Welcome to Barnoldswick
Set in stunning scenery, the friendly market town of Barnoldswick - known affectionately to locals as Barlick - lies at the very heart of England. The town is quaint, quirky, colourful; above all Barnoldswick is friendly, warm and welcoming, full of character - and characters!
Nestling in the Pennine hills between Leeds and Manchester on the Lancashire / Yorkshire border, Barnoldswick is one hour's travel from either city. Barnoldswick is where Bronte Country meets the Yorkshire Dales, Pendle Hill and the Forest of Bowland.
Pennine cycle and bridleway routes pass through Barnoldswick and the superb summit stretch of the Leeds & Liverpool canal meanders through the town. Barnoldswick has wonderful walking countryside. The rolling heather moorland of Weets Hill boasts Britain's best view and becks dance down dales to lowland limestone landscapes.
Barnoldswick is steeped in living history. Its ancient heritage dates back to pre-Roman times. Nowadays, stone built streets surround a traditional town centre with a restful square at the heart of the community. The town even has a unique time of its own, with a clock based on the 12 different letters in Barnoldswick!
The town is well known for its industrial heritage. Aside from having the highest point of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Barnoldswick is famous for being the place where Rolls-Royce developed the jet engine in the second World War. There's also the town's most iconic landmark - Bancroft Mill with its working steam engine. There's not much better than the sight of the golden sun shining on the Bancroft Mill chimney.
Distinctly different to 'clone town' Britain, Barnoldswick is bursting with bustling shops which provide an individual service for discerning visitors. With scores of locally owned and family run shops, Barnoldswick has the highest proportion of independent traders in the country. People are often surprised at the quality and choice available in Barnoldswick shops.
Barnoldswick is bucking the trend with more shops now than five or ten years ago! Barnoldswick baked artisan loaves grace bakers windows; locally reared meat is prepared on butchers blocks; hand crafted wares share shelves with contemporary cutting edge creations; the town is a honey pot for quality house ware and boutique fashion; and Barnoldswick offers great value too.
With Britain's best inland urban beach, Barnoldswick is famed for its free family friendly activities. From April's celebrations of St George's Day to November's spectacular Switch On parade, thousands of visitors enjoy Barnoldswick's energetic and eventful calendar. Full of friendly folk, Barnoldswick is perfect for a restful or eventful visit the choice is yours.
You'll get a flavour of our town on this site and learn why we're proud and passionate about Barnoldswick. Check out what there is to see and do - then come and visit and try Barlick for real!
NEWS:
Success for two Barnoldswick Businesses at the 2012 Pendle Business Awards.
A total of 250 people packed into the ACE Centre on Friday 27th April for the glittering awards ceremony which recognised the very best of Pendle's high achieving businesses. Among the winners were two Barnoldswick Businesses:
Watch the 19 minute review video of the 2012 Pendle Business Awards |
Canal Boat Escapes - Canal Boat Escapes provide narrowboat holidays from two locations. One here in Pendle at Barnoldswick and the other near Preston.
The past two years have seen the company grow to operating eight narrow boats in 2011 with guests from all over the world.
This success has allowed Canal Boat Escapes to fund and establish a boat building division which launched It’s first specially made ‘Green’ narrow boat in March 2011.
They are the only narrow boat hire company in the UK to have been awarded a Green Tourism Accreditation.
The other Barnoldswick Business to receive an award was The Art Palette - The Art Palette is a small specialist shop based in Barnoldswick, combining both an art gallery and the retailing of art products and supplies.
The Art Palette defied the odds when it opened during a difficult economic period by breaking even in it’s first year of trading. They have recently developed a large customer base over the internet, serving the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Holland. What started off as a small business has gone on to be head hunted by global giants, Amazon, to be a supplier of materials previously not available via Amazon and thus expanding the available product range to a potentially worldwide customer base.
You can watch footage from the Awards night and see both businesses receive their awards by watching the video above.
The Pride of Barnoldswick Awards 2012
The Pride of Barnoldswick Awards were presented during Barnoldswick's Annual Town Meeting on Thursday 8th March 2012.
The awards celebrate people and organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to the town. Residents in Barnoldswick are invited to nominate people for the awards, with the recipients being chosen by the town council.
As well as the Pride of Barnoldswick awards, the event also included the short film below which reviews projects carried out by the town council during the last year. Find out who received the awards here
