| Clitheroe | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Clitheroe town centre | |
  Clitheroe Shown within Ribble Valley Show map of the Borough of Ribble Valley | |
| Population | 17,141 (2021 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SD742417 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CLITHEROE |
| Postcode district | BB7 |
| Dialling code | 01200 |
| Police | Lancashire |
| Fire | Lancashire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Clitheroe (/ˈklɪðəroʊ/) is a town andcivil parish in theBorough of Ribble Valley,Lancashire, England; it is located 34 miles (55 km) north-west ofManchester. It is near theForest 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.[2]
The town was listed in the 2017The Sunday Times report on the best places to live in Northern England,[3] while the widerRibble Valley, of which Clitheroe is the most populous settlement, was listed in the 2018 and 2024Sunday Times report on the best places to live.[4][5] Clitheroe and the wider Ribble Valley have also been listed as healthiest and happiest place to live in the United Kingdom.[6][7][8][9]
The town's most notable building isClitheroe Castle, which is said to be one of the smallestNormankeeps in Great Britain. Several manufacturing companies have sites here, including Dugdale Nutrition,Hanson Cement,Johnson Matthey andTarmac.
The nameClitheroe is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon for "Rocky Hill",[10] and was also spelledClyderhow andCletherwoode,[11] amongst others. The town was the administrative centre for the lands of theHonour of Clitheroe. TheBattle of Clitheroe was fought in 1138 duringthe Anarchy. These lands were held byRoger the Poitevin, who passed them to thede Lacy family, from whom they passed by marriage in 1310 or 1311 toThomas, Earl of Lancaster.[11] It subsequently became part of theDuchy of Lancaster untilCharles II at the Restoration bestowed it, onGeorge Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, from whose family it descended through thehouse of Montague to that of Buccleuch.[11]
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 rightLord of Bowland, the so-calledLord of the Fells.[12] The town's earliest existing charter is from 1283, granted byHenry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, confirming rights granted by one of his forebears between 1147 and 1177.[10]
According to local legend, stepping stones across theRiver Ribble near the town are the abode of an evil spirit, who drowns one traveller every seven years.[13]
DuringWorld War II, thejet engine was developed by theRover Company.[14] Rover andRolls-Royce met engineers from the different companies at Clitheroe'sSwan & Royal Hotel. The residential area 'Whittle Close' in the town is named afterFrank 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,[15]Edisford Bridge[16] andClitheroe Castle.[17]
The town elected two members to theUnreformed House of Commons. TheGreat Reform Act reduced this to one. Theparliamentary borough was abolished under theRedistribution of Seats Act 1885.
It was one of the boroughs reformed by theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835, and remained amunicipal borough, based atClitheroe Town Hall, until theLocal Government Act 1972 came into force in 1974, when it became asuccessor parish within theRibble Valley district.[18]
Since 1991, the town of Clitheroe has elected at least 8 out of the 10 Liberal Democrat borough councillors onRibble 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 toLancashire County Council.
Clitheroe was one of earliest seats to elect a Labour MP, whenDavid Shackleton won the1902 Clitheroe by-election for theLabour 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 subsequent1906 general election, at which he was challenged by anIndependent Conservative. Shackleton was General Secretary of the Textile Factory Workers Association, and at the time, there were a large number ofmill workers living locally. Labour lost the seat at the1922 election, and did not regain it until their1945 landslide victory. The Conservatives won the seat back at the next general election, in1950, and held it from then until1983, 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 ofBurnley andColne.
As part of theRibble Valley constituency, Clitheroe has been represented by aConservative Member of Parliament for many years, with the exception ofMichael Carr, who won aby-election in 1991 for theLiberal Democrats, but who lost the seat at thegeneral election a year later.
The current MP isJonathan Hinder, who was first elected in 2024.
| Climate data for Stonyhurst (115 metres asl) 1981–2010 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) | 6.8 (44.2) | 9.0 (48.2) | 11.7 (53.1) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.8 (64.0) | 19.7 (67.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 16.7 (62.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 9.2 (48.6) | 6.8 (44.2) | 12.7 (54.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) | 1.2 (34.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | 4.3 (39.7) | 7.1 (44.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 11.8 (53.2) | 11.7 (53.1) | 9.6 (49.3) | 7.0 (44.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | 1.7 (35.1) | 6.1 (43.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 124.2 (4.89) | 94.2 (3.71) | 104.4 (4.11) | 66.6 (2.62) | 73.4 (2.89) | 90.1 (3.55) | 96.0 (3.78) | 108.2 (4.26) | 114.7 (4.52) | 141.4 (5.57) | 139.4 (5.49) | 141.6 (5.57) | 1,294.2 (50.95) |
| Average rainy days | 17.0 | 12.4 | 14.7 | 11.6 | 11.3 | 11.8 | 12.1 | 14.1 | 14.1 | 15.6 | 16.9 | 16.1 | 167.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 45.8 | 67.9 | 94.8 | 148.8 | 175.0 | 166.6 | 156.9 | 164.9 | 117.0 | 92.5 | 61.8 | 43.1 | 1,335 |
| Source: metoffice.gov.uk[19] | |||||||||||||
ICI founded a chemical plant in 1941, which was sold for a reported £260 million in September 2002, toJohnson Matthey.[20]Conservatory manufacturerUltraframe 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.[21][22]
Hanson Cement has been criticised for usingindustrial waste in its kilns. The company claims that its filters remove these and that government inspectors have approved the plant.
Another local firm, the family-ownedanimal feed producer Dugdale Nutrition can trace its history back to John Dugdale who was trading atWaddington Post Office in 1850.[23]
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, includingLloyds Bank,HSBC, andNatWest. Clitheroe has three jewellers, withNettletons Jewellers being on the high street.
In May 2007, planning permission was granted for aHomebase, although the store didn't open until April 2009.[24] In April 2015, work officially started on a new development, consisting ofAldi and Pets at Home.[25][26] In October 2015, Aldi officially opened, with Pets at Home andVets4pets following shortly afterwards.[27]
Clitheroe has five supermarkets:Booths,Tesco,Sainsbury's (including anArgos),Lidl, and Aldi. There is ashopping centre known as theSwan Courtyard. In May 2007, whenKwik 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 shopYMCA.[28]
| Clitheroe Ethnic groups 2011[29] | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White British | 94.9% |
| Asian | 2.0% |
| Black | 0.1% |
At the2011 United Kingdom census, Clitheroecivil parish had a population of 14,765.[29] 5electoral 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.[30]
There are threeAnglican churches: theParish Church of St Mary Magdalene; St James' Church; St Paul's inLow Moor. TheRoman Catholic church ofSt Michael and St John Church is at Lowergate andSt Augustine's High School inBillington is the local Roman Catholic secondary school.
TrinityMethodist Church is on the edge of Castle Park in Clitheroe. There is also aUnited Reformed Church in the town; the Clitheroe Community Church and aSalvation Army citadel. Since 2017, there is also aFriends meeting house. A former church at Lowergate was granted permission in December 2006 to become a multi faith centre, with aMuslim prayer room. It is open for all faiths to use the rest of the building.[31] The conversion was completed in March 2014.[32]
Clitheroe Castle is argued to be the smallestNorman keep in the whole of England. It stands atop a 35-metre knoll oflimestone and is one of the oldest buildings inLancashire.
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.[33] His son Aurthur Ingram Robinson lived at the Castle after 1878, and inherited the Steward title too (seeHonour of Clitheroe).
The town has good local public transport links, centred aroundClitheroe Interchange.
Clitheroe railway station is on theRibble Valley line, providing hourly passenger services toBlackburn,Manchester Victoria andRochdale; the route is operated byNorthern Trains.[34] Services are operated usually byClass 150diesel 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, a community rail group, is campaigning for services from Clitheroe to be extended north toHellifield.[35]
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 itsBlackburn Bus Company andBurnley Bus Company subsidiaries, is the most prominent operator; it operates mainly interurban services to other towns in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire. Other operators includePreston Bus, Vision Bus, Pilkington Bus, Holmeswood Coaches andStagecoach in Lancashire.
Clitheroe F.C. play in theNorthern Premier League Division One North. Originally established in 1877 as Clitheroe Central, they play their home games at the Shawbridge Stadium.[36] There is also a youth football club, Clitheroe Wolves, founded in 1992.[37]
Cricket has been played in Clitheroe since the 1800s, withClitheroe 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 theRamsbottom andTwenty-20 cups in the 2006 season.[38]
TheClitheroeGolf Club was founded in 1891, and originally the course was at Horrocksford on land now quarried away. The current course was designed byJames Braid, and play began in the early 1930s. It is located south of the town in the neighbouring parish ofPendleton.[39] Clitheroe Rugby Union Football Club, formed in 1977, play at the Littlemoor Ground on Littlemoor Road in the town and run two adult rugby teams.[40]
In August 2005, a cycle race, theClitheroe Grand Prix, took place in the town, withRussell Downing finishing ahead ofChris Newton.[41] In August 2006,Ben Greenwood won, withIan Wilkinson second,[42] but in April 2007, the council decided not to support another event, citing poor attendance.[43] The town was also the start point of the second stage of the2015 Tour of Britain.[44]
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.[45] The site is shared with the Roefield Leisure Centre, developed and operated by a registered charity whose supporters began fund-raising in 1985.[46]
In April 2006, Clitheroe Skatepark officially opened in the Castle grounds, built and funded by the Lancaster Foundation charitable trust.[47] In June 2016, Clitheroe-raised mixed martial artist,Michael Bisping, won theUFC Middleweight Championship, by defeating Luke Rockhold by way of knockout in the first round of the fight.[48] 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 documentaryAlfie 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.[49]
Clitheroe has hosted theRibble Valley Jazz and Blues Fest since making a return in 2010 after more than 40 years. It is held annually, usually duringEarly 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 the festival organisers. Lancashire's top professional chefs, the town's retailers, groups and volunteer organisations also take part.[50]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North West andITV Granada. Television signals are received from theWinter Hill TV transmitter.[51] Local radio stations areBBC 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, a community based station which broadcast to the town and across theRibble Valley on 106.7 FM and also online.[52] The town is served by the local newspapers,Burnley Express (formerlyThe Clitheroe Advertiser & Times) andLancashire Telegraph.[53]
The three main secondary schools in the town areClitheroe Royal Grammar School,Ribblesdale High School andMoorland School. There are several primary schools in the town. These are St James'sChurch of England Primary School, St. Michael and John'sRoman 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 the East Lancashire Commissioning Care Group. Clitheroe also has its ownAmbulance,Fire andpolice stations.
Clitheroe istwinned withRivesaltes, a small town in France.
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