The Padiham Heritage Appraisal - Burnley Borough Council

3.4.2 The Padiham Urban District Council (PUDC) was responsible for the administration ofPadiham Market. In 1894 a new open market area, which held a weekly market, was establishedin an area north of Sowerby Street/rear of the old Liberal Club in Burnley Road, not far from thesite of the present day market (Haines & Jones, 1994, p.24). In 1913, a market hall was included inthe plans for the new municipal buildings, which were proposed for the site of the old gas works onStation Road. However, when the gas works were demolished, the market was moved to the otherside of Station Road. It was a wooden building constructed partially on the site of the present firestation and was opened in January 1914. It originally comprised 42 stalls, but expanded over the next20 years to 80 stalls. Wartime shortages and rationing may have been responsible for the market’sdecline and eventual closure in 1956 (Haines & Jones, 1994, p.24). The present day open marketreopened again in 1984 and occupies the site of the former coal staithe to the rear of Burnley Road.Large wooden gateposts (Plan A) are the last remaining evidence of the coal staithe where coal fromPadiham pits was brought by ginny wagons. Today the market has a number of brightly colouredpermanent stalls which occupy the site (Plan B & C).3.4.3 Throughout the early to mid 19th century Church Street remained the main shoppingarea, but towards the end of the century the focus for shopping shifted eastwards to BurnleyRoad (Mitchell et al, 2004, p.26). From 1881 the terminus for trams from Burnley was situatedat the bottom of the hill in Burnley Road, which may also have contributed to the shift of thecommercial centre of the town. Although most commercial premises would have been built assuch, a number of dwellings were converted into shops and businesses over time. There arestill a number of shops situated along Church Street today, many retaining features from theiroriginal shop frontages, whilst others have been unsympathetically altered (Plan F).3.4.4 Block 3-13 Church Street was built in several stages during the 19th century and liesopposite St. Leonard’s Church. Numbers 3-11 are locally listedand appear to have been built prior to 1850 (Plans A & B & C).Large quoined detailing on the north elevation of 3 Church Streetsuggests that this property was once a separate building. Charlesand Joseph Wilkinson were known to have operated a butcher’sshop from this property by at least 1872 (Worrell, 1872, p.190).Evidence of its former use exists in the line of small iron bracketsleft on Calder Street, which were used to support a meat flight fromthe slaughterhouse to the shop (Bond et al, 1998). All properties onthe block are currently in use with shops and a restaurant at groundfloor and living accommodation above.3.4.5 One of the principal 19th century commercial buildings inArea 1 was the Oddfellows Hall. This building was constructed in1845 and has three storeys of sandstone ashlar with a slate roofand copings. The Moriah Lodge of the Order of Oddfellows onceused the first floor whilst shops, the Oddfellows Arms, flats and evena private club (1980s) have occupied others over time. The Hall is astatutorily listed Grade II building (Plan A).3.4.6 In 1878 Messrs J. and P. Webster constructed a block ofpurpose built shops with accommodation above on the junction ofBurnley Road and Moor Lane (1-13 Burnley Road) (Plan A). This wasbuilt directly behind the butcher’s shop (old No 1 Burnley Road), whichwas once run by John Paul Webster until he moved his business into thenew block. The same family continued to run this business until CharlieWebster retired in the late 20th century. The terrace has attractive anddetailed mouldings around the triple arched windows to the first floors.A number of the shops in this block now appear to be vacant and othershave had unsympathetic changes made to the shop frontages. Someproperties have retained some original features. The block would benefitfrom the reinstatement of traditional architectural features to the BurnleyRoad frontage (Plan F).3-13 Church Street2 Bank Streeet and 4-6 North Street, knownas the Oddfellows Hall, is currently undergoingrefurbishment. On the North Street elevation of thebuilding a plaque reads ERECTED BY THE I.O. OFO.F.M.L. A.D. 1845.heritage appraisal 17