within Rossendale
::

| country = England | coordinates = | official_name = Bacup | population = 13,323 | population_ref = (2011 Census) | shire_district = Rossendale | region = North West England | shire_county = Lancashire | constituency_westminster = Rossendale and Darwen | post_town = BACUP | postcode_district = OL13 | postcode_area = OL | dial_code = 01706 | os_grid_reference = SD868231 | static_image_name = Yorkshire Street, Bacup.jpg | static_image_caption = Yorkshire Street, Bacup | london_distance = 175 mi SSE | map_alt = Bacup is in the south-eastern part of Lancashire, close to the eastern boundary of North West England. On this map Bacup is about one-seventh in from the eastern edge and one-third in from the southern edge. | pushpin_map = United Kingdom Borough of Rossendale | pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Rossendale Bacup ( , ) is a town in the Rossendale Borough in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundaries with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. The town is in the Rossendale Valley and the upper Irwell Valley, 4 mi east of Rawtenstall, 6 mi north of Rochdale, and 7 mi south of Burnley. At the 2011 Census, Bacup had a population of 13,323.

Bacup emerged as a settlement following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the Early Middle Ages. For centuries, it was a small and obscure centre of domestic flannel and woollen cloth production, and many of the original weavers' cottages survive today as listed buildings. Following the Industrial Revolution, Bacup became a mill town, growing up around the now covered over bridge crossing the River Irwell and the north–south / east-west crossroad at its centre. During that time its landscape became dominated by distinctive and large rectangular woollen and cotton mills. Bacup received a charter of incorporation in 1882, giving it municipal borough status and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.

In 1974, Bacup became part of the borough of Rossendale. English Heritage has proclaimed Bacup town centre as a designated protected area for its special architectural qualities.

History

The name Bacup is derived from the Old English fūlbæchop. The Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names translates this as "muddy valley by a ridge"; the fūl- element, which meant "foul" or "muddy" was used in the earliest known reference to the area, in a charter by Robert de Lacey, around the year 1200, as used in the Middle English spelling fulebachope. The -bæchop element is less clear, possibly meaning "ridge valley",

Bacup and its hinterland has provided archeological evidence of human activity in the area during the Neolithic. Anglo-Saxons settled in the Early Middle Ages. It has been claimed that in the 10th century the Anglo-Saxons battled against Gaels and Norsemen at Broadclough, a village to the north of Bacup. From the medieval period in this area, the River Irwell separated the ancient parishes of Whalley and Rochdale (in the hundreds of Blackburn and Salford respectively). The settlement developed mainly in the Whalley township of Newchurch but extending into Rochdale's Spotland.

The geology and topography of the village lent itself to urbanisation and domestic industries; primitive weavers' cottages, coal pits and stone quarries were propelled by Bacup's natural supply of water power in the Early Modern period. The adoption of the factory system, which developed into the Industrial Revolution, enabled the transformation of Bacup from a small rural village into a mill town, populated by an influx of families attracted by Bacup's cotton mills, civic amenities and regional railway network. Locally sourced coal provided the fuel for industrial-scale quarrying, cotton spinning and shoemaking operations, stimulating the local economy. Bacup received a charter of incorporation in 1882, giving it honorific borough status and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.

Bacup's boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution resulted in the town developing into a prosperous and thickly populated industrial area by early-20th century. But the Great Depression and the ensuing deindustrialisation of the United Kingdom largely eliminated Bacup's textile processing sector and economic prosperity.

Bacup followed the regional and national trend of deindustrialisation during the early and mid-20th century; a process exacerbated by the closure of Bacup railway station in 1966. Bacup also experienced population decline; from 22,000 at the time of the United Kingdom Census 1911, to 15,000 at the United Kingdom Census 1971. Much of Bacup's infrastructure became derelict owing to urban decay, despite regeneration schemes and government funding. Shops became empty and some deteriorated. The houses along the main roads endured as the original terraces from Bacup's industrial age, but behind these, on the hillsides, are several council estates.

Records in 2005 show Bacup to have some of the lowest crime levels in the county, and the relative small change to Bacup's infrastructure and appearance has given the town a "historic character and distinctive sense of place".

Regeneration

In 2013 it was announced that Rossendale Borough Council was successful in securing £2m funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a 5-year regeneration project, to be delivered by the Bacup Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). The project focuses on the redevelopment and restoration of Bacup's unique built and cultural heritage whilst providing training in traditional building skills and to facilitate activities and events for local people. The injection of funds has significantly contributed to growing property prices in the area with the investments in the area being cited as one of the major reasons why the area is becoming increasingly attractive to people commuting to larger conurbations such as Greater Manchester.

Due to the success of the Bacup THI and following public research and consultation, in 2019 the Rossendale Borough Council announced the development of the Bacup 2040 Vision and Masterplan. Bacup 2040 sets out a new vision for Bacup, aiming to capitalise on the gains made through the THI scheme whilst redeveloping aspects of the town to make it fit for a high-street model less reliant on retail and more suited to the needs of visitors and local residents alike. In order to realise the scheme, the council considered multiple bid options and the Bacup 2040 Vision was used as the basis of its bid for a share of the £1b Future High Street Fund. The Bacup 2040 Board was established in 2019 and is made up of representatives from across Bacup, including local residents, business owners, community organisations, charities, councillors, council officers. The board is chaired by a local business owner and has 6 sub-group committees, chaired by representatives of different community organisations, reviewing the various aspects of the vision and plan. The role of the board is to "inform, challenge and validate the scope and proposals for the redevelopment of Bacup."

The Bacup 2040 plan for the £11.5m redevelopment of Bacup's core, including the Market Square, was reported on in February 2020 and later announced by the local council in June 2020.

The first stages of the commencement of the Bacup 2040 work was announced in June 2020, with the £1m redevelopment of the long-time derelict Regal Building.

In the 2023 budget, it was announced that Rossendale would receive a grant of £17.9m, of which £8.3m would be dedicated to the Bacup Market regeneration scheme of which the Chair of the Bacup 2040 Board commented: "At the heart of Temple Court will be an innovative two-storey, brand-spanking new market hall building, designed to be bustling with life. The ground floor will be a treasure trove of local produce, crafts and a varied array of food and drink – where market days and events will come to life - and where visitors will be encouraged to relax and enjoy the surroundings, both during the day and into the evening. The upper floor will introduce a cycle hub and makers’ spaces, championing creativity and discovery."

Governance

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Stubbylee_Hall,_Bacup.jpg" caption="Bacup Town Hall"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Bacup_Borough_Council_-_coat_of_arms.png" caption="pp=124–128}}." alt=""] ::

Bacup's first local authority was a Local board of health established in 1863; Bacup Local Board of Health was a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the Bacup Urban Sanitary District. The area of the sanitary authority was granted a charter of incorporation in 1882, giving it honorific borough status and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs. The Municipal Borough of Bacup became a local government district of the administrative county of Lancashire under the Local Government Act 1894, meaning it shared power with the strategic Lancashire County Council. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the Municipal Borough of Bacup was abolished, and since 1 April 1974 Bacup has formed an unparished area of Rossendale, a local government district of the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire.

From 1992 until 2010, Bacup was represented in the House of Commons as part of the parliamentary constituency of Rossendale and Darwen, by Janet Anderson, a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP). Bacup had previously formed part of the Rossendale constituency. In the general election of 2010, the seat was taken by Jake Berry of the Conservative Party, and in 2024 it was taken by Andy MacNae of Labour.

Geography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Irwell_at_Weir.jpg" caption="Weir]] in the rural north of Bacup" alt=""] ::

At (53.704°, −2.199°), 15 mi north-northeast of Manchester, 17 mi southeast of Blackburn and 26 mi southwest of Bradford. Bacup stands on the western slopes of the South Pennines, amongst the upper-Irwell Valley. The River Irwell, a 39 mi long tributary of the River Mersey, runs southwesterly through Bacup towards Rawtenstall from its source by the town's upland outskirts at Weir. The Irwell is mostly culverted in central Bacup but it is open in the suburbs. In 2003 there was a proposal to use plate glass for a section of the culvert in the centre of the town however the culvert was eventually replaced with concrete. the Deerplay area of Weir is 1350 ft above sea level; Bacup town centre is 835 ft above sea level.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Lee_quarry.jpg" caption="On the moor to the south is [[Lee Quarry]], a council funded mountain bike trail."] ::

Bacup is surrounded by open moor and grassland on all sides with the exception of Stacksteads at the west which forms a continuous urban area with Waterfoot and Rawtenstall. The towns of Burnley and Accrington are to the north and northwest respectively; Todmorden, Walsden and the county of West Yorkshire are to the east; Rochdale and the county of Greater Manchester are to the south; Rawtenstall, from where Bacup is governed, is to the west. Areas and suburbs of Bacup include Britannia, Broadclough, Deerplay, Dulesgate, Stacksteads and Weir.

Bacup experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers, yet harsh winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year.

Economy

Bacup’s economy reflects its industrial heritage and ongoing transition toward a more diversified local base. While traditional textile and footwear manufacturing declined during the late 20th century, the town is now home to a range of small and medium-sized enterprises across sectors such as engineering, plastics, furniture, and e-commerce.

Modern employment sites include Futures Park and New Line Industrial Estate, which support local businesses involved in production, distribution, and services. Companies with operations in Bacup include Orthoplastics, JJO plc, Dale Print, AV.com (a subsidiary of Gear4music), and the Lancashire Sock Manufacturing Company.

Although Bacup forms part of the broader Pennine Lancashire economy, it retains a distinct local employment profile shaped by manufacturing and logistics. The workforce is concentrated in skilled trades, machine operation, and warehousing roles, reflecting the area’s stock of light industrial units and repurposed factory buildings. Business activity in the town also includes niche and specialist manufacturing, supported by regional transport links via the A681 and proximity to the M66 corridor.

Landmarks

The town's parish church is dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist. Aside from just this church, Bacup has many other churches. The majority of Bacup's culturally significant architecture is in the Victorian period, but there are older buildings of note are Fearns Hall (1696), Forest House (1815) and the 18th-century Stubbylee Hall.

Bacup is home to the 17 ft long Elgin Street which held the record as the shortest street in the world until November 2006, when it was surpassed by Ebenezer Place, in the Scottish Highlands.

Many of the town's historic buildings are set to be renewed in a £2m regeneration scheme.

Transport

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Bacup's_bus_station.jpg" caption="Rosso]] bus in Bacup town centre"] ::

Bacup railway station was opened in 1852 by the East Lancashire Railway as the terminus of the Rossendale line. The Rochdale and Facit Railway was extended to Bacup in 1883. It rose over a summit of 967 ft between Britannia and Shawforth. The Rochdale line closed to passenger services in 1947, and the station finally closed in December 1966, with the cessation of all passenger services to and from Manchester Victoria via Rawtenstall and Bury.

In June 2014 the police announced they would be monitoring the road between Weir and Bacup (which passes through Broadclough) as it has become an accident blackspot with a high number of accidents which have resulted in serious injury and even deaths.

A671 Bypass proposals

There have been a large number of road traffic incidents on the A671 as it passes through the small hamlets of Broadclough and Weir near Bacup including fatalities. Currently police are monitoring the road and there have been calls from local residents, led by County Councillor Jimmy Easton, for the creation of a bypass with the suggestion of utilising elements of Bacup Old Road.

Culture and community

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/2007-05-19_Makila-dantzak-Iruñea_IZ_8919.jpg" caption="Silver Band]] and proceed to dance their way through the streets." alt=""] ::

Bacup Museum is local history hub and exhibition centre in Bacup. The Bacup Natural History Society was formed in 1878. The work of the society is carried out by a group of volunteers who have a base in the Bacup Museum which contains many domestic, military, industrial, natural history, and religious collections.

Bacup has been used as a filming location for the 1980s BBC TV police drama Juliet Bravo, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, parts of The League of Gentlemen and much of the film Girls' Night. Elements of the BBC TV drama Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit were also filmed on location in Bacup. The famous 1961 British film Whistle Down the Wind starring Hayley Mills also used various parts of Bacup for filming. The comedy drama Brassic was also largely filmed in Bacup.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill and local relay TV transmitters.

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Lancashire on 95.5 FM, Heart North West on 105.4 FM, Capital Manchester and Lancashire on 107.0 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire on 96.5 FM, and Rossendale Radio, a community based radio station which broadcast to the town on 104.7 FM.

The town's news in print is provided by The Rossendale Free Press - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rossendale_Free_Press - a newspaper sold in most local retail outlets and nearby communities throughout the Rossendale Valley. The paper's Web site closed in 2023 and the publication's online news is now provided on Lancs Live -https://www.lancs.live/all-about/bacup.

The less widely available local printed newspaper that includes Bacup coverage and which still does maintain a Web site is the Lancashire Telegraph.

The Sky TV comedy Brassic is partly filmed in Bacup.

Notable people

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Beatrice_Webb,_c1875.jpg" caption="[[Beatrice Webb]], ca.1875"] ::

Sport

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

References

  1. {{harvnb. Miller. 1971
  2. "Town population 2011".
  3. "The Bacup 2040 Vision".
  4. "Let's Move to Bacup, Lancashire". [[The Guardian]].
  5. Mills. 2003
  6. {{harvnb. Cameron. 1961
  7. {{PastScape
  8. {{PastScape
  9. "Broadclough Dykes: Lancashire's Most Important Unresolved Archeological Site? - Bacup Business Association".
  10. Whitworth Town Council. "Town Overview". Government of the United Kingdom.
  11. Rossendale Borough Council. "A Brief History of Rossendale; Bacup". Government of the United Kingdom.
  12. (24 July 2007). "Joint fight to get Bacup back on its feet". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk.
  13. Tonge, Jenny. (16 December 2005). "Bacup 'left to rot'". M.E.N. Media.
  14. Smyth, Catherine. (2 December 2005). "Bacup crime levels lowest in county". M.E.N. Media.
  15. Korn, Helen. "Bacup is the same as any town". thisislancashire.co.uk.
  16. (29 October 2008). "Goth murderer wins shorter sentence". Guardian News and Media.
  17. "What is the THI Project". THI.
  18. "Property Prices in Bacup from 2005 to 2018". House.co.uk.
  19. (22 March 2017). "Great value property in a stunning location – why we should all move to the Rossendale Valley". MEN.
  20. (29 March 2019). "What Bacup Could Look Like In 2040". Lancs Live.
  21. "Bacup 2040 Website".
  22. (29 August 2019). "Bacup Share £1bn Pot of Cash To Re-Invent High Street". Lancs Live.
  23. "Bacup 2040". Bacup THI.
  24. (14 November 2019). "Trafford Tour Gives Food For Thought For Bacup Regeneration". Rossendale News.
  25. "About Bacup & Stacksteads Neighbourhood Forum". Bacup and Stackstead Neighbourhood Forum.
  26. "Quarter 3 2019–2020 Appendix 1 Rossendale Borough Council". Rossendale Borough Council.
  27. (28 May 2020). "Why We Support The Bacup 2040 Vision And Masterplan". GrowTraffic.
  28. (28 February 2020). "New Images Of £9m Bacup Market Square Redevelopment Unveiled". Lancs Live.
  29. (28 June 2020). "11 Million Bid To Overhaul East Lancashire Town". Lancashire Telegraph.
  30. (15 June 2020). "Former Bacup Cinema Restored And Brough Back into Use in £1m plan". Lancs Live.
  31. (15 March 2023). "Budget 2023 | £120m for North West regen".
  32. "The New Bacup Market: A New Chapter Begins in Bacup with the Temple Court Development | GrowTraffic".
  33. {{harvnb. Lewis. 1848
  34. "Greater Manchester Gazetteer". Greater Manchester County Record Office.
  35. (12 April 2019). "National Lottery success for Stubbylee Hall".
  36. "Rossendale and Darwen". [[The Guardian]].
  37. {{harvnb. Sellers. 1991
  38. "Bacup, United Kingdom". Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
  39. [[Office for National Statistics]]. (2001). "Census 2001:Key Statistics for urban areas in the North; Map 3". Government of the United Kingdom.
  40. [[Office for National Statistics]]. (2001). "Census 2001:Key Statistics for urban areas in the North; Map 9". Government of the United Kingdom.
  41. Taylor, Hugh. "Futures Park".
  42. (August 2025). "Map of The Sidings, New Line Industrial Estate, Bacup, OL13 UK".
  43. "Directory Archive".
  44. Manchester City Council. "Helmshore Mills". spinningtheweb.org.uk.
  45. Rossendale Borough Council. "Towns and Villages". Government of the United Kingdom.
  46. Freethy}} {{dead link, Ron. (24 July 2007). "Tourist guide to Bacup". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk.
  47. "The Bacup Natural History Society & Museum".
  48. (1 November 2006). "Street measures up to new record". BBC News.
  49. "Housing and Planning Minister Reviews £2m Bacup Regeneration Scheme". OBAS Group.
  50. "Disused Stations: Bacup Station".
  51. {{PastScape
  52. (29 June 2014). "Police Monitoring Bacup Weir Accident Blackspot". [[The Bolton News]].
  53. (26 April 2014). "UPDATED: Man fighting for life after Bacup crash". Bolton News.
  54. (2005). "The History of the Britannia Coconut Dancers". coconutters.co.uk.
  55. "index".
  56. "museum&archives".
  57. Press, Rossendale Free. (2007-03-02). "Film crews can't get enough of the Valley".
  58. (May 2004). "Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter". UK Free TV.
  59. (May 2004). "Freeview Light on the Bacup (Lancashire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV.
  60. "Rossendale Radio".
  61. (30 May 2014). "Lancashire Telegraph".
  62. Hibbs, James. (27 September 2023). "Where is Brassic filmed?".
  63. {{cite DNB. Sutton. Charles William. (1888)
  64. {{Cite EB1911
  65. Webb, Beatrice (1926, reprinted 1979), ''My Apprenticeship'', Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN. 978-0-521-29731-8
  66. Grimshaw, Katie. (3 September 2003). "Betty Jackson – the Bacup girl done good". bbc.co.uk.
  67. Frankel}}{{dead link, Susannah. (9 June 2007). "Twenty-five years on, is Betty Jackson still a cut above?". independent.
  68. (7 November 2008). "East Lancashire actors star in Coronation Street's special DVD". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk.
  69. (24 September 2009). "Hereford United 2 Accrington Stanley 0". M.E.N. Media.
  70. (2 October 2009). "Pugh's Claret dream". M.E.N. Media.

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bacuptowns-in-lancashireunparished-areas-in-lancashireformer-civil-parishes-in-lancashiregeography-of-the-borough-of-rossendale