The Rossendale Valley Area, UK. Quiz

Answer: Lancashire

Travel north from Bury in Greater Manchester and you will enter the Rossendale Valley. The West Riding of Yorkshire lies to the east, taking you across the Pennines, and Cumbria is still "a good step" (as they say in Lancashire) away to the north, the Lancs/Cumbria border being just beyond Lancaster. Cheshire is, in fact, closer than you might think.

It wraps round the south Manchester/Stockport area and falls just short of the Derbyshire Peak District. The reason for this goes back to Cheshireīs salt trade, and the protection of vital routes for distributing it.

The areaīs principle settlements are the towns of Bacup, Haslingden, Rawtenstall, and Ramsbottom. There are also several picturesque villages and natural beauty spots dotted around.

Answer: Irwell

Rising at Cliviger, North of Bacup, the River Irwell flows through Rawtenstall and Bury, before it merges with the River Roch (think of Rochdale) near Radcliffe. Making an enormous loop around the north-western side of Manchester, it joins the Rivers Irk and Medlock close to the city centre, before heading west through Salford. Journeyīs end is south of Irlam, where it meets the River Mersey.

Whilst less than appetizing by the time it reaches Manchester, the water up in Rossendale is quite clear. Boil before drinking - if you dare!

Answer: Textiles

"This is the valley where cotton is king". So sang folk musician and comedian Mike Harding about Rossendale. Known as the "Golden Valley", it was one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution and the Lancashire textile Industry. The soft, damp climate, together with relatively easy access to sea ports (via road and canal routes prior to the Railway Age) made fortunes for the mill owners, and kept thousands of families in work and poverty alike. Terraced stone cottages still cling to the valley sides, as they did when the streets rang to the sound of clogs worn by legions of Sallys, Seths, Sarahs and Samuels hurrying to and from the mills.

A small industry producing footware, as well as stone quarrying, also provided employment in Rossendale, and the Valleyīs influence may be felt in high places. Where do you think the flagstones in Trafalgar Square came from?

Answer: The East Lancashire Railway

It was in 1972 that the line from Bury to Rawtenstall saw its last passenger services as part of the national rail network, and this brought about the task of saving this stretch of track as a working preserved railway (coal traffic continued until 1980, but stations and other buildings needed looking after).

The line first opened in 1846, as part of the network linking Manchester, Bolton, and Bury. Thanks to the Lancashire Preservation Society, regular steam and diesel hauled services now run between Bury Bolton Street (the lineīs administrative and engineering headquarters) and Rawtenstall, via Ramsbottom and Summerseat.

The branch to Helmshore was abandoned, with the Station public house left to remind us of the railway connection. The Liverpool and Manchester can claim to be the worldīs first true passenger railway, opening in 1830.

The Rossendale Valley Railway? it may be built someday...

Answer: Haslingden

Set not in a valley but on a hillside, Haslingden (or Hazzy to the locals) is a thriving town with a great sense of community. Its main street boasts several shops, pubs and restaurants, as well as some fine examples of church and civic architecture. To the west of the town is the Grane, a glaciated valley popular with ramblers. Notable ex-residents include the Irish Republican leader Michael Davitt (an immigrant millworker) and the composer Alan Rawsthorne was born in Hazzy in 1905. Improved motorway access in the latter 20th century called for more housing developments, including what is known locally as the "Jam Butty Estate" (once youīd moved into one of these posh townhouses, you lived on jam sandwiches for a good while afterwards!), situated above the town, and commanding spectacular views across the Valley - weather permitting! Bacup is of a similar size to Haslingden, while Helmshore and Crawshawbooth are both somewhat smaller.

Answer: Yes

Though lacking the Alpine splendour of St Moritz or Zermatt, Ski Rossendale at Rawtenstall has much to offer the winter sports enthusiast. Open all year round, this venue boasts a long, artificial surface slope, and offers facilities for skiers, snowboarders and the like. Youīll find me in the bar when youīve finished, where the beerīs better than in St Moritz or Zermatt - in my humble opinion!

Answer: Founding the Metropolitan Police Force

Sir Robert Peel (1788 - 1850) was twice Conservative Prime Minister, and prior to that, as Home Secretary, founded Britainīs first police force (the Metropolitan Police, based at Scotland Yard) in 1828. Indeed; policemen are still referred to as "bobbies", although the nickname "peelers" is heard less these days.

The Factory Act of 1844, which restricted working hours for women and children, as well as the repeal of the Corn Laws controlling the import of foreign grain to protect domestic producers, are also part of Peelīs political legacy.

The Industrial Age produced several prominent figures responsible for the construction of Britainīs canal and railway network, James Brindley and George Stephenson being two of the best known. Pendle Hill, to the north of Rossendale, is famous for witchcraft, and several exponents of this were tried and executed. James Hargreaves invented the Spinning Jenny in 1764, a machine enabling more than one spindle to be worked off one wheel. Had he not done so, the textile industry as we know it would not have existed.

Answer: It was, until 2006, Britainīs shortest street

At just 17 feet in length, it held the title until relinquishing it in 2006 to Ebenezer Place, Wick, Scotland.
Chimney Bank, Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire, claims to be Britainīs steepest street, a whopping 1 in 3! The locals seem pretty confident - thereīs a gift shop at one end of it.
Excellent as Bacupīs pubs are, the title of Britainīs oldest is hotly disputed between Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, St Albans, and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham.
Sir Robert Peel was born in Bury. There is a statue in the town centre reminding us of this.
By the way; Bacup is pronounced "baycup".

Answer: A type of sausage

There are many variants of Black or Blood Pudding around the world, but the one set before us here is Bury Black Pudding. Ready? Itīs a sausage made by cooking blood (usually that of a pig) with a filling - onion and oatmeal are most often used - until it is thick enough to congeal once it has cooled. Iīll just watch you eat yours, if you donīt mind! Ramsbottom even has an annual festival celebrating this culinary delight.

Its centrepiece is the Black Pudding throwing competition, in which the delicacy, wrapped in ladiesī nylons, is thrown at a 20 foot high stack of Yorkshire puddings - the winner having knocked down the greatest number.

This traditional sport has its origins in the Wars of the Roses, fought between the houses of Lancaster and York. Cīmon, Lancashire!

Answer: No alcoholic beverages are served here

Fitzpatrickīs is Britainīs last surviving Temperence bar. Although the building was once a pub, the One Too Many, it now dispenses its own brand of Sarsaparilla, cordial, and herbal beverages - and has been doing so since 1890. The Fitzpatrick family arrived in Lancashire from Ireland in the 1800s, and found a country where alcoholism, particularly amongst the working classes, was rife. Britain at that time did not tax alcohol, and this, coupled with the fact that drinkable water was not widely available, meant beer was the safest and cheapest option.

But the Temperance Movement gained ground, with more and more people signing the pledge to abstain from the demon drink. Public houses often had separate bars where no female was allowed, a practice that would be unacceptable in modern-day society.

This room was known as the "vault" in Lancashire. For those who fancy something a little stronger, Rossendale isnīt short of fine pubs, serving a wide selection of traditionally brewed beers. Good īealth!