97-518: Edenfield is a village within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire , England. Lying on the River Irwell , it is around 1.25 miles (2.0 km) north of Ramsbottom , 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Rawtenstall , and 6.0 miles (9.7 km) west of Norden , and has a total population of 2,080, reducing to 2,053 at the 2011 Census. Edenfield village centre lies at the intersection of three A roads ;
194-430: A 1962 radio interview he told teenage questioners that he could not write about 'abstract things', preferring places, and faces. Philip Larkin wrote of his work, "how much more interesting & worth writing about Betjeman's subjects are than most other modern poets, I mean, whether so-and-so achieves some metaphysical inner unity is not really so interesting to us as the overbuilding of rural Middlesex ". Prompted by
291-441: A BBC film made in 1968, but not broadcast at that time, Betjeman described the sound of Leeds to be of "Victorian buildings crashing to the ground". He went on to lambast John Poulson 's British Railways House (now City House ), saying how it blocked all the light out to City Square and was only a testament to money with no architectural merit. He also praised the architecture of Leeds Town Hall . In 1969, Betjeman contributed
388-423: A bitter detestation. This situation was perhaps complicated by his enduring love of Oxford, from which he accepted an honorary doctorate of letters in 1974. Betjeman left Oxford without a degree. Whilst there, however, he had made the acquaintance of people who would later influence his work, including Louis MacNeice and W. H. Auden . He worked briefly as a private secretary, school teacher and film critic for
485-733: A candidate to be the new Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom , following the death of John Masefield . He was rejected after the Prime Minister's Appointments Secretary John Hewitt consulted with Dame Helen Gardner , the Merton Professor of English at the University of Oxford (who stated that Betjeman was "a lightweight, amusing but rather trivial" with "critical views about the establishment ") and Geoffrey Handley-Taylor, chair of The Poetry Society (who stated that Betjeman "called himself
582-508: A community based radio station which broadcast its studios in Rawtenstall on 104.7 FM. The area is served by local newspaper, Lancashire Telegraph . Rossendale is the home to a large community of artists with several painters' studios, many of which are centred on the area around Waterfoot. Rossendale's only traditional theatre is in Bacup. The Royal Court Theatre first opened in 1893 and has
679-530: A conversion of importance to his later writing and conception of the arts. Betjeman left Marlborough in July 1925. Betjeman entered the University of Oxford with difficulty, having failed the mathematics portion of the university's matriculation exam, Responsions . He was, however, admitted as a commoner (i.e., a non-scholarship student) at Magdalen College and entered the newly created School of English Language and Literature. At Oxford, Betjeman made little use of
776-507: A design competition managed by RIBA Competitions which was launched in 2003. It is lit after dark using low-energy LEDs powered by an adjacent wind turbine . It is the fourth Panopticon in Lancashire . It, and the adjacent landscaped area at Top o'Slate, was opened to the public in September 2007, and was designed by John Kennedy of LandLab and engineered by Booth King Partnership. Rossendale
873-616: A dozen books. Five of these were verse collections, including one in the USA. Sales of his Collected Poems in 1958 reached 100,000. The popularity of the book prompted Ken Russell to make a film about him, John Betjeman: A Poet in London (1959). Filmed in 35 mm and running 11 minutes and 35 seconds, it was first shown on the BBC 's Monitor programme. From 1945 till 1951 he lived at The Old Rectory, Farnborough , Wantage, Berkshire. In 1951 he moved to
970-540: A fairer analysis of his sexuality may be that he was "the hatcher of a lifetime of schoolboy crushes – both gay and straight", most of which progressed no further. Nevertheless, he has been considered "temperamentally gay", and even became a penpal of Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas , the friend of Oscar Wilde . For the last decade of his life, Betjeman suffered increasingly from Parkinson's disease . He died at his home in Trebetherick , Cornwall, on 19 May 1984, aged 77, and
1067-523: A family firm at 34–42 Pentonville Road which manufactured the kind of ornamental household furniture and gadgets distinctive to Victorians . During the First World War the family name was changed to the less German-looking Betjeman. His father's forebears had actually come from the present day Netherlands more than a century earlier, setting up their home and business in Islington , London, and during
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#17330859190121164-545: A friend who was publicity manager with Shell-Mex & BP , to guide Britain's growing number of motorists around the counties of Britain and their historical sites. They were published by the Architectural Press and financed by Shell . By the start of World War II 13 had been published, of which Cornwall (1934) and Devon (1936) were written by Betjeman. A third, Shropshire , was written with and designed by his good friend John Piper in 1951. In 1939, Betjeman
1261-552: A local farmer. In May 2011, a protest took place in the village regarding the proposed accommodation of sex offenders at Chatterton Hey House. Borough of Rossendale Rossendale ( / ˈ r ɒ z ən d eɪ l / ) is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire , England. Its council is based in Bacup and its largest town is Rawtenstall . It also includes the towns of Haslingden and Whitworth . The borough
1358-518: A mile north to more opulent Highgate . From West Hill they lived in the reflected glory of the Burdett-Coutts estate : Here from my eyrie, as the sun went down, I heard the old North London puff and shunt, Glad that I did not live in Gospel Oak. Betjeman's early schooling was at the local Byron House and Highgate School , where he was taught by poet T. S. Eliot . After this, he boarded at
1455-401: A number of shops. The number and type of shops in the village has varied over recent years, with an overall decline due to the increased mobility of the population and competition from nearby supermarkets, but mainstays have been an independent baker (Sixsmith's), butcher, pharmacy, post office, newsagent and fish and chip shop. A number of mills sprang up during the industrial revolution from
1552-454: A poetic hack and there was some truth to this"). Prime Minister Harold Wilson ultimately selected Cecil Day-Lewis after Hewitt recommended him over Betjeman, whom Hewitt described to Wilson as a "backward-looking choice" and "the songster of tennis lawns and cathedral cloisters". Betjeman would become Poet Laureate in 1972 following the death of Day-Lewis, the first Knight Bachelor to be appointed (the only other, Sir William Davenant ,
1649-801: A service from Rawtenstall to Bury via Ramsbottom and Summerseat , and manned by volunteers. In September 2003 an eastbound extension from Bury to Heywood was opened. In March 2015, it was proposed to reintroduce a rail service between Rawtenstall, Bury and Manchester. This would use the current route of the East Lancashire Heritage Railway. The area is well served by public road transport, with bus services provided mainly by Rosso and Burnley Bus Company . These provide regular services to Burnley , Blackburn , Accrington , Bolton , Bury , Manchester and Rochdale as well as Todmorden and other local destinations. Rossendale contains multiple secondary schools, these are: In addition, there
1746-691: A small rugby union club playing in the lower leagues, but in recent years the club has gained two promotions to take them into Regional 1 North West . Notable players such as Daniel Collins, Dave Wood and Tim Fourie now play at the valley side. The area's only semi-pro non league football team are Bacup Borough F.C. who play their home games at West View and are members of the North West Counties League Division One. The area's other major non league side Rossendale United , who played their home games at nearby Newchurch near Rawtenstall , folded in 2011. The only other semi-pro team from
1843-491: A third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four year term of office. Lancashire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections. The council is based at The Business Centre on Futures Park in Bacup. It was built as commercial offices called the Kingfisher Business Centre in 2003. The council took some office space in
1940-580: A third" – but he had informed the tutorial board that he thought Betjeman would not achieve an honours degree of any class. Permission to sit the Pass School was granted. Betjeman decided to offer a paper in Welsh. Osbert Lancaster tells the story that a tutor came by train twice a week (first class) from Aberystwyth to teach Betjeman. However, Jesus College had a number of Welsh tutors who more probably would have taught him. Betjeman finally had to leave at
2037-451: A thriving Youth Theatre called The Rossendale Musical Theatre Academy. The theatre and arts centre known as 'The Boo' as well as being a regular venue for family theatre shows, music and a wide range of community arts events, is the home of the Horse and Bamboo Theatre Company who specialise in visual theatre, often using distinctive puppets and masks . The painters and other artists who make up
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#17330859190122134-513: A time when it was unfashionable, and he was a founding member of The Victorian Society . He wrote on this subject in First and Last Loves (1952) and more extensively in London's Historic Railway Stations in 1972, defending the beauty of 12 stations. He led the campaign to save Holy Trinity, Sloane Street , in London when it was threatened with demolition in the early 1970s. He was also a founding member of
2231-618: A well-regarded television documentary for the BBC called Metro-Land , directed by Edward Mirzoeff . In 1974, Betjeman and Mirzoeff followed up Metro-Land with A Passion for Churches , a celebration of Betjeman's beloved Church of England , filmed entirely in the Diocese of Norwich . In 1975, he proposed that the Fine Rooms of Somerset House should house the Turner Bequest , so helping to scupper
2328-538: Is Accrington and Rossendale College , based in Accrington . In terms of television, the area is served by BBC North West and ITV Granada . Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Lancashire on 95.5 FM, Heart North West on 105.4 FM, Capital Manchester and Lancashire on 107.0 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire on 96.5 FM, and Rossendale Radio ,
2425-407: Is a 1970s photograph of the church, showing part of the main street, village school and the now-demolished Chapel House Farm, on the website of Edenfield-born musician Dr Tim Rishton (who was organist there as a child). The former Wesleyan chapel on the junction between Market Street and Rochdale Road was demolished in 1960, but there is still an imposing Primitive Methodist church, built in 1881 at
2522-446: Is also home to touring theatre company Hard Graft. Established in 1999 Hard Graft found notoriety in the UK touring non theatre venues. Their first tour was with their award-winning comedy Thick As Thieves , touring living rooms throughout the UK. They then toured 56 charity shops with Burt n Joyce turning each shop into a theatre for the evening. Three Rossendale towns have cricket clubs in
2619-568: Is also notable for its quarrying, and Rossendale Flagstone was used widely throughout the country in the 19th century. The flagstones in Trafalgar Square in London were quarried in Rossendale. Upland farming is still carried out, largely of sheep but also of cattle. The history of Rossendale is well documented, largely through the efforts of the historian Chris Aspin, a specialist on the textile industry, and Derek Pilkington, whose efforts led to
2716-480: Is based near Haslingden; a family-run business of specialist black pudding makers, using only traditional methods and with a recipe dating back to 1879. Rawtenstall has Fitzpatricks Herbal Health, this is the last remaining functioning temperance bar in England, that makes and sells its own non-alcoholic drinks, such as sarsaparilla , black beers and blood tonic. The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under
2813-427: Is buried nearby at St Enodoc's Church . Betjeman was an Anglican and his religious beliefs come through in some of his poems. In a letter written on Christmas Day 1947, he said: "Also my view of the world is that man is born to fulfil the purposes of his Creator i.e. to Praise his Creator, to stand in awe of Him and to dread Him. In this way I differ from most modern poets, who are agnostics and have an idea that Man
2910-501: Is home to a unique dancing troupe, the Britannia Coconut Dancers , formed in the mid-19th century, and who traditionally dance along the local roads every Easter. There has been a long tradition of dialect poetry and writing in Rossendale. Local poets have included Andrew Houston ( The Rossendale Bard ), Walter Hargreaves ( Shepster ) and Clifford Heyworth ( Bill o' Bows ). Waugh's Well, above Edenfield and Cowpe , marks
3007-463: Is named after the Rossendale Valley , the upper part of the River Irwell . The neighbouring districts are Burnley , Hyndburn , Blackburn with Darwen , Bury , Bolton and Calderdale . The name Rossendale is first recorded in 1292. A record of the name as Rocendal (1242) suggests Celtic ros "moor, heath", with Old Norse dalr "dale, valley ", hence moor valley i.e. the valley of
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3104-410: Is recorded in his blank verse autobiography, Summoned by Bells , published in 1960 and made into a television film in 1976. It is a common misapprehension, cultivated by Betjeman himself, that he did not complete his degree because he failed to pass the compulsory holy scripture examination, known colloquially as "Divvers" , short for "Divinity". In Hilary term 1928, Betjeman failed Divinity for
3201-476: Is similarly redolent of time and place, continually seeking out intimations of the eternal in the manifestly ordinary. There are constant evocations of the physical chaff and clutter that accumulates in everyday life, the miscellanea of an England now gone but not beyond the reach of living memory. He talks of Ovaltine and Sturmey-Archer bicycle gears. "Oh! Fuller's angel cake, Robertson's marmalade," he writes, " Liberty lampshades, come shine on us all." In
3298-530: Is that cluster of towers and pinnacles seen from Pentonville Hill and outlined against a foggy sunset and the great arc of Barlow 's train shed gaping to devour incoming engines and the sudden burst of exuberant Gothic of the hotel seen from gloomy Judd Street". On the reopening of St Pancras station in 2007, the Statue of John Betjeman was commissioned from curators Futurecity. A proposal by artist Martin Jennings
3395-509: Is the centre of the Universe or is a helpless bubble blown about by uncontrolled forces." He combined piety with a nagging uncertainty about the truth of Christianity. Unlike Thomas Hardy , who disbelieved in the truth of the Christmas story while hoping it might be so, Betjeman affirms his belief even while fearing it might be false. In the poem "Christmas", one of his most openly religious pieces,
3492-609: The Evening Standard , where he also wrote for their high-society gossip column, the " Londoner's Diary ". He was employed by the Architectural Review between 1930 and 1935, as a full-time assistant editor, following their publishing of some of his freelance work. Timothy Mowl (2000) says, "His years at the Architectural Review were to be his true university". At this time, while his prose style matured, he joined
3589-627: The Dragon School preparatory school in North Oxford and Marlborough College , a public school in Wiltshire. In his penultimate year, he joined the secret Society of Amici in which he was a contemporary of both Louis MacNeice and Graham Shepard . He founded The Heretick , a satirical magazine that lampooned Marlborough's obsession with sport. While at school, his exposure to the works of Arthur Machen won him over to High Church Anglicanism ,
3686-628: The Fourth Anglo-Dutch War had, ironically, added the extra "-n" to avoid the anti-Dutch sentiment existing at the time. Betjeman was baptised at St Anne's Church, Highgate Rise, a 19th-century church at the foot of Highgate West Hill . The family lived at Parliament Hill Mansions in the Lissenden Gardens private estate in Gospel Oak in north London. In 1909, the Betjemanns moved half
3783-729: The Friends of Friendless Churches in 1957. He fought a spirited but unsuccessful campaign to save the Propylaeum, known commonly as the Euston Arch , London. He is considered instrumental in helping to save St Pancras railway station , London, and was commemorated when it became an international terminus for Eurostar in November 2007. He called the plan to demolish St Pancras a "criminal folly". About it he wrote, "What [the Londoner] sees in his mind's eye
3880-670: The Lancashire League – Bacup, Haslingden and Rawtenstall. The overseas professionals who are associated with the League have therefore often lived in the Rossendale Valley. For example, Everton Weekes was long associated with Bacup; Clive Lloyd with Haslingden. Edenfield Cricket Club are also associated with the Lancashire League but only participate in the leagues T/20 competition. Rossendale rugby club for many years had been
3977-479: The Local Government Act 1972 , covering the whole area of four former districts and part of a fifth, which were abolished at the same time: The new district was named Rossendale, referring both to the Rossendale Valley and to the associated medieval Forest of Rossendale which had covered a similar area. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take
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4074-691: The MARS Group , an organisation of young modernist architects and architectural critics in Britain. In 1937, Betjeman was a churchwarden at Uffington , the Berkshire village (in Oxfordshire since boundary changes of 1974) where he lived from 1934 to 1945. That year, he paid for the cleaning of the church's royal arms and later presided over the conversion of the church's oil lamps to electricity. The Shell Guides were developed by Betjeman and Jack Beddington ,
4171-584: The River Irwell . Rossendale is part of the Forest of Rossendale , which consists of the steep-sided valleys of the River Irwell and its tributaries, which flow from the Pennines southwards to Manchester and cut through the moorland which is characteristic of the area. It was given the designation of "forest" in medieval times denoting a hunting reserve. The larger settlements grew into market towns, typically through
4268-532: The West Lancashire Football League (Haslingden St Mary's), East Lancashire League (Stacksteads St Joseph's, Water FC), Lancashire Amateur League (Rossendale FC, Whitworth Valley, Valley United). The popular comedy series, The League of Gentlemen , is apparently based upon Rossendale (and perhaps Bacup in particular), playing upon stereotypes and exaggerations of the area. Subsequently, the producers filmed in various northern towns, one of which
4365-419: The "Emergency" (the war) including "The Irish Unionist's Farewell to Greta Hellstrom in 1922" (written during the war) which contained the refrain "Dungarvan in the rain". The object of his affections, "Greta", remained a mystery until revealed to have been a member of a well-known Anglo-Irish family of Western county Waterford . His official brief included establishing friendly contacts with leading figures in
4462-482: The 1760s onwards – not without the usual Luddite unrest. A once-famous 19th century novel refers to a character "who crossed the hills to preach at Edenfield on Sunday [saying] that machines were broken on Saturday". The mills, built particularly alongside Dearden Brook which provided the water power, are now closed but some remains can be seen in Dearden Clough. That the main route north from Manchester runs through
4559-784: The A676 from Bolton , the A680 from Accrington and Rochdale and the A56 from Rawtenstall and Bury . The M66 motorway terminates its course at Edenfield, whereupon it becomes the A56 dual carriageway known as the Edenfield Bypass. The village has recently seen growth as a commuter settlement for Greater Manchester . The origins of the Edenfield place name are not entirely clear, but it seems extremely unlikely that it derives from "fields of Eden" or similar. Given
4656-614: The BBC TV series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates during the 1990s. The 1980's BBC drama series Juliet Bravo was filmed in Rossendale with the exterior of Bacup police station serving as the fictional Hartley police station. During autumn 2008 areas around Rossendale were used in the filming of the BBC TV series Survivors including the Airtours site and other sites in Helmshore and Bank Street in Rawtenstall . In 2012 Rossendale featured on
4753-574: The Dublin literary scene: he befriended Patrick Kavanagh , then at the very start of his career. Kavanagh celebrated the birth of Betjeman's daughter with a poem "Candida"; another well-known poem contains the line Let John Betjeman call for me in a car . From March to November 1944 Betjeman was assigned to another wartime job, working on publicity for the Admiralty in Bath . By 1948, Betjeman had published more than
4850-524: The ITV reality television series May the Best House Win featuring former Rossendale Radio DJ Si Carvell. Local radio station Rossendale Radio broadcast throughout the valley from 2010, before shutting down on 5 March 2012 due to financial difficulties. It then re-launched on 22 December 2018. The Rossendale Male Voice Choir formed in the valley in 1924. In the 2001 census the population of Rossendale
4947-625: The Lordshippe of Burghe [Bury], beinge all the houses w th in Shuttleworth afforesaid who are appointed by the said Orders to' pay theire tyths to Bury, who are much nearer to the Chapel of Aydenfield [Edenfield] afforesaid, and vsually repaire thither to the ordinances when they have a mister". Like other villages in Rossendale, Edenfield later became involved in industry and some quarrying activities still continue. Britain's largest onshore wind farm
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#17330859190125044-609: The Mead in Wantage, until 1971. His daughter Candida was married in the church there in May 1963. Betjeman continued writing guidebooks and works on architecture during the 1960s and 1970s and began to broadcast. Betjeman was closely associated with the culture and spirit of Metro-land , as outer reaches of the Metropolitan Railway were known before the war. In 1967, Betjeman was considered as
5141-646: The Rossendale area are Ramsbottom United who play in the Northern Premier League Division One North . Previously there had been Haslingden F.C. , playing at Ewood Bridge, on the outskirts of Haslingden, until they folded in 1998. Their ground was later used briefly by Stand Athletic F.C. before they vacated and moved back to Whitefield in Greater Manchester. Other clubs around the Rossendale area are all from Step 7 (Level 11) and below, and so playing in various leagues at this level –
5238-509: The Supernatural . He was susceptible to the supernatural; Diana Mitford recalled Betjeman staying at her country home, Biddesden House in Wiltshire, in the 1920s. She said: "he had a terrifying dream, that he was handed a card with wide black edges, and on it his name was engraved, and a date. He knew this was the date of his death". On 29 July 1933, Betjeman married the Hon. Penelope Chetwode ,
5335-422: The academic opportunities. His tutor, a young C. S. Lewis , regarded him as an "idle prig" and Betjeman in turn considered Lewis unfriendly, demanding, and uninspiring as a teacher. Betjeman particularly disliked the coursework's emphasis on linguistics, and dedicated most of his time to cultivating his social life, his interest in English ecclesiastical architecture , and private literary pursuits. At Oxford, he
5432-447: The borough forms part of the Accrington/Rossendale built-up area which extends into the neighbouring borough of Hyndburn . The Accrington/Rossendale built-up area extends from the towns of Rawtenstall and Bacup to Accrington which takes in parts of the boroughs of Hyndburn and Rossendale. The urban area was recorded at having a population of 125,059. Whitworth is the only civil parish in Rossendale. The parish council has declared
5529-424: The building before creating a council chamber there in 2009 and consolidating its functions at the site. Prior to 2009 the council was based at Rawtenstall Town Hall at the corner of Bacup Road and Lord Street. It had been built in 1876 as the "Exchange Club" and was subsequently acquired in 1890 by the Rawtenstall Local Board (predecessor of the Rawtenstall Borough Council) for use as its offices. The building
5626-511: The council has been as follows: The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Rossendale. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 2004 have been: Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2026. Since the last boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 30 councillors representing 10 wards , with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four with
5723-448: The daughter of Field Marshal Lord Chetwode . The couple lived in Berkshire and had a son, Paul, in 1937, and a daughter, Candida , in 1942. She became a Roman Catholic in 1948. The couple drifted apart and in 1951 he met Lady Elizabeth Cavendish , with whom he developed an immediate and lifelong friendship. Betjeman's sexuality can best be described as bisexual . His longest and best documented relationships were with women, and
5820-506: The early 1970s, he began a recording career of four albums on Charisma Records - Banana Blush , Late Flowering Love (both 1974), Sir John Betjeman's Britain (1977) and Varsity Rag (1981) where his poetry reading is set to music composed by Jim Parker with overdubbing by leading musicians of the time. Madeleine Dring set five of Betjeman's poems to music in 1976, just before her death. His recording catalogue extends to nine albums, four singles and two compilations. In 1973, he made
5917-431: The east bank of the River Irwell , within the Rossendale Valley . The landscape of the area is dominated by Dearden Moor and Scout Moor directly to the east and Holcombe Moor with the Peel Monument , across the valley of the River Irwell to the west. The M66 motorway terminates its course at Edenfield. The main thoroughfare in the village is Market Street, along which occurs mostly late 19th century terraced housing and
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#17330859190126014-418: The end of the Michaelmas term , 1928. Betjeman did pass his Divinity examination on his third try but was expelled after failing the Pass School. He had achieved a satisfactory result in only one of the three required papers (on Shakespeare and other English authors). Betjeman's academic failure at Oxford rankled him for the rest of his life and he was never reconciled with C. S. Lewis, towards whom he nursed
6111-465: The foreword to Derek Linstrum's Historic Architecture of Leeds . Betjeman was for over 20 years a trustee of the Bath Preservation Trust and was vice-president from 1965 to 1971, at a time when Bath —a city rich in Georgian architecture —was coming under increasing pressure from modern developers and a road had been proposed to cut across it. He also created a short television documentary, Architecture of Bath , in which he voiced his concerns about
6208-480: The house permanently, with his potential liability for £10,000 of renovations upon the expiry of the lease. After damage from vandals, restoration began in 1966. Betjeman's lease included furniture from the house by Burges and Betjeman gave three pieces, the Zodiac settle , the Narcissus washstand and the Philosophy cabinet, to Evelyn Waugh . He edited, and wrote large sections of, The Collins Guide to English Parish Churches (1958); his substantial editorial preface
6305-464: The junction of Bond Street and Rochdale Road. The area is popular with walkers and hikers, many stopping to see Waugh's Well , a hillside memorial to the Lancashire Dialect writer and poet Edwin Waugh . Another popular walk is Dearden Clough to 'Plunge' – the ruined site of Plunge Mill, where there is an imposing pit wheel housing for a waterwheel. One approach to the clough is from Michael Wife Lane, named after Mary Nuttall, wife of Michael Nuttall, who
6402-432: The large number of Norse-derived place names in Rossendale and bearing in mind that documents from the 17th century and older spell the name as Aydenfield or some variant of this, a likely etymology is the Norse "øy" (riverside ground/island; see for instance the village of Øyer ) + "tun" (farmstead) + field; in other words, the land belonging to the farmstead by the river (Irwell). Edenfield Chapel of Ease (the precursor of
6499-438: The last three stanzas that proclaim the wonder of Christ's birth do so in the form of a question "And is it true...?" His views on Christianity were expressed in his poem "The Conversion of St. Paul", a response to a radio broadcast by humanist Margaret Knight : But most of us turn slow to see The figure hanging on a tree And stumble on and blindly grope Upheld by intermittent hope, God grant before we die we all May see
6596-431: The late Middle Ages . Farming and a cottage woollen industry developed during the reign of Henry VIII , but Rossendale's population only really expanded during the period of the Industrial Revolution . The population of the area that would become the modern borough of Rossendale was 24,136 in 1801; in 1901 it had grown to 89,540. Its wet and damp climate are ideally suited to the development of watermills, and later to
6693-415: The light as did St. Paul. Betjeman's poems are often humorous, and in broadcasting he exploited his bumbling and fogeyish image. His wryly comic verse is accessible and has attracted a great following for its satirical and observant grace. Auden said in his introduction to Slick But Not Streamlined , "so at home with the provincial gaslit towns, the seaside lodgings, the bicycle, the harmonium ." His poetry
6790-433: The main road but this "legend" is not widely known elsewhere. The parish church is a simple but elegant 18th-century building unusual in that it takes its name from the village rather than being dedicated to a particular saint. Despite some 19th-century additions<ref Gray, Margaret. Edenfield: Church . p. 10. </ref> it was famously described in John Betjeman 's book as "unspoiled, unspruced Georgian". There
6887-407: The major studios within the valley – Globe Arts, Prospect Studio, Valley Artists – along with the Boo, the Whitaker, Apna Rossendale, and individual artists now work together to open their studios and premises each year at the Rossendale Art Trail Open Studios weekend in late summer. The first part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail runs from Deerplay, above Bacup, to Stubbins. The actress Jane Horrocks
6984-541: The mechanisation of the wool and cotton spinning and weaving industries in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the middle of the 19th century a felt industry developed, and from this the manufacturing of slippers so that footwear also became a major employer in the area. The area became one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution , and was known as 'The Golden Valley'. There was great hardship among working people during this time, but many fortunes were made among
7081-515: The mill-owning classes. There was large-scale immigration from Ireland to find work building the railways and in the mills, which led to several instances of serious civil disturbances between the two communities. Michael Davitt , the Irish republican leader was among these immigrants, settling in Haslingden, where he received his education after losing an arm at the age of 11 in a mill accident. The area
7178-535: The parish church and part of the benefice of Bury) is extensively mentioned in 16th-century documents. It probably had its own curate before the Reformation. A deed of 1564 mentions one Ralph Nuttall making payments to Richard Nuttall for a land settlement and that these payments were to take place "in Edenfield Chapel". A century later there were "aboute foure and twenty tenements and houses w th in Shuttleworth in
7275-420: The parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council". The rest of the borough is an unparished area . For notable past residents see individual towns and villages Rossendale Borough Council is twinned with: John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman , CBE ( / ˈ b ɛ tʃ ə m ən / ; 28 August 1906 – 19 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He
7372-600: The plan of the Minister for the Arts for a Theatre Museum to be housed there. In 1977, the BBC broadcast The Queen's Realm: A Prospect of England , an aerial anthology of English landscape, music and poetry, selected by Betjeman and produced by Edward Mirzoeff, in celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee . Betjeman was fond of the ghost stories of M. R. James and supplied an introduction to Peter Haining 's book M. R. James – Book of
7469-415: The preface of his collection of architectural essays First and Last Loves he wrote We accept the collapse of the fabrics of our old churches, the thieving of lead and objects from them, the commandeering and butchery of our scenery by the services, the despoiling of landscaped parks and the abandonment to a fate worse than the workhouse of our country houses, because we are convinced we must save money. In
7566-496: The preservation of Higher Mill in Helmshore, now Helmshore Mills Textile Museum . The Whitworth Doctors were local surgeons and bone setters in the late 1700s and early 1800s whose reputation spread far and wide, so that they treated patients from throughout the country. In 1819 William Hewitt described them as "the most remarkable men of their class that ever appeared in England". R.S. Ireland (The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Co.)
7663-488: The rapid development of the Buckinghamshire town before World War II , Betjeman wrote the ten-stanza poem " Slough " to express his dismay at the industrialisation of Britain. He later came to regret having written it. The poem was first included in his 1937 collection Continual Dew . Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough! It isn't fit for humans now, ... Betjeman had a fondness for Victorian architecture at
7760-698: The second time. He had to leave the university for the Trinity term to prepare for a retake of the exam; he was then allowed to return in October. Betjeman then wrote to the Secretary of the Tutorial Board at Magdalen , G. C. Lee, asking to be entered for the Pass School, a set of examinations taken on rare occasions by undergraduates who are deemed unlikely to achieve an honours degree . In Summoned by Bells Betjeman claims that his tutor, C. S. Lewis, said "You'd have only got
7857-510: The spot where Edwin Waugh wrote many of his poems, and is a favourite spot for walkers – a popular activity in Rossendale that does not appear to be in decline. The Halo is an artwork in the form of an 18m-diameter steel lattice structure supported on a tripod overlooking Haslingden, positioned to be clearly visible from the M66 and A56 approach to Lancashire. Designed by John Kennedy and selected as part of
7954-475: The title of mayor. Rossendale Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council . Whitworth is also a civil parish , which forms a third tier of local government in that part of the borough. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of
8051-503: The village explains the many coaching houses, of which only two public houses survive – the Rostron Arms and the Coach. During the second half of the 19th century Edenfield had its own brewery, the products of which were not entirely popular: due to their purgative effect the ale was known as "Sh-t-n Br-ches". An article published in 1983 described a ghostly headless horseman who allegedly haunts
8148-701: The way the city's architectural heritage was being mistreated. From 1946 to 1948, he had served as Secretary to the Oxford Preservation Trust . Betjeman was also instrumental in saving the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth . The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings annually presents a John Betjeman award to recognise the repair and conservation of places of worship in England and Wales. The John Betjeman Poetry Competition for Young People began in 2006 and
8245-509: Was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture , helping to save St Pancras railway station from demolition. He began his career as a journalist and ended it as one of the most popular British Poets Laureate and a much-loved figure on British television. Betjeman was born in London to a prosperous silverware maker of Dutch descent. His parents, Mabel ( née Dawson ) and Ernest Betjemann, had
8342-416: Was 65,652, spread between the towns of Bacup , Haslingden , Whitworth and Rawtenstall ; the villages of Crawshawbooth , Edenfield , Helmshore and Waterfoot ; and as well as Britannia , Broadclough , Chatterton , Cloughfold , Cowpe , Irwell Vale , Loveclough , Newchurch , Shawforth , Stacksteads , Stubbins , Turn and Weir . The population at the 2011 Census had risen to 67,922. Much of
8439-409: Was Bacup itself, which Jeremy Dyson (writer) and Steve Pemberton (actor) proclaimed, "Bacup was the furthest we went into Lancashire. Bacup was our hot favourite, but it was too frightening – when we arrived there was this cartoon drunk with a bottle shaking his fist at us. Bacup in real life was worse than Royston Vasey ". Various towns within the Rossendale Valley were used for filming scenes of
8536-720: Was a friend of Maurice Bowra , later to be Warden of Wadham (1938 to 1970). Betjeman had a poem published in Isis , the university magazine, and served as editor of the Cherwell student newspaper during 1927. His first book of poems was privately printed with the help of fellow student Edward James . He brought his teddy bear Archibald Ormsby-Gore up to Magdalen with him, the memory of which inspired his Oxford contemporary Evelyn Waugh to include Sebastian Flyte 's teddy Aloysius in Brideshead Revisited . Much of this period of his life
8633-650: Was born in Rawtenstall, Rossendale, and the composer Alan Rawsthorne was born in Haslingden. Betty Jackson , the fashion designer, is a native of Bacup. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Larks of Dean were an unusual group of working class musicians whose music-making at the Baptist Chapel in Goodshaw Fold became an important local feature. There is also a brass band tradition as well as an amateur theatre scene. There
8730-419: Was controversially built in 2007–08 on Scout Moor above Edenfield. Since 1974, Edenfield has formed part of the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, having previously formed part of the urban district of Ramsbottom , in the administrative county boundaries of Lancashire. Edenfield is part of the Rossendale and Darwen Parliamentary Constituency , with the current MP being Andy MacNae . Edenfield lies above
8827-550: Was described by The Times Literary Supplement as "pure gold". The classic status of this book is acknowledged by Simon Jenkins in his England's Thousand Best Churches : "Three ghosts inhabit all English churches ... They are those of John Betjeman, Alec Clifton-Taylor and Nikolaus Pevsner ." Betjeman responded to architecture as the visible manifestation of society's spiritual life as well as its political and economic structure. He attacked speculators and bureaucrats for what he saw as their rapacity and lack of imagination. In
8924-447: Was fined in 1618 for not maintaining the road and, finally, put in the stocks in 1624 for still not carrying out this work. The village is home to Edenfield Cricket Club. There is also a recreation ground on Exchange Street which is used by a number of football teams of varying ages. Alongside is Edenfield Community Centre serving a number of uses for different interest groups. In May 2010 over 270 sheep, valued at £17,000, were stolen from
9021-412: Was knighted after his appointment). This role, combined with his profile from television appearances, ensured that his poetry reached a wider audience. Similarly to Tennyson , he managed to voice the thoughts and aspirations of many ordinary people while retaining the respect of many of his fellow poets. This is partly because of the apparently simple traditional metrical structures and rhymes he uses. In
9118-537: Was later extended into the offices of an adjoining tramway depot. The borough is linked by the motorway network to Manchester, Burnley and Blackburn via the A56 / M65 and M66 motorways. There was once a rail link south to Manchester via Bury, but this was closed in 1966 as part of cuts following the Beeching Report . Part of the old railway reopened in 1991 as the East Lancashire Railway operating
9215-553: Was once over 40 bands in and around Rossendale, including the Irwell Springs Band whose fame was at a peak at the turn of the 19th century. There are currently the Haslingden and Helmshore Band, Rossendale Encore Concert Band, Goodshaw Band, Stacksteads Band, Water Band, 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band, Whitworth Vale & Healey Band, Whitworth Youth Band, Haslingden Concert Band and the Whitworth Veterans' Band. Rossendale
9312-659: Was rejected for military service in World War II but found war work with the films division of the Ministry of Information . In 1941, he became British press attaché in neutral Dublin , Ireland, working with Sir John Maffey . He is reported to have been selected for murder by the IRA . The order was rescinded after a meeting with an unnamed Old IRA man who was impressed by his works. Betjeman wrote poems based on his experiences in Ireland during
9409-493: Was selected from a shortlist. The finished work was erected in the station at platform level, including a series of slate roundels depicting selections of Betjeman's writings. Betjeman was given the remaining two-year lease on Victorian Gothic architect William Burges 's Tower House in Holland Park after leaseholder Mrs E. R. B. Graham died in 1962. Betjeman felt he could not afford the financial implications of taking over
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