A walk along the rivers that run through Burnley with a few short tunnels, shown in red on the map below.
Nothing terribly exciting, more a water rat’s view of Burnley than anything much to explore.
I started at X and followed the River Brun (from which Burnley may get its name) downstream to where it joins the Calder at Y.
Then up the Calder under the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to Z and beyond.
Starting by a weir close to Thompson Park, the river goes past the former Technical College (nice frontage, currently empty).
And on…pictures taken both forwards and backwards.
Standing on a weir at the junction of the rivers with the Brun coming in from the right and the Calder from behind.
Now heading up the Calder past an empty little mill (Cuckoo or Calder Street Mill) which I looked round on the way back.
A bridge with one of several small outfalls on the route, all too small to bother with.
This hole had something steamy and not entirely wholesome coming out.
I could smell derp even before I turned the corner here, and sure enough on the right is the back of that festering bingo/theatre place (The Burnley Empire).
A few more short tunnels...
...then under the canal. The embankment here for the long straight bit was considered an engineering achievement at the time.
I eventually stopped outside another former cotton mill (Pentridge Mill), now a scrap car place.
I couldn’t tell how much of the main building is in use but the engine house is derelict - no access from the river though.
Since I’ve only been to Burnley a few times and don’t really know the place I asked the Mrs what it’s like since she comes from there.
According to herself, and I quote with permission, it’s ‘a racist shithole’.
Maybe it was 20 years ago when she left, but for the visiting derper there are still a few pretty buildings and promisingly grotty areas to mooch around.
Nothing terribly exciting, more a water rat’s view of Burnley than anything much to explore.
I started at X and followed the River Brun (from which Burnley may get its name) downstream to where it joins the Calder at Y.
Then up the Calder under the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to Z and beyond.
Starting by a weir close to Thompson Park, the river goes past the former Technical College (nice frontage, currently empty).
And on…pictures taken both forwards and backwards.
Standing on a weir at the junction of the rivers with the Brun coming in from the right and the Calder from behind.
Now heading up the Calder past an empty little mill (Cuckoo or Calder Street Mill) which I looked round on the way back.
A bridge with one of several small outfalls on the route, all too small to bother with.
This hole had something steamy and not entirely wholesome coming out.
I could smell derp even before I turned the corner here, and sure enough on the right is the back of that festering bingo/theatre place (The Burnley Empire).
A few more short tunnels...
...then under the canal. The embankment here for the long straight bit was considered an engineering achievement at the time.
I eventually stopped outside another former cotton mill (Pentridge Mill), now a scrap car place.
I couldn’t tell how much of the main building is in use but the engine house is derelict - no access from the river though.
Since I’ve only been to Burnley a few times and don’t really know the place I asked the Mrs what it’s like since she comes from there.
According to herself, and I quote with permission, it’s ‘a racist shithole’.
Maybe it was 20 years ago when she left, but for the visiting derper there are still a few pretty buildings and promisingly grotty areas to mooch around.
