Editing Bacup

{{Short description|Town in Lancashire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox UK place
 | country                  = England
 | coordinates              = {{coord|53.704|-2.199|display=inline,title}}
 | official_name            = Bacup
 | population               = 13,323
 | population_ref           = ([[2011 United Kingdom census|2011&nbsp;Census]])
 | shire_district           = [[Borough of Rossendale|Rossendale]]
 | region                   = North West England
 | shire_county             = [[Lancashire]]
 | constituency_westminster = [[Rossendale and Darwen (UK Parliament constituency)|Rossendale and Darwen]]
 | post_town                = BACUP
 | postcode_district        = OL13
 | postcode_area            = OL
 | dial_code                = 01706
 | os_grid_reference        = SD868231
 | static_image_name        = Yorkshire Street, Bacup.jpg
 | static_image_caption     = Yorkshire Street, Bacup
 | london_distance          = {{convert|175|mi|km|abbr=on}} [[Boxing the compass|SSE]]
 | map_alt                  = Bacup is in the south-eastern part of Lancashire, close to the eastern boundary of [[North West England]]. On this map Bacup is about one-seventh in from the eastern edge and one-third in from the southern edge.
 | pushpin_map              = United Kingdom Borough of Rossendale
 | pushpin_map_caption      = Shown within Rossendale
}}
'''Bacup''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|k|ə|p}} {{respell|BAY|kəp}},<ref>{{harvnb|Miller|1971|p=8}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|eɪ|k|ʊ|p}}) is a town in the [[Borough of Rossendale|Rossendale Borough]] in [[Lancashire]], England, in the [[South Pennines]] close to Lancashire's boundaries with [[West Yorkshire]] and [[Greater Manchester]]. The town is in the [[Rossendale Valley]] and the upper [[Irwell Valley]], {{convert|4|mi|km|1}} east of [[Rawtenstall]], {{convert|6|mi|km|1}} north of [[Rochdale]], and {{convert|7|mi|km|0}} south of [[Burnley, Lancashire|Burnley]]. At the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 Census]], Bacup had a population of 13,323.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/php/uk-england-northwestengland.php?cityid=E35000666|title=Town population 2011|access-date=14 January 2016}}</ref>

Bacup emerged as a settlement following the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain]] in the [[Early Middle Ages]]. For centuries, it was a small and obscure centre of domestic flannel and woollen cloth production, and many of the original weavers' cottages survive today as listed buildings. Following the [[Industrial Revolution]], Bacup became a [[mill town]], growing up around the now covered over bridge crossing the River Irwell and the north–south / east-west crossroad at its centre. During that time its landscape became dominated by distinctive and large rectangular woollen and [[cotton mill]]s. Bacup received a [[Charter|charter of incorporation]] in 1882, giving it municipal [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.

In 1974, Bacup became part of the borough of Rossendale.<ref name=joint/> Bacup's historic character, culture and festivities have encouraged the town to be seen as one of the best preserved mill towns in England.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bacup 2040 Vision |url=https://investinrossendale.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Annex-D-the-Bacup-2040-Vision.pdf |website=Invest in Rossendale |access-date=5 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205020553/https://investinrossendale.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Annex-D-the-Bacup-2040-Vision.pdf |archive-date=5 December 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/mar/22/lets-move-to-bacup-lancashire | title=Let's Move to Bacup, Lancashire | newspaper=[[The Guardian]] }}</ref> [[English Heritage]] has proclaimed Bacup town centre as a designated [[protected area]] for its special architectural qualities.

== History ==
The name Bacup is derived from the [[Old English]] ''fūlbæchop''. The ''Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names'' translates this as "muddy valley by a ridge"; the ''fūl-'' element, which meant "foul" or "muddy" was used in the earliest known reference to the area, in a charter by Robert de Lacey, around the year 1200, as used in the [[Middle English]] spelling ''fulebachope''.<ref name=Mills/> The prefix ''ful-'' was dropped from the toponym.<ref name=Mills>{{harvnb|Mills|2003|p=28}}.</ref> The ''-bæchop'' element is less clear, possibly meaning "ridge valley",<ref name=Mills/> or else  "back valley" referring to the locale's position at the back part of the [[Irwell Valley]].<ref name=fen>{{harvnb|Fenton|2006|p=5}}.</ref><ref name=cam>{{harvnb|Cameron|1961|p=182}}.</ref>

Bacup and its [[hinterland]] has provided archeological evidence of human activity in the area during the [[Neolithic]].<ref>{{PastScape|mnumber=45228|access-date=27 October 2009|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{PastScape|mnumber=887154|access-date=27 October 2009|mode=cs2}}</ref> [[Anglo-Saxons]] settled in the [[Early Middle Ages]]. It has been claimed that in the 10th century the Anglo-Saxons battled against [[Gaels]] and [[Norsemen]] at [[Broadclough]],<ref>{{cite web| url=https://visitbacup.com/broadclough-dykes-lancashires-most-important-unresolved-archeological-site/| title=Broadclough Dykes: Lancashire's Most Important Unresolved Archeological Site? - Bacup Business Association| access-date=29 September 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922142558/https://visitbacup.com/broadclough-dykes-lancashires-most-important-unresolved-archeological-site/| archive-date=22 September 2019| url-status=dead}}</ref> a village to the north of Bacup.<ref name=spin/><ref name=whit>{{citation|url=http://www.whitworth.gov.uk/local-info-indiv.php?id=127|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016100304/http://www.whitworth.gov.uk/local-info-indiv.php?id=127|url-status = dead|archive-date=16 October 2015|author=Whitworth Town Council|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|title=Town Overview|access-date=28 October 2009}}</ref><ref name=brief>{{citation|url=http://www.rossendale.gov.uk/info/200064/local_history_and_heritage/218/a_brief_history_of_rossendale/2|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|author=Rossendale Borough Council|title=A Brief History of Rossendale; Bacup|page=2|access-date=3 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318031530/http://www.rossendale.gov.uk/info/200064/local_history_and_heritage/218/a_brief_history_of_rossendale/2|archive-date=18 March 2014|url-status = dead}}</ref> From the medieval period in this area, the River Irwell separated the ancient parishes of [[Whalley, Lancashire|Whalley]] and [[Rochdale (ancient parish)|Rochdale]] (in the [[Hundred (county division)|hundreds]] of [[Blackburnshire|Blackburn]] and [[Salfordshire|Salford]] respectively). The settlement developed mainly in the Whalley [[Township (England)|township]] of [[Newchurch, Lancashire|Newchurch]] but extending into Rochdale's [[Spotland]].{{sfn|Farrer and Brownbill|1911|pp=437–441|ps=}}

The geology and topography of the village lent itself to urbanisation and domestic industries; primitive [[weavers' cottage]]s, coal pits and stone quarries were propelled by Bacup's natural supply of [[water power]] in the Early Modern period. The adoption of the [[factory system]], which developed into the [[Industrial Revolution]], enabled the transformation of Bacup from a small rural village into a [[mill town]], populated by an influx of families attracted by Bacup's [[cotton mill]]s, civic amenities and regional railway network. Locally sourced coal provided the fuel for industrial-scale quarrying, cotton spinning and shoemaking operations, stimulating the local economy. Bacup received a [[Charter|charter of incorporation]] in 1882, giving it honorific [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.

Bacup's boom in [[textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution]] resulted in the town developing into a prosperous and thickly populated [[industrial region|industrial area]] by early-20th century. But the [[Great Depression in the United Kingdom|Great Depression]] and the ensuing [[deindustrialisation]] of the United Kingdom largely eliminated Bacup's textile processing sector and economic prosperity.

Bacup followed the regional and national trend of [[deindustrialisation]] during the early and mid-20th century; a process exacerbated by the closure of [[Bacup railway station]] in 1966. Bacup also experienced [[population decline]]; from 22,000 at the time of the United Kingdom Census 1911, to 15,000 at the United Kingdom Census 1971. Much of Bacup's infrastructure became derelict owing to [[urban decay]], despite regeneration schemes and government funding. Shops became empty and some deteriorated. The houses along the main roads endured as the original terraces from Bacup's industrial age, but behind these, on the hillsides, are several [[council estate]]s.<ref name=joint>{{citation|url=http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/archive/2009/07/04/Bacup+%28bacup%29/4475414.Joint_fight_to_get_Bacup_back_on_its_feet/|work=[[Lancashire Telegraph]]|publisher=lancashiretelegraph.co.uk|title=Joint fight to get Bacup back on its feet|date=24 July 2007|access-date=27 October 2009|first1=Ron|last1=Freethy|first2=Alex|last2=Willmott|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611054749/http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/archive/2009/07/04/Bacup+(bacup)/4475414.Joint_fight_to_get_Bacup_back_on_its_feet/|archive-date=11 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Sop/><ref>{{citation|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/news/s/507320_bacup_left_to_rot|title=Bacup 'left to rot'|access-date=11 November 2009|work=Rossendale Free Press|publisher=M.E.N. Media|last=Tonge|first=Jenny|date=16 December 2005|archive-date=24 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924133937/http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/news/s/507320_bacup_left_to_rot|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Records in 2005 show Bacup to have some of the lowest crime levels in the county,<ref>{{citation|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/news/s/506864_bacup_crime_levels_lowest_in_county|title=Bacup crime levels lowest in county|work=Rossendale Free Press|date=2 December 2005|last=Smyth|first=Catherine|publisher=M.E.N. Media|access-date=4 January 2013|archive-date=12 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112095152/http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/news/s/506864_bacup_crime_levels_lowest_in_county|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the relative small change to Bacup's infrastructure and appearance has given the town a "historic character and distinctive sense of place".<ref name=joint/> In 2007, the [[murder of Sophie Lancaster]] attracted media attention to the town and highlighted its urban blight and lack of amenities and regeneration.<ref name=Sop>{{citation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/aug/03/ukcrime.sophielancaster|title=United in the name of tolerance|last=Hodkinson|first=Mark|date=3 August 2008|access-date=11 November 2009|work=The Observer|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/archive/2008/04/29/Bacup+%28bacup%29/2232961.Bacup__is_the_same_as_any_town_/|first=Helen|last=Korn|publisher=thisislancashire.co.uk|title=Bacup is the same as any town|access-date=11 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322090404/http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/archive/2008/04/29/Bacup+(bacup)/2232961.Bacup__is_the_same_as_any_town_/|archive-date=22 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/oct/29/goth-murderer-sentence-appeal|work=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media|date=29 October 2008|access-date=11 November 2009|title=Goth murderer wins shorter sentence|last1=Balakrishnan|first1=Angela|last2=agencies|location=London}}</ref>

== Regeneration ==
In 2013 it was announced that Rossendale Borough Council was successful in securing £2m funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a 5-year regeneration project, to be delivered by the Bacup Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI). The project focuses on the redevelopment and restoration of Bacup's unique built and cultural heritage whilst providing training in traditional building skills and to facilitate activities and events for local people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bacupthi.org.uk/information/15/default/what-is-the-THI-project.html|title=What is the THI Project|publisher=THI|access-date=14 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132437/https://www.bacupthi.org.uk/information/15/default/what-is-the-THI-project.html|archive-date=14 September 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The injection of funds has significantly contributed to growing property prices in the area<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.home.co.uk/guides/house_prices_report.htm?location=bacup&startmonth=01&startyear=2005&endmonth=06&endyear=2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922154903/https://www.home.co.uk/guides/house_prices_report.htm?location=bacup&startmonth=01&startyear=2005&endmonth=06&endyear=2018|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 September 2022|title=Property Prices in Bacup from 2005 to 2018|publisher=House.co.uk}}</ref> with the investments in the area being cited as one of the major reasons why the area is becoming increasingly attractive to people commuting to larger conurbations such as [[Greater Manchester]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/property/rossendale-ski-property-location-guide-12724671|title=Great value property in a stunning location – why we should all move to the Rossendale Valley|date=22 March 2017 |publisher=MEN}}</ref>

Due to the success of the Bacup THI and following public research and consultation, in 2019 the Rossendale Borough Council announced the development of the Bacup 2040 Vision and Masterplan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancs.live/news/what-bacup-could-look-like-16038674|title=What Bacup Could Look Like In 2040|date=29 March 2019 |publisher=Lancs Live}}</ref> Bacup 2040 sets out a new vision for Bacup,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bacup2040.com/|title=Bacup 2040 Website}}</ref> aiming to capitalise on the gains made through the THI scheme whilst redeveloping aspects of the town to make it fit for a high-street model less reliant on retail and more suited to the needs of visitors and local residents alike. In order to realise the scheme, the council considered multiple bid options and the Bacup 2040 Vision was used as the basis of its bid for a share of the £1b Future High Street Fund.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/bacup-share-1bn-pot-cash-16830874|title=Bacup Share £1bn Pot of Cash To Re-Invent High Street|date=29 August 2019 |publisher=Lancs Live}}</ref> The Bacup 2040 Board was established in 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bacupthi.org.uk/information/15/default/Bacup%202040.html|title=Bacup 2040|publisher=Bacup THI|access-date=16 June 2020|archive-date=2 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102143536/https://www.bacupthi.org.uk/information/15/default/Bacup%202040.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and is made up of representatives from across Bacup, including local residents, business owners, community organisations, charities, councillors, council officers. The board is chaired by a local business owner<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rossendalenews.org.uk/trafford-tour-gives-food-for-thought-for-bacup-regeneration/|title=Trafford Tour Gives Food For Thought For Bacup Regeneration|work=Rossendale Council News |date=14 November 2019 |publisher=Rossendale News |author1=Webmaster }}</ref> and has 6 sub-group committees, chaired by representatives of different community organisations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bsnf.org.uk/index.php/about/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219013703/http://bsnf.org.uk/index.php/about/|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 December 2021|title=About Bacup & Stacksteads Neighbourhood Forum|publisher=Bacup and Stackstead Neighbourhood Forum}}</ref> reviewing the various aspects of the vision and plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rossendale.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/10260/item_d3_appendix_1|title=Quarter 3 2019–2020 Appendix 1 Rossendale Borough Council|publisher=Rossendale Borough Council}}</ref> The role of the board is to "inform, challenge and validate the scope and proposals for the redevelopment of Bacup."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.growtraffic.co.uk/why-we-support-the-bacup-2040-vision-and-masterplan/|title=Why We Support The Bacup 2040 Vision And Masterplan|date=28 May 2020 |publisher=GrowTraffic}}</ref>

The Bacup 2040 plan for the £11.5m redevelopment of Bacup's core, including the Market Square, was reported on in February 2020 and later announced by the local council in June 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/new-images-9m-bacup-market-17822616|title=New Images Of £9m Bacup Market Square Redevelopment Unveiled|date=28 February 2020 |publisher=Lancs Live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/18546836.11million-bid-overhaul-east-lancashire-town/|title=11 Million Bid To Overhaul East Lancashire Town|date=28 June 2020 |publisher=Lancashire Telegraph}}</ref>

The first stages of the commencement of the Bacup 2040 work was announced in June 2020, with the £1m redevelopment of the long-time derelict Regal Building.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancs.live/news/former-bacup-cinema-restored-brought-18425159|title=Former Bacup Cinema Restored And Brough Back into Use in £1m plan|date=15 June 2020 |publisher=Lancs Live}}</ref>

In the 2023 budget, it was announced that Rossendale would receive a grant of £17.9m, of which £8.3m would be dedicated to the Bacup Market regeneration scheme<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/stockport-secures-20m-boost-for-marple-leisure/ | title=Budget 2023 &#124; £120m for North West regen | date=15 March 2023 }}</ref> of which the Chair of the Bacup 2040 Board commented: "At the heart of Temple Court will be an innovative two-storey, brand-spanking new market hall building, designed to be bustling with life. The ground floor will be a treasure trove of local produce, crafts and a varied array of food and drink – where market days and events will come to life - and where visitors will be encouraged to relax and enjoy the surroundings, both during the day and into the evening. The upper floor will introduce a cycle hub and makers’ spaces, championing creativity and discovery."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.growtraffic.co.uk/a-new-chapter-begins-in-bacup-with-the-temple-court-development/ | title=The New Bacup Market: A New Chapter Begins in Bacup with the Temple Court Development &#124; GrowTraffic }}</ref>

== Governance ==
[[File:Stubbylee Hall, Bacup.jpg|thumb|left|The former [[Stubbylee Hall|Bacup Town Hall]]]]
[[File:Bacup Borough Council - coat of arms.png|thumb|upright|right|alt=|The coat of arms of the former Bacup Municipal Borough Council]]Lying within the [[Historic counties of England|historic county boundaries]] of [[Lancashire]] since the [[High Middle Ages]], Bacup was a [[chapelry]] linked with the parishes of [[Whalley, Lancashire|Whalley]] and [[Rochdale (ancient parish)|Rochdale]], and divided between the [[Township (England)|townships]] of [[Newchurch, Lancashire|Newchurch]] and [[Spotland]] in the [[Blackburnshire|hundred of Blackburn]].<ref name=Top>{{harvnb|Lewis|1848|pp=124–128}}.</ref>

Bacup's first [[local authority]] was a [[Local board of health]] established in 1863;<ref name="GM Gazetteer">{{citation|url=http://www.gmcro.co.uk/Guides/Gazeteer/gazzb.htm |title=Greater Manchester Gazetteer|publisher=Greater Manchester County Record Office|access-date=20 June 2007|at=Places names – B|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718144414/http://www.gmcro.co.uk/Guides/Gazeteer/gazzb.htm}}</ref> Bacup Local Board of Health was a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the Bacup [[Sanitary district|Urban Sanitary District]]. The area of the sanitary authority was granted a [[Charter|charter of incorporation]] in 1882, giving it honorific [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]] and its own elected town government, consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs.<ref name=spin/><ref name=brief/><ref name="GM Gazetteer"/><ref name=rel>{{citation|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10062172&c_id=10001043|title=Bacup MB through time. Census tables with data for the Local Government District|access-date=27 October 2009|work=A vision of Britain through time|publisher=University of Portsmouth|author=Great Britain Historical GIS Project|year=2004}}</ref> The Municipal Borough of Bacup became a local government district of the [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of Lancashire under the [[Local Government Act 1894]], meaning it shared power with the strategic [[Lancashire County Council]].<ref name=rel/> The council was based at [[Stubbylee Hall|Bacup Town Hall]].<ref>{{cite web |title=National Lottery success for Stubbylee Hall |url=https://heritagetrustnetwork.org.uk/national-lottery-success-for-stubbylee-hall/ |website=Heritage Trust Network |date=12 April 2019 |access-date=1 March 2024}}</ref> Under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], the Municipal Borough of Bacup was abolished, and since 1 April 1974 Bacup has formed an [[unparished area]] of [[Borough of Rossendale|Rossendale]], a local government district of the [[non-metropolitan county]] of [[Lancashire]].<ref name=rel/>

From 1992 until 2010, Bacup was represented in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] as part of the [[List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies|parliamentary constituency]] of [[Rossendale and Darwen (UK Parliament constituency)|Rossendale and Darwen]], by [[Janet Anderson]], a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP).<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/constituency/1257/rossendale-and-darwen|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=Rossendale and Darwen|access-date=11 November 2009}}</ref> Bacup had previously formed part of the [[Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency)|Rossendale]] constituency. In the general election of 2010, the seat was taken by [[Jake Berry]] of the Conservative Party, and in 2024 it was taken by [[Andy MacNae]] of Labour.

== Geography ==
[[File:Irwell at Weir.jpg|thumb|right|alt=|The [[River Irwell]] at [[Weir, Lancashire|Weir]] in the rural north of Bacup]]
At {{Coord|53|42|14|N|2|11|56|W|type:city}} (53.704°, −2.199°), {{convert|15|mi|km|1}} north-northeast of [[Manchester]], {{convert|17|mi|km|1}} southeast of [[Blackburn]] and {{convert|26|mi|km|1}} southwest of [[Bradford]]. Bacup stands on the western slopes of the [[South Pennines]], amongst the upper-[[Irwell Valley]]. The [[River Irwell]], a {{convert|39|mi|adj=on}} long tributary of the [[River Mersey]], runs southwesterly through Bacup towards Rawtenstall from its source by the town's upland outskirts at [[Weir, Lancashire|Weir]].<ref name=sel>{{harvnb|Sellers|1991|pp=265–268}}.</ref> The Irwell is mostly [[culvert]]ed in central Bacup but it is open in the suburbs. In 2003 there was a proposal to use plate glass for a section of the culvert in the centre of the town however the culvert was eventually replaced with concrete.<ref name=sel/> Bacup is roughly {{convert|1000|ft|m|0}} above [[sea level]];<ref>{{citation |title=Bacup, United Kingdom |work=Global Gazetteer, Version 2.1 |publisher=Falling Rain Genomics, Inc |url=http://www.fallingrain.com/world/UK/0/Bacup.html|access-date=28 October 2009}}</ref> the Deerplay area of Weir is {{convert|1350|ft|m|0}} above sea level;<ref name=sel/> Bacup town centre is {{convert|835|ft|m|0}} above sea level.<ref name=spin/>

[[File:Lee quarry.jpg|right|thumb|On the moor to the south is [[Lee Quarry]], a council funded mountain bike trail.]]
Bacup is surrounded by open moor and grassland on all sides with the exception of Stacksteads at the west which forms a continuous urban area with [[Waterfoot, Lancashire|Waterfoot]] and [[Rawtenstall]].<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_urban_north_part_5.pdf|title=Census 2001:Key Statistics for urban areas in the North; Map 3|author=[[Office for National Statistics]]|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|access-date=22 April 2008|year=2001|archive-date=9 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109141715/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_urban_north_part_5.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_urban_north_part_8.pdf|title=Census 2001:Key Statistics for urban areas in the North; Map 9 |author=[[Office for National Statistics]] |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=28 October 2009 |year=2001 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109141704/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_urban_north_part_8.pdf |archive-date=9 January 2007}}</ref> The towns of [[Burnley]] and [[Accrington]] are to the north and northwest respectively; [[Todmorden]], [[Walsden]] and the county of [[West Yorkshire]] are to the east; [[Rochdale]] and the county of [[Greater Manchester]] are to the south; [[Rawtenstall]], from where Bacup is governed, is to the west. Areas and suburbs of Bacup include [[Britannia, Lancashire|Britannia]], Broadclough, Deerplay, Dulesgate, [[Stacksteads]] and [[Weir, Lancashire|Weir]].<ref name=joint/><ref name=spin/><ref name=whit/><ref name=Top/>

Bacup experiences a [[temperate]] [[Oceanic climate|maritime climate]], like much of the [[British Isles]], with relatively cool summers, yet harsh winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year.

== Landmarks ==
The town's parish church is dedicated to [[Saint John the Evangelist]]. Aside from just this church, Bacup has many other churches.<ref name=spin>{{citation|url=http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk/m_display.php?irn=242&sub=rural&theme=places&crumb=Helmshore%20Mill|publisher=spinningtheweb.org.uk|title=Helmshore Mills|access-date=28 October 2009|author=Manchester City Council|author-link=Manchester City Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718135312/http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk/m_display.php?irn=242&sub=rural&theme=places&crumb=Helmshore%20Mill|archive-date=18 July 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.rossendale.gov.uk/tourism/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=6&documentID=353 |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |title=Towns and Villages |author=Rossendale Borough Council |access-date=27 October 2009 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905033422/http://www.rossendale.gov.uk/tourism/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=6&documentID=353 |archive-date=5 September 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/tourism/townguides/rossendale/724092.Tourist_guide_to_Bacup/?ref=rss|work=[[Lancashire Telegraph]]|publisher=lancashiretelegraph.co.uk|title=Tourist guide to Bacup|date=24 July 2007|access-date=27 October 2009|first=Ron|last=Freethy}} {{dead link|date=January 2013}}</ref> The majority of Bacup's culturally significant architecture is in the [[Victorian architecture|Victorian period]], but there are older buildings of note are Fearns Hall (1696), Forest House (1815) and the 18th-century [[Stubbylee Hall]].<ref name=brief/> The Bacup Natural History Society Museum was formed in 1878.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk/index.htm |title=The Bacup Natural History Society & Museum |access-date=15 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115132528/http://www.bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk/index.htm |archive-date=15 January 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bacup is home to the {{convert|17|ft|abbr=on}} long [[Elgin Street, Bacup|Elgin Street]] which held the record as the shortest street in the world until November 2006, when it was surpassed by [[Ebenezer Place, Wick|Ebenezer Place]], in the [[Scottish Highlands]].<ref>{{citation | title = Street measures up to new record | work = BBC News | date = 1 November 2006 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6101968.stm |access-date=9 August 2008}}</ref>

Many of the town's historic buildings are set to be renewed in a £2m regeneration scheme.<ref>{{citation | url=http://www.obas.com/blog/housing-and-planning-minister-reviews-2m-bacup-regeneration-scheme/ | title=Housing and Planning Minister Reviews £2m Bacup Regeneration Scheme | publisher=OBAS Group | access-date=3 March 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402123323/http://www.obas.com/blog/housing-and-planning-minister-reviews-2m-bacup-regeneration-scheme/ | archive-date=2 April 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Transport ==
[[File:Bacup's bus station.jpg|thumb|A [[Rosso (bus company)|Rosso]] bus in Bacup town centre]]
[[Bacup railway station]] was opened in 1852<ref name="disused-stations.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/bacup/index.shtml|title=Disused Stations: Bacup Station|website=disused-stations.org.uk}}</ref> by the [[East Lancashire Railway 1844-1859|East Lancashire Railway]] as the terminus of the [[Rawtenstall to Bacup Line|Rossendale line]]. 
The Rochdale and Facit Railway was extended to Bacup in 1883. It rose over a summit of {{convert|967|ft}} between [[Britannia, Lancashire|Britannia]] and Shawforth. The Rochdale line closed to passenger services in 1947,<ref>{{PastScape|mnumber=1371976|access-date=7 October 2015|mode=cs2}}</ref> and the station finally closed in December 1966,<ref name="disused-stations.org.uk"/> with the cessation of all passenger services to and from [[Manchester Victoria railway station|Manchester Victoria]] via Rawtenstall and Bury.

In June 2014 the police announced they would be monitoring the road between [[Weir]] and Bacup (which passes through [[Broadclough]]) as it has become an accident blackspot with a high number of accidents which have resulted in serious injury and even deaths.<ref name="The Bolton News">{{cite web|url=http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/northwest/11308062.Police_monitoring_Bacup_Weir_accident__blackspot_/ | title=Police Monitoring Bacup Weir Accident Blackspot | work=[[The Bolton News]] | date=29 June 2014 }}</ref>

=== A671 Bypass proposals ===
There have been a large number of road traffic incidents on the [[A671]] as it passes through the small hamlets of [[Broadclough]] and [[Weir, Lancashire|Weir]] near Bacup including fatalities. Currently police are monitoring the road<ref name="The Bolton News"/> and there have been calls from local residents, led by County Councillor Jimmy Easton,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/northwest/11172039.UPDATED__Man_fighting_for_life_after_Bacup_crash/ | title=UPDATED: Man fighting for life after Bacup crash | work=Lancashire Telegraph | date=26 April 2014 | publisher= Bolton News}}</ref> for the creation of a bypass with the suggestion of utilising elements of Bacup Old Road.

== Culture and community ==
[[File:2007-05-19 Makila-dantzak-Iruñea IZ 8919.jpg|thumb|left|alt=|The Britannia Coconut Dancers are an [[Country dance|English folk dance troupe]] based in Bacup]]The key date in Bacup's cultural calendar is [[Easter|Easter Saturday]], when the [[Britannia Coconut Dancers]] [[beating the bounds|beat the bounds]] of the town via a dance procession. Britannia Coconut Dancers are an [[English country dance]] troupe from Bacup whose routines are steeped in local folk tradition. They wear distinctive costumes and have a custom of blackening their faces. The origin of the troupe is claimed to have its roots in [[Moors|Moorish]], pagan, medieval, mining and [[Cornish people|Cornish]] customs.<ref name=nuthis>{{citation|url=http://www.coconutters.co.uk/history.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305184255/http://www.coconutters.co.uk/history.htm|url-status = dead|archive-date=5 March 2005|publisher=coconutters.co.uk|title=The History of the Britannia Coconut Dancers|year=2005|access-date=11 November 2009}}</ref> The Easter Saturday procession begins annually at the Traveller's Rest Public House on the [[A671 road]]. The dancers are accompanied by members of [[Stacksteads]] [[Musical ensemble|Silver Band]] and proceed to dance their way through the streets.<ref name=nuthis/>

Bacup Museum is local history hub and exhibition centre in Bacup. The Bacup Natural History Society was formed in 1878.<ref>{{cite web |title=index |url=http://www.bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk/index.htm |website=bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk |access-date=15 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115132528/http://www.bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk/index.htm |archive-date=15 January 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The work of the society is carried out by a group of volunteers who have a base in the Bacup Museum which contains many domestic, military, industrial, natural history, and religious collections.<ref>{{cite web |title=museum&archives |url=http://www.bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk/museum&archives.htm |website=bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk |access-date=15 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115181850/http://www.bacupnaturalhistorysociety.co.uk/museum%26archives.htm |archive-date=15 January 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bacup has been used as a filming location for the 1980s [[BBC TV]] police drama ''[[Juliet Bravo]]'', ''[[Hetty Wainthropp Investigates]]'', parts of ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'' and much of the film ''Girls' Night''. Elements of the BBC TV drama ''[[Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (TV serial)|Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit]]'' were also filmed on location in Bacup.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Press|first=Rossendale Free|date=2007-03-02|title=Film crews can't get enough of the Valley|url=http://www.rossendalefreepress.co.uk/news/local-news/film-crews-cant-enough-valley-1708771|access-date=2021-06-12|website=rossendale|language=en}}</ref> The famous 1961 British film ''[[Whistle Down the Wind (film)|Whistle Down the Wind]]'' starring Hayley Mills also used various parts of Bacup for filming. The comedy drama ''Brassic'' was also largely filmed in Bacup.

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC North West]] and [[ITV Granada]]. Television signals are received from the [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]] and local relay TV transmitters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Winter_Hill |title=Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter |date=May 2004 |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Bacup|title=Freeview Light on the Bacup (Lancashire, England) transmitter |date=May 2004 |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref>

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]], a community based radio station which broadcast to the town on 104.7 FM.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rossendaleradio.com/|title=Rossendale Radio |access-date=3 November 2023}}</ref>

The town's news in print is provided by The Rossendale Free Press - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rossendale_Free_Press - a newspaper sold in most local retail outlets and nearby communities throughout the Rossendale Valley. The paper's Web site closed in 2023 and the publication's online news is now provided on Lancs Live -https://www.lancs.live/all-about/bacup.

The less widely available local printed newspaper that includes Bacup coverage and which still does maintain a Web site is the ''[[Lancashire Telegraph]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-nw/lancashire-telegraph/|title=Lancashire Telegraph|date=30 May 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=3 November 2023}}</ref>

The Sky TV comedy ''[[Brassic]]'' is partly filmed in Bacup.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/where-brassic-filmed/ |title=Where is Brassic filmed? |first=James |last=Hibbs |date=27 September 2023 |magazine=Radio Times |access-date=8 November 2023}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
[[File:Beatrice Webb, c1875.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Beatrice Webb]], ca.1875]]
* [[Lawrence Heyworth (MP)|Lawrence Heyworth]] (1786–1872), Member of Parliament and [[Radicals (UK)|Radical]] activist
* [[Isaac Hoyle]] (1828–1911), British mill-owner and Liberal politician
* [[Emily Sarah Holt]] (1836–1893), English children's novelist
* [[John B. Sutcliffe]] (1853–1913), English-American architect
* [[Beatrice Webb]] (1858–1943), English sociologist, economist, socialist, labour historian and social reformer.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Webb, Sydney | volume= 28 | page = 455; see last sentence |short= 1}}</ref> She lived amongst textile factory workers in Bacup in the 1880s.<ref>Webb, Beatrice (1926, reprinted 1979), ''My Apprenticeship'', Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-521-29731-8}}</ref>
* Sir [[John Maden]] (1862–1920), Liberal Party politician, [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] for [[Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency)|Rossendale]], 1892–1900  
* [[Herbert Bolton (palaeontologist)|Herbert Bolton]] (1863–1936), palaeontologist and director of the [[Bristol Museum and Art Gallery]]
* [[Betty Jackson]] (born 1949), fashion designer; her father owned a shoe factory in town.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/lifestyle/2003/09/03/betty_jackson.shtml|publisher=bbc.co.uk|date=3 September 2003|access-date=28 October 2009|title=Betty Jackson – the Bacup girl done good|first=Katie|last=Grimshaw}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Twenty-five years on, is Betty Jackson still a cut above?|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/twentyfive-years-on-is-betty-jackson-still-a-cut-above-464871.html|work=independent|access-date=28 October 2009|date=9 June 2007|first=Susannah|last=Frankel}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
* [[Johnny Clegg]] (1953–2019), South African musician from the bands [[Juluka]] and [[Savuka]]
* [[Paul Stephenson (police officer)|Paul Stephenson]] (born 1953), [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Metropolitan Police Commissioner]], 2009 to 2011
* [[Jennie McAlpine]] (born 1984), actress, plays [[Fiz Stape]] in ''[[Coronation Street]]''<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/leisure/tv/news/3828726.East_Lancashire_actors_star_in_Coronation_Street___s_special_DVD/ |work=[[Lancashire Telegraph]]|publisher=lancashiretelegraph.co.uk |title=East Lancashire actors star in Coronation Street's special DVD |date=7 November 2008 |access-date=28 October 2009  |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325223051/http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/leisure/tv/news/3828726.East_Lancashire_actors_star_in_Coronation_Street___s_special_DVD/ |archive-date=25 March 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Murder of Sophie Lancaster|Sophie Lancaster]] (1986–2007), murder victim
* [[Sam Aston]] (born 1993), actor who plays [[Chesney Brown]] in ''Coronation Street''

=== Sport ===
* [[Eddie Cooper (cricketer)|Eddie Cooper]] (1915–1968), cricketer, right-handed batsman who played 249 first-class matches for [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire]]
* [[Everton Weekes]] (1925–2020), cricketer, lived in Bacup and played for Bacup Cricket club between 1949 and 1958
* [[Marc Pugh]] (born 1987), [[association football]]er with over 470 club caps<ref>{{Citation|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/accringtonobserver/news/s/1137845_hereford_united_2_accrington_stanley_0|work=Accrington Observer|publisher=M.E.N. Media|title=Hereford United 2 Accrington Stanley 0|date=24 September 2009|access-date=28 October 2009|archive-date=5 May 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505045358/http://menmedia.co.uk/accringtonobserver/news/s/1137845_hereford_united_2_accrington_stanley_0|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/news/s/1151573_pughs_claret_dream|title=Pugh's Claret dream|work=Rossendale Free Press|publisher=M.E.N. Media|date=2 October 2009|access-date=28 October 2009|archive-date=5 May 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505053743/http://menmedia.co.uk/rossendalefreepress/news/s/1151573_pughs_claret_dream|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Matty James]] (born 1991), footballer for [[Wrexham A.F.C.]] with over 180 domestic league caps
* [[Reece James (footballer, born 1993)|Reece James]] (born 1993), footballer for [[Rotherham United F.C.]] with over 208 domestic league caps

== See also ==
{{portal|Lancashire}}
* [[Listed buildings in Bacup]]

== References ==
=== Footnotes ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{citation|first=Kenneth|last=Cameron|title=English Place Names|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=1961}}
* {{citation|title=Heathcliff and the Great Hunger: Studies in Irish Culture|first=Terry|last=Eagleton|author-link=Terry Eagleton|publisher=Verso|year=1996|isbn=978-1-85984-027-6}}
* {{citation|title=Milton's places of hope: spiritual and political connections of hope with land|first=Mary C.|last=Fenton|publisher=Ashgate|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7546-5768-2}}
* {{citation|title=The Age of Capital: 1848–1875|first=Eric|last=Hobsbawm|year=1996|publisher=National Geographic Books |isbn=978-0-679-77254-5}}
* {{citation |last=Lewis|first=Samuel|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50773#s17|title=A Topographical Dictionary of England (extract)|publisher=Institute of Historical Research|year=1848|isbn=978-0-8063-1508-9}}
* {{citation|first=G. M.|last=Miller|title=BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1971}}
* {{citation|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=USA|year=2003|isbn=978-0-19-852758-9|first=A. D.|last=Mills|title=A Dictionary of British Place-Names}}
* {{citation|title=Walking the South Pennines|last=Sellers |first=Gladys |year=1991|isbn=978-1-85284-041-9 |publisher=Cicerone Press}}
* {{citation|title=National Trust Guide to Traditional Customs of Britain|first=Brian|last=Shuel|publisher=Webb & Bower|year=1985|isbn=0-86350-051-X}}
* {{citation |last=Farrer and Brownbill |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924088434620|title=The Victoria History of the County of Lancaster Vol 6 |publisher=[[Victoria County History]] – [[Constable & Robinson|Constable & Co]] |year=1911 |oclc=270761418}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Bacup |volume= 3 |page= 181|short=x}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140322103953/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/BacupComplete_LowRes.pdf Historic Town Survey – Bacup, Lancs CC]

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[[Category:Bacup| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Geography of the Borough of Rossendale]]