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<< 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 Earthworks
Country: 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:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
4

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Broadclough Dykes, Bacup, Lancashire
Broadclough Dykes, Bacup, Lancashire submitted by craghopper46 : View of the massive embankment of Broadclough Dykes from the east. (Vote or comment on this photo)
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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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
SD8624 : Broadclough Mill by Robert Wade
by Robert Wade
©2008(licence)
SD8624 : Broad Clough Mill by John H Darch
by John H Darch
©2012(licence)
SD8624 : Broadclough Mill by Kevin Waterhouse
by Kevin Waterhouse
©2022(licence)
SD8624 : Broad Clough Mill by Chris Heaton
by Chris Heaton
©2024(licence)
SD8624 : Broad Clough Mill by Alexander P Kapp
by Alexander P Kapp
©2010(licence)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 1.3km SSE 157° Bacup Natural History Society Museum* Museum (SD869231)
 1.4km ESE 124° Wyrd of Stake Moss* Modern Stone Circle etc (SD876235)
 2.5km ESE 104° Tooter Hill (Bacup)* Ancient Village or Settlement (SD888237)
 3.5km NNE 15° Thieveley (Holme Chapel) Cairn (SD873277)
 4.4km NNE 16° St John the Divine (Holme-in-Cliviger) Ancient Cross (SD8763428520)
 5.9km ENE 59° Mount Cross (Todmorden)* Ancient Cross (SD9146227284)
 5.9km SW 217° Waugh's Well (Edenfield) Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SD82871957)
 5.9km NNE 14° Stump Cross (Mereclough)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SD8781130029)
 5.9km S 181° Hamer Hill* Stone Circle (SD863184)
 6.0km N 8° Cliviger Law (Mereclough) Cairn (SD872302)
 6.0km SE 133° Hades Hill Cairn (SD908202)
 6.1km NNE 16° Mosley Height* Stone Circle (SD881302)
 6.1km E 96° Stones monoliths, Todmorden* Standing Stones (SD92522359)
 6.4km N 350° Foldys Cross (Towneley) Ancient Cross (SD85253065)
 6.7km ENE 63° Hawks Stones (Stansfield Moor) Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SD92332735)
 6.8km N 2° Cliviger Laithe (Worsthorne) Cairn (SD866311)
 6.9km ENE 67° Bridestones (above Cliviger Gorge)* Rock Art (SD9273026989)
 6.9km ENE 71° Golden Stones (Todmorden)* Rock Outcrop (SD9291926545)
 7.0km E 89° Holy Well (Todmorden)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SD9339324411)
 7.0km ENE 73° Harley Wood Edge Rock Art (SD9312526386)
 7.2km ENE 77° Whirlaw Stones* Rock Art (SD9348125886)
 7.3km ENE 70° The Bridestones (Todmorden)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SD9332926737)
 8.0km E 82° The Frying Pan 1* Cairn (SD9433425426)
 8.1km E 81° The Frying Pan 2* Cairn (SD9445425507)
 8.3km WNW 300° May Hole Well (Hyndburn Moor)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SD7923528430)
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"Broadclough Dykes, Bacup, Lancashire" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment
  
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Re: Broadclough Dykes, Bacup, Lancashire by Anonymous on Friday, 16 June 2017
You may be interested to know that I am currently producing a map-based archive of dry stone wallings for educational purposes for the Dry Stone Walling Association near Kendal. (Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester). It could well be of interest to your site members when the Cumbria map goes on line next month. There are certainly some oddities that are open to interpretation.

I would like to make a comment on Broadclough Dykes near Bacup. I was involved in a project a few years ago known as "Rossendale Valley of Stone". Taking a different perspective, myself and another geologist, came to the conclusion that it was unlikely to be a 'defensive position' as such, reported by our Victorian friend. We could be wrong, but the the geological survey map shows it as a open-cast coal mine with an abundance of fireclay, the dyke follows the outcrop exactly. It could be medieval, or coeval with the many other small coal pits and extractions in Rossendale.

Have a look at my website http://www.heritagephotoarchive.co.uk in particular http://heritagephotoarchive.co.uk/p1025672741/h5ed2c5ca#h5ed2c5ca which shows the dyke. There are other photos - use the site search box and SEARCH for Broadclough.
Regards Ken Howarth
pp Dry Stone Walling Association GB
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