<< Our Photo Pages >> Broadclough Dykes, Bacup, Lancashire - Misc. Earthwork in England in Lancashire
Submitted by craghopper46 on Sunday, 18 October 2015 Page Views: 6768
Multi-periodSite Name: Broadclough Dykes, Bacup, Lancashire Alternative Name: Broaclough Dyke, Broadclough EarthworksCountry: England
NOTE: This site is 0.443 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Lancashire Type: Misc. Earthwork
Nearest Town: Bacup Nearest Village: Broadclough
Map Ref: SD864243
Latitude: 53.714936N Longitude: 2.207543W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Earthwork in Lancashire
This is a massive earthwork situated to the west of the main road from Bacup to Burnley. Thomas Newbiggin, in his 'History of the Forest of Rossendale' (1868) quotes a Mr Wilkinson of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire: 'it is a formidable and gigantic intrenchment near Bacup. It measures more than one thousand eight hundred feet in lengh, is situated at the edge of a gentle slope, and has a trench at least fifty four feet broad at the bottom.'
The site was associated by the Victorians with Danish defences during Athelstan's conquering of the north, culminating at Brunanburh, but it is much more likely to be far more ancient in origin, with associated nearby features suggesting it is part of a Bronze Age development covering the entire hillside as well as that opposite.
Nearby there is clear evidence of a settlement as well as possible burials. The Rossendale Valley is a little known area nationally, being overshadowed by the nearby Dales and Peak districts, but warrants a full exploration. Broadclough Dykes is a fascinating and superbly preserved feature - well worth the stiff climb up the farm road.
Proceed north from Bacup for about a mile on the Burnley Road. Just after a sharp bend some pebble dashed semis appear on the left. Just before the first semi a farm track heads steeply upwards past Dykes House Farm. The site is accessed behind the farm and the views are truly magnificent. Any defender would have had a clear view of all disant hills and this site is also clearly lined up with Thieveley Pike Beacon to the north.
The main man-made rampart on the east side is partly damaged by farming but nevertheless is far more spectacular than many far more famous earthworks in Lancashire.
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