Clitheroe is a market town with a population of 14,000 and lies at the heart of the Ribble Valley. Steeped in history the town’s most prominent feature is the 12th Century Norman Castle Keep set upon an outcrop of limestone rock. The views of the valley are spectacular once you gain its ramparts. There have been many changes in the course of the town’s history, but the characteristics stay much the same: welcoming folk ('Hello, are you alright?', can be heard many times as you move around the streets and markets) with a tale or two to tell, and a pride in their town and traditions. The town’s industry was mainly agricultural in the early years and the population small, but these expanded exponentially through the heady days of 'King Cotton'; this was when the town boasted 13 cotton mills and all the associated industries that came with it. Sadly there is but one mill still in business today. Industry has moved on to the more modern styles of today such as cement, clothing, electrical and chemical manufacture.
Other notable features of the town include the grounds of the Castle, which contain a museum with reputable exhibitions including the North West Sound Archive, Edisford picnic area, once the site of battle between the Normans and the Scots, Brungerley Park and the former quarry sites of Crosshill and Salthill, now designated wildlife conservation areas. A new Auction Mart is also situated on the outskirts of the town, and is best known for large sales of cattle and sheep and more recently for Sunday and Wednesday car boot sales. The town also hosts a vibrant open air market and a wide range of specialist shops, many of which have been run by the same family for generations.
Clitheroe is surrounded by open countryside and resides under the auspicious presence of Pendle Hill, famous for its part in earlier times in the 'Pendle Witches' scandal and trials, and in later times featuring in the film 'Whistle Down the Wind' starring Hayley Mills, and most recently in the television series 'Born and Bred' starring James Bolam, both of which were filmed in and around the Pendle area.
Situated on the other side of the valley is the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The town is served by a rail connection with a newly established bus/rail interchange. The main road corridor linking the town to east and south Lancashire and the North Yorkshire Dales is the A59 trunk road.
On the surface this all sounds very idyllic, and it seems that there is a lot going for the town of Clitheroe, especially with below national average unemployment and thriving industries in the area. Unfortunately, Clitheroe has been identified as becoming a dormitory town, to be failing in its role as the service centre for the Ribble Valley villages and hinterland, and to be need of regeneration to bring it back to its former glory.
Clitheroe has been selected by the Countryside Agency for their support in the government Market Town Initiative Program.
The government Market Town Initiative Programme came into being because of the alarming number of market towns across the country that were heading into decline and turning into dormitory towns. The Initiative Programme is there to help market towns help themselves to regenerate local businesses, communities and the local economy.
Over the pages of this web site we hope to enlighten you as to how a group of local people set about the regeneration processes set out by the Government Market Town Initiative Programme, The Countryside Agency and The Northwest Development Agency.
Clitheroe the Future supported by:-
