Barnoldswick dates back to Anglo Saxon times. It was listed in the Domesday Book as Bernulfesuuic, meaning "Bernulf's Town" (–uuic being an archaic spelling of –wick, meaning "settlement", in particular, a "dairy farm").[2][3][4] The town is known locally as Barlick.[5]
A Cistercianmonastery was founded here in 1147, by monks from Fountains Abbey. However, they left after six years, before construction was complete, driven out by crop failures and locals unhappy at their interference in the affairs of the local church. They went on to build Kirkstall Abbey. They returned after another ten years to build the isolated Church of St Mary-le-Ghyll close to the road between Barnoldswick and Thornton in Craven.
At the same time, William de Percy II, feudal baron of Topcliffe, granted Crooks House in the northern part of the Bracewell area to the monks who founded Sawley Abbey.[6]
For hundreds of years, Barnoldswick remained a small village. However, the arrival of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and later the (now closed) railway, spurred the development of the existing woollen industry, and helped it to become a major cotton town. The engine of the last mill to be built in Barnoldswick, Bancroft Mill, has been preserved and is now open as a tourist attraction – a 600hp steam engine, which is still operational.[7]
Geography
On the lower slopes of Weets Hill in the Pennines, astride the natural watershed between the Ribble and Aire valleys, Barnoldswick is the highest town on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal,[8] lying on the summit level of the canal between Barrowford Locks to the south west and Greenberfield Locks just north east of the town.
From 1894 until 1974, Barnoldswick formed an urban district within the administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire.[14] Until 1974, post used to be addressed via Colne, Lancashire, to addresses in Barnoldswick.
Since 1854, Barnoldswick has been the home of Esse stoves, one of the country's oldest standing stove manufacturers. The company have manufactured in the town since 1854 and clients have included Florence Nightingale, Shackleton and Scott, Alan Hinkes and River Cottage. Esse have their head office at the Ouzledale Factory in the town and distribute all their stoves through a close link of specialist stove retailers.[21]
The longest strike – Silentnight picket line in June 1986
Barnoldswick is also home to Silentnight Beds, the United Kingdom's largest manufacturer of beds and mattresses. Silentnight, part of the Silentnight Group, has its head office and manufacturing premises in the town.[22][23] Silentnight is noteworthy in trade union history (in this case Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union) as having the longest ever strike, from 1985 to 1987.[24]
Rolls-Royce plc is a large employer based in the town. It was originally Bankfield Shed, a cotton weaving mill that Rover used to produce the production version of Whittle's gas turbine and was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1943.[25] The model number of many Rolls-Royce jet engines start with the initials RB (e.g. RB199) which stands for Rolls Barnoldswick, as Rolls-Royce aero's design centre was situated in Barnoldswick.[26]
Hope Technology, a manufacturer of mountain bike parts such as disc brakes, hubs, and headsets, is based in Barnoldswick.[27] Albert Hartley Textiles is the last remaining textiles mill in the town and is a big employer for the local area. Originally, there were thirteen mills in the town, the last being constructed in 1920.[28] There are currently plans to renovate the mill and create a local apprenticeship scheme.
Put in place by Manchester-based property developers, Capital & Centric Plc the scheme would involve construction of a new factory, and a medium-sized supermarket.[29] The plans were approved over two other competing schemes in August 2012, the council citing that, in addition to adhering with planning policy, the site on Harley was favoured, because of the job creation for the town.[30]
Barnoldswick railway station formerly served the town, on the Midland Railway's branch line off the Skipton to Colne line, though this was closed under the Beeching Axe in 1965; the pressure group SELRAP is campaigning for the reopening of the latter line. At present, would-be rail passengers must travel via Skipton for trains serving North and West Yorkshire or via Colne/Clitheroe for trains serving Lancashire; services are operated by Northern Trains.[32]
The nearest airports are Leeds Bradford (40 minutes by road or about two hours by public transport) and Manchester (about 1¼ hours by road or about three hours by public transport).[33]
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