Nelson (England)

Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire. It was developed as a mill town during the industrial revolution, but today has lost much of its industry.

"“Nelson is undoubtedly a modern town. Fifty years ago it was entirely unknown, and no mention of it appears in any books dealing with the ancient history of the County.” &mdash; Preston Guardian, 12 Feb 1881"

It has some of the lowest house prices in the country. It does have some good walks and lovely parks, good access to recreational activities and good transport links.

Nelson is minutes by car to some breathtaking countryside such as Barley, Roughlee and Newchurch which are steeped in history, provide excellent walks and some fine country pubs. A beautiful view of Pendle Hill can be seen from many areas of Nelson.

Understand
 Nelson's a typical gritty, Lancastrian industrial town built on the cotton weaving industry and in terminal decline for more than thirty years.

In the 1820s, between the towns of Burnley and Colne there was a coaching inn called the Lord Nelson. Just off the road was a tiny village called Marsden. As the Lancashire cotton industry grew, a town started to grow around the inn and the nearby station on the new East Lancashire Railway, and it took its name from the inn. Nelson grew at a very fast rate, and soon swallowed up both the villages of Marsden and Lomershaye. Consequently, Nelson is probably the only town of any size in the entire British Isles that's named after a pub!

Nelson's peak population of 39,841 in 1921 has now dwindled to less than 29,000 and it has lost most of its industry. The town had a heavily redeveloped and fully pedestrianised centre, but the main road through the town was converted back to a road in 2011 to try to boost trade.

There's ample parking in the centre, including a multi-storey car park with a covered walkway connecting it to the shopping precinct. There's a railway station with hourly trains to Burnley, Blackburn, Preston and Blackpool in one direction, and Colne in the other. The bus station has been renovated.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Radical left-wing politics in the early 20th century led to Nelson being labelled "Little Moscow" by the local and national press and fully 13.8% of the population described themselves as Pakistani at the last census, so it's a great place for a political debate over a curry and, possibly as a result of so much social deprivation, it does have some of the lowest house prices in England.

According to Wikipedia, the "... town is strikingly segregated: the Marsden ward, which in 2006 elected the borough's first British National Party councillor, is 96.58% White, while the Whitefield ward is 68.72% Asian or Asian British."

Climate
The damp East Lancashire climate was ideal for production of cotton goods but in Nelson, unlike the larger surrounding towns, the emphasis was on weaving rather than spinning. Nelson no longer has its own meteorological station.

As you can see from the blue sky in the thumbnail images below, it doesn't rain all the time in Nelson!

Visitor information

 * Visit Lancashire information on Nelson

Get in
Good access to the M65 motorway. It's around 45-minute by car from Manchester to the south, and less than an hour from Leeds to the east.

By boat
From Leeds to the north west or Liverpool to the south east by narrowboat on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal

By bike
Be careful. Cobbles and potholes (the size of tank traps) are challenging.

See

 * Marsden Park is the largest park in Pendle, with many historical and architectural features which include a pseudo-Roman spa bath, an ornamental pond and marsh area, a circular garden, sensory garden and a Lady's Garden. There are also woodland walks to enjoy. The park has five tennis courts and two bowling greens. Walton Lane, Nelson, BB9 8BW
 * Victoria Park was first awarded a prestigious Green Flag in 2009, and has maintained its flag ever since. It is designated a district park and covers over eight hectares of land. Specific features of interest in the park are a large lake, bandstand, bowling green, health walk routes, MUGA and a children's play area which are all spread evenly throughout the park. Carr Road (B 6249), Nelson, off Barrowford Road (A 6068) BB9 6DG.
 * Barnoldswick is a village off A56 that was historically in Yorkshire, but transferred to Lancashire in 1974. The main reason to visit is Bancroft Mill, and to stroll the Leeds-Liverpool canal along its summit section.
 * Barnoldswick is a village off A56 that was historically in Yorkshire, but transferred to Lancashire in 1974. The main reason to visit is Bancroft Mill, and to stroll the Leeds-Liverpool canal along its summit section.

Do

 * Marsden Park Golf course is an 18-hole golf course which provides stunning views of Pendle Hill and the surrounding countryside. For listings, bookings and enquiries please visit Pendle Leisure Trust website.
 * The ACE centre is a venue which rents space to organisations holding events.
 * The ACE centre is a venue which rents space to organisations holding events.

Buy
Nelson has a "re-invigorated" (marketing jargon for barely resuscitated and still on life-support after the government's austerity cuts) indoor shopping centre with both indoor and outdoor markets open M-Sa 9AM-5:15PM. Look out for special events throughout the year, including continental markets. .

Morrisons is the main supermarket in the town.

Eat
Slater's Ice Cream is a family-owned business selling ice creams made on the premises in a wide selection of traditional flavours. They have a 9-seat ice cream parlour with views over to Pendle Hill.

Drink



 * The Thatch and Thistle  is on the outskirts of town. It is a Hungry Horse pub and serves decent food, and is suitable for families.
 *  The Shooters Arms  is a traditional pub at the very top of Nelson with fantastic panoramic views of Pendle Hill.

Sleep
Few tourists come to Nelson and there are no hotels actually in Nelson.

Hotels
The closest hotel is in the next-door and larger town of Burnley:

Bed and Breakfast
There is one B&B in Nelson and one in a village about 2 km to the north.

Stay safe
There are some rough areas as in any town but people are generally friendly and welcoming.

It is generally safe in the town centre at night which is mainly because there isn't much going on, there are a couple of pubs one of which is fronted by the pedestrianised town centre area which has smokers hanging around the front entrance while they smoke, Nelson has many hot food takeaways with late night opening which generates lots of traffic and parked car mayhem but in general is quite safe.

Connect
As of July 2021, Nelson and Colne have 4G from all UK carriers. 5G has not yet reached this area.



Local radio: 2BR, BBC Radio Lancashire and Pendle Community Radio (local Asian community station).

Local newspapers: the Nelson Leader, published on Fridays, and the daily Lancashire Telegraph, which publishes a local edition for Burnley and Pendle.

Cope

 * Burnley General is the local NHS hospital.

Go next
Nelson's not exactly a tourist hotspot, but it does have a lot of attractions on its doorstep including Towneley Hall and Park at Burnley, Gawthorpe Hall at Padiham and Wycollar at Colne. The Pennine Way also runs close to the town and the historic town of Clitheroe is nearby.