Darwen

This fascinating book of over 200 old photographs depicts scenes, people and events from everyday life in and around Darwen, from a period of more than one hundred years. Many of the photographs, most of which come from the Darwen Library, have not been published before.

In this book we see some of the town’s well-known features such as The Circus, through a period of change, plus former landmarks, like the gasholders in Vale Street and the pier at the top of Bury Street, that were both prominent features in the town. We also see images of the numerous mills that were once in business in the Darwen district including Woodfold, Belgrave and Barley Bank. The people feature just as prominently as the townscape, and we see a community enjoying many social events such as football matches, agricultural shows, drama productions, street parties and carnivals. We also see some of Darwen’s well-known individuals including Alderman Alex Carus JP, the town’s first Catholic mayor, Joseph Pomfret, Darwen’s Chief Librarian and George Nuttall, the town’s bellman for more than twenty-five years.

The book depicts the town of Darwen at work, at school and at play. It will appeal to all who know and love this Lancashire town and to those who would enjoy a trip into its recent past, an age now vanished for ever.