Altham, Lancashire

Altham

St James' Church, Altham
Altham
 Altham shown within Lancashire
Population 1,137 (2011)
OS grid referenceSD775325
Civil parishAltham
DistrictHyndburn
Shire countyLancashire
RegionNorth West
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town ACCRINGTON
Postcode district BB5
Dialling code 01254
Police Lancashire
Fire Lancashire
Ambulance North West
EU Parliament North West England
UK ParliamentHyndburn
List of places
UK
England
Lancashire

Coordinates: 53°47′N 2°20′W / 53.78°N 2.34°W / 53.78; -2.34

Altham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Hyndburn, in Lancashire, England. It is the only parish in the borough – the remainder is an unparished area. The village is 4.3 miles (6.9 km) west of Burnley, 2.9 miles (4.7 km) north of Accrington, and 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of Clayton-le-Moors, and is on the A678 Blackburn to Burnley road. The River Calder passes to the north of the village, and forms part of the parish boundary. In the south west corner of the parish is Altham West, a suburb of Accrington. The 2001 census recorded a population of 897,[1] increasing to 1,137 at the 2011 Census.[2]

The Ham class minesweeper HMS Altham was named after the village.

Governance

  Altham parish shown within Hyndburn

Altham is in Hyndburn, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Lancashire. Altham was once a township in the ancient parish of Whalley, this became a civil parish in 1866.[3] From 1894 to 1974, the parish was in the Burnley Rural District.[4]

Hyndburn Borough Council has a total of 35 councillors, two of which are elected by the ward of Altham. As of 2008 the ward is represented by one Conservative Party and one Labour Party councillor.[5]

Altham has a parish council; its meetings are usually in Altham village. The facilities at Accrington Stanley's Crown Ground stadium have allowed some meetings to be held there, a more convenient location for the residents of Altham West.[6]

Industry

Coal mining was the major industry in Altham in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After the Leeds and Liverpool Canal was opened in the 1810s, pits were located near the canal, and supplied coal to the industries of East Lancashire. Later in the century Altham Colliery (later renamed Moorfield Colliery) was opened.[7][8] The colliery closed in 1949,[9] and Moorfield Industrial Estate is now on the site. An explosion at the colliery in 1883 resulted in the deaths of 68 people.[10]

Altham is now home to two industrial estates, Altham Industrial Estate within the village and Moorfield Industrial Estate in the southwest of the parish near Clayton-le-Moors.

Education

Altham St. James C.E. Primary School is located in the village.[6] The nearest secondary schools are in Accrington.

Religious sites

Altham has an Anglican church, dedicated to St James and situated on Burnley Road. The current building, which is Grade II* listed, was built in the 16th century, although a church has existed in the village since 1140; at first it was dedicated to St Mary. Until 1870 it was the parish church to Accrington.[11][12]

Transport

Altham is on the A678 road; the nearest motorway junctions are M65 junctions 7 (west of Clayton-le-Moors) and 8 (near Huncoat). The village is served by two bus routes; the 152 operated by Lancashire United, which connects the village to Burnley, Blackburn and Preston, and the 521 operated by M&M Coaches which runs between Burnley and Accrington.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Parish headcount" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  2. ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Altham CP/Ch through time". visionofbritain.org.uk. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "Burnley RD Lancashire through time: Administrative history of Local Government District: hierarchies, boundaries". A Vision of Britain through Time. University of Portsmouth & others. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  5. ↑ "Councillors – View by ward: Altham". Hyndburn Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  6. 1 2 "Parish Plan Update". Altham Parish Council. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  7. ↑ Clarke, Mike (2003). The Leeds & Liverpool Canal : a history and guide. Lancaster: Carnegie Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-85936-013-2. OCLC 54881773.
  8. ↑ "The Moorfield Pit Disaster". 2000. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  9. ↑ "Digging deep for our dark secrets". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. 2003-07-10. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  10. ↑ "Thirteen children among 68 killed in pit disaster". Accrington Observer. M.E.N Media. 2002-12-05. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  11. ↑ "Detailed Record: Church of St James". Images of England. English Heritage. 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  12. ↑ "St James formerly St Mary Church of England". GENUKI. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  13. ↑ "Bus map & guide – Accrington & Surrounding Area". Lancashire County Council. November 2010. Retrieved 2011-10-23.

External links

Media related to Altham, Lancashire at Wikimedia Commons

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