The Padiham Heritage Appraisal - Burnley Borough Council

‘Heritage is all around us. We live our lives, whether consciously or not,against a rich backdrop formed by historic buildings, landscapes and otherphysical survivals of our past. But the historic environment is more than justa matter of material remains. It is central to how we see ourselves and to ouridentity as individuals, communities and as a nation. It is a physical record ofwhat our country is, how it came to be, its successes and failures. It is acollective memory containing an infinity of stories. England’s history is agradual accumulation of movement and arrivals, new stories attachingthemselves to old. Urban and rural landscapes reflect this layering ofexperience and develop their own distinct characteristics. Building materialsand styles can define and bind regions, localities and communities just aspotently as ethnic background, dialect or sporting loyalties. Historiclandscapes or iconic buildings can become a focus of community identityand pride and proclaim that identity and pride to the wider world. At a morelocal level a historic church or park can help define a neighbourhood andcreate a sense of local cohesion. Once lost, these defining features cannotbe replaced.’The Government’s statement: The Historic Environment: A Force for OurFuture (DCMS/DTLR 2001)AcknowledgmentBurnley Borough Council would like to acknowledge the historical adviceand assistance given by Margaret Jones, Molly Haines, Mike Rothwell andDuncan Armstrong in the production of the Padiham Heritage Appraisal.If you would like this information translated please contact the Translation Servicesat the Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JA Tel. No. 01282 832656.Available in large print on requestFront cover illustration: Lancashire Library photographProcession across Padiham Bridge before its widening in 1904.