Worsthorne

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Village in Lancashire, England

title: "Worsthorne" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["worsthorne", "villages-in-lancashire", "districts-in-burnley"] description: "Village in Lancashire, England" topic_path: "general/worsthorne" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worsthorne" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Village in Lancashire, England ::

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

Field	Value
country	England
coordinates
static_image_name	Church Square, Worsthorne - geograph.org.uk - 771665.jpg
static_image_caption	Church Square, Worsthorne
population	1,028
population_ref	(2011)
official_name	Worsthorne
civil_parish	Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood
shire_district	Burnley
shire_county	Lancashire
region	North West England
constituency_westminster	Burnley
post_town	BURNLEY
postcode_district	BB10
postcode_area	BB
dial_code	01282
os_grid_reference	SD875325
website
pushpin_map	United Kingdom Borough of Burnley
pushpin_map_caption	Shown within Burnley Borough
::

Worsthorne is a rural village on the eastern outskirts of Burnley in Lancashire, England. It is in the civil parish of Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood and the borough of Burnley. At the 2011 census the village had a population of 1,028.

The village was known as Worthesthorn in 1202, which means "thorn tree of a man named 'Weorth'."

The village has a small village green, overlooked by the church and Bay Horse public house. Buildings in the village include cottages dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, and housing for millworkers dating from the Industrial Revolution. Relatively high property prices in the village reflect the fact that it is perceived to be a desirable place to live, with low crime and good education.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/StoneCircleWorsthorne(RichardSpencer)Jan2006.jpg" caption="Stone circle near Worsthorne"] ::

The history of human habitation in the area goes back to the late stone, bronze and Iron Ages. Earthworks and two prehistoric stone circles are shown on Ordnance Survey maps, one at on the moors to the east of the village; both are in a poor state of repair. A flint dagger 15 cm in length found on the moor is now in Towneley Museum.

Governance

Worsthorne forms part of the Worsthorne with Cliviger ward, which is currently represented on Burnley Borough Council by two Green Party councillors. In 2002 the ward elected a British National Party (BNP) councillor, which generated considerable media comment at the time; the seat returned to the Conservative Party when it was next contested. In the 2021 local elections, the ward returned a Green Party councillor for the first time. In 2022 The Green Party won a 2nd seat to become the majority party in the ward for the first time.

Landmarks

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/ChurchOfStJohnTheEvangelistWorsthorne(AlexanderPKapp)Oct2005.jpg" caption="accessdate=25 March 2007}} The churchyard has the grave of a ''packmaster'', a person whose job was to lead [[packhorse]]s across the moors in special sunken trails that allowed the horses to walk unhitched since the walls of the trail prevented them from straying."] ::

An earlier landmark used to be Worsthorne Methodist Chapel, on Chapel Street off Ormerod Street, next to where the former Old Hall stood, but it was demolished in the 1980s, an old people's home now sits on this site. The connected Sunday School building is now a children's nursery.

There is a former cotton mill in Gordon Street, a relic of the time when the area, especially Burnley, was the world centre of cotton weaving.

There are two public houses in the village: the Crooked Billet and the Bay Horse Inn.

Education

The village has a primary school with about 180 pupils in the 4–11 age range, serving Worsthorne, Hurstwood, Brownside and Pike Hill. The school houses seven classes in modern buildings and has extensive playing fields and grounds. Students used to be organised into four houses, Gorple, Extwistle, Brownside and Ormerod, which were named after the four roads running into Worsthorne and which meet in the village square. However, in 2020 the houses were renamed to Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. The original village school house, now converted into residential housing, stands in the square.

Transport

A regular bus service (route 4) runs between Worsthorne, Burnley and Stoops. On Mondays to Fridays, the first bus leaves the village square at 06:53 and services then run hourly until 18:53

Notable people

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Richard-Tattersall.jpg" caption="[[Richard Tattersall]], 1790"] ::

Richard Tattersall (1724–1795), horse auctioneer and the founder of the racehorse auctioneers Tattersalls.
Thomas Whitham VC (1888–1924), soldier, First World War, recipient of the Victoria Cross
Catriona Seth (born 1964), Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford

Sport

Ron Greenwood CBE (1921–2006), football player and manager, played 308 games, managed England 1977/1982
Brian Miller (1937–2007), footballer, played 379 games at Burnley, then manager 1979/1983 and 1986/1989

References

"Worsthorne Built-up area sub division".
Lancashire County Council. "Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood Parish Council". Lancashire Parish Portal.
Ron Freethy. (2006). "Tourist Guide to Worsthorne". burnleycitizen.co.uk (Newsquest).
David Ward. (10 June 2004). "Right on the Edge". Guardian Unlimited.
Paul Kenyon. "Worsthorne Moor (Slipper Hill)". Paul's Stone Circle Data Base.
David Ward. (4 May 2002). "Voice of BNP's new stronghold: 'No one in this village is a racist'". Guardian Unlimited.
(2021-05-25). "Councillor details - Councillor Scott Cunliffe".
Burnley Borough Council. (2003). "Beautiful Villages". Burnley Tourism.
"Search Results". The Incorporated Church Building Society archive.
Burnley Tourist Information Centre. (2006). "Burnley 2006 Heritage Open Days". Burnley Tourism.
(2007). "Real Ale Pubs in the Burnley Area". East Lancashire CAMRA.
(2005). "Worsthorne Primary School". Ofsted.
(2007). "About our school". Worsthorne Primary.
Council, Lancashire County. "Bus Timetables".
{{cite DNB. Seccombe. Thomas. (1898)

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