Difference between revisions of "Brierfield"

'''Brierfield''' is a small town in [[Lancashire]] 2½ miles northeast of the town [[Burnley]], a mile southwest of the town [[Nelson, Lancashire|Nelson]], and half a mile northeast of [[Reedley, Lancashire|Reedley]].  It had a population of 8,200 in 2001

The building of the [[Leeds and Liverpool Canal]], the [[Blackburn]] to [[Addingham]] turnpike road and the railway line from [[Preston]] to [[Colne]] led to the town of Brierfield developing during the early 19th century. Before these new transport links were constructed, there was just a scattering of farmhouses forming part of the township of Marsden, which also covered what was to become Nelson. The construction in 1832 of the first cotton mill, just off Lob Lane (now Clitheroe Road) close to the Marsden coal pit, led to the massive growth of the settlement during the mid-19th century. New mills were quickly established along the banks of the canal and people flocked to the area to work in the cotton industry, many coming from the mining areas of the [[North Riding of Yorkshire]] as the lead seams were worked out. The cotton industry continued to be the main employer until well into the 1960s, and it was only in 2006 that BSN (formerly Smith & Nephew) finally ceased production of woven cloth at Brierfield Mills.  After years of disuse, Pendle Council purchased the Mills in 2012, intending to use it as a flagship regeneration project.<ref>{{cite news|title=Islamic Help sells building to local authority for £1.5m|url=http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/11877/islamic_help_sells_building_to_council_for_15m?utm_source=21+March+Finance&utm_campaign=21+March+Finance&utm_medium=email|accessdate=21 March 2012|newspaper=Civil Society|date=21 March 2012|author=Kirsty Weakley}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pendle Council buys Brierfield Mill for £1.5m|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-17435080|accessdate=21 March 2012|newspaper=BBC Lancashire|date=20 March 2012}}</ref>