The Padiham Heritage Appraisal - Burnley Borough Council

3.2.14 West Street/East Street was once the main road fromBlackburn into Padiham before the turnpike road (Church Street)was built in the mid 18th century (Plan B). The stretch of roadbetween Arbory Drive and the Hare and Hounds was also known asOld Chapel Street after the first Methodist chapel, which was builthere in 1758 (now 70 and 72) (Haines & Jones, 2006, pers comm).The section of road between the Hare and Hounds and Moor Lanewas known as Back Lane, probably after the turnpike along ChurchStreet was built.The properties on Chapel Walk are stone built houses,with a stone flag roof. Situated on a sloping cobbledstreet, they retain many of their original architecturalfeatures.3.2.15 70-90 West Street are built in the vernacular traditionof two up two down terraced properties constructed from localsandstone. 70-72 still exhibit the original stone flag roof. The otherproperties in this block may have had their original stone flag roofsreplaced over time with slate ones. Evidence of further alterationappears in the replacement windows and doors and the additionof porches. It is likely that 74-76 formed an earlier building withinthe existing block, its quoined edges suggesting that it was once adetached property.3.2.16 Other surviving examples of early 19th century workingclass housing include 34-50 West Street and locally listed WellStreet, Chapel Walk and Holland Street (Plan A). These properties,which all pre-date the OS 1844 map, are a good example of thetypes of housing which existed in Padiham prior to the industrialrevolution (Plan B). They also illustrate the more fluid developmentprior to the Health Acts of the 1850s, which introduced the ‘gridiron’street formation.3.2.17 It is likely that many of the town’s poorest people werehoused in the cramped developments of back-to-back and cellardwellings which were once located on Alma Street, St Giles Street(formerly known as Club Street), Double Row and Moor Laneamongst others during the 19th century (Plan B & C). For examplein 1851 it was thought that 77 households ‘or 349 people wereliving (within 66 dwellings) in St Giles Street, a figure equal to manyLancashire villages of the same date’ (Glenn & WEA, 1986, pp.24 &25). Padiham Urban District Council (PUDC) began to clear muchof this back-to-back housing in the 1920s and 1930s, consideringthem to be unfit for human habitation. This, together with increasesin the number of cases of overcrowding, brought about the decisionto build new housing estates in other areas of the town (See 4.3.1).3.2.18 As a direct result of the clearance programmes which tookplace during the inter war period of the 20th century, there are nolonger any back to back dwellings remaining in Character Area1. For example, the East Street neighbourhood was designatedas a clearance area in May 1933 and St. Giles Street by c.1937.Those people who were displaced were re-housed in other partsof the town in new social housing at Abingdon Road and BerkeleyCrescent on the Garden Street estate amongst others (Haines &Jones, 1994, pp.35-38).These stone built houses on Holland Street (a numberof which are now rendered) have two windows at firstfloor level.Well Street, formerly known as John’s Row wasconstructed from coursed sandstone rubble, whichwas perhaps a cheaper building option than usinglarger cut stones. Building Control Record (BCR)54679 suggests that back yards were proposed forthe properties in November 1874.34-50 West Street is also constructed from coursedsandstone rubble and was known as Pump Row in1874 (BCR 54679). Plans to rebuild the row weresubmitted by Thomas Jepson Esq. c.1912. Theinstructions on the BCR suggest demolishing andrebuilding both the front and rear elevations andreusing the front windows in the back elevation onceit was rebuilt (BCR 54870).heritage appraisal 13