The Padiham Heritage Appraisal - Burnley Borough Council

eightcharacter area 68.1. Introduction8.1.1 Character Area 6 is defined by the looping River Calder to the east, north and west,its tributary Green Brook to the south east and by the disused former Padiham branch railwayline to the south (Plan A). Smaller than Character Areas 1-5, it currently has two main landuses: a limited amount of private, mainly late nineteenth century housing to the east and therecreational areas of Memorial Park to the west (Plan A).8.1.2 The character area is overlooked from the adjoining Padiham Conservation Areaand Memorial Park beyond the river (Area 1). With a relatively level topography, it offers anattractive riverside environment of high amenity and ecological value.8.1.3 The significant interest of the character area lies mainly in the mix of public buildings,commercial properties and dwellings which once made this an important extension ofPadiham’s town centre with a high public profile as a gateway to Padiham station.8.2. Movement and key routes8.2.1 The Ordnance Survey map of 1844 shows the character area as part of anuninhabited land known as the Eyses or Eases which stretched from the banks of the RiverCalder to the settlement at Padiham Green to the south. Until the development of StationRoad and Bridge in 1875 the area was isolated from the main core of Padiham to the north,the nearest major crossing point being Padiham Bridge accessed via Green Lane to the southeast (Plan B). Throughout the main period of its development, the character area was knownand referred to as part of Hapton district, administered under the Padiham and Hapton LocalBoard (1873-1894).8.2.2 Until the mid nineteenth century, the Eases had been the site of Padiham Races, andwas subsequently used as a ground for fairs and shows. In 1888 the Eases were given to thetown by Colonel Starkie of Huntroyde and later became Padiham’s recreation ground (Hainesand Jones 1994 and pers. comm). The OS map of 1910 (Plan D) shows the ground completewith skating rink.8.2.3 Today, movement within the character area is constrained by the physical barriers ofthe river and the railway embankment. Bridges/crossing points over these barriers are a keyfeature of the character area. In addition to the Station Road Bridge over the Calder, there is avariety of railway bridges. These are discussed in more detail below.8.2.4 The character area has two main thoroughfares. At its northern end Station Road linksthe area to Padiham’s main centre via its bridge over the Calder. Turning south east andcontinuing beyond the railway line it links to the wider areas of Padiham’s expansion south ofthe river. Park Road, running south west through recreational areas and parallel with the river,links Station Road and Padiham Town Centre in the north with industrial/municipal sites beyondthe railway line.8.2.5 The location of Station Road (both sections) adjacent to the river and the presence oflarge scale public and industrial buildings, restrict movement around and between its blocks.Permeability within the western part of character area is also restricted by the presence oflarge areas of formal recreation facilities, although the clear, high quality footpath network andareas of open space that exist in the area compensate for this coarser grain of development.84 heritage appraisal