Sunday 21st August 2016
It was still a bit cloudy & drizzly but warmer, but we donned our macs gave Phoebe Joan a toot & set off for Blackburn with all the stories of prop fouls & rubbish in out heads!
Just as we were setting off from Side Beet bridge!
Is this the start of things to come, we hadn’t even reached Blackburn yet!
A lot of evidence of the old working mills & wharves, this area similar to the one we had moored at in Burnley a couple of days earlier. Lots of anti vandal fencing surrounding new industry.
Textile manufacturing in Blackburn dates from the mid-13th century, when wool produced locally by farmers was woven in their homes. Flemish weavers who settled in the area in the 14th century developed the industry. By 1650 the town was known for the manufacture of blue and white “Blackburn checks”, and “Blackburn greys” became famous not long afterwards. By the first half of the 18th century textile manufacture had become Blackburn’s main industry. From the mid-18th to the early 20th century Blackburn evolved from a small market town into “the weaving capital of the world”, and its population increased from less than 5,000 to over 130,000
Suspension of trade with India during the First World War resulted in the expansion of colonial British India’s cotton industry at the expense of Britain’s, and the imposition of an 11% import tariff by the colonial British Government led to a dramatic slump in trade in 1921, this caused the number of stopped mills to increase to 47, with 43,000 looms lying idle. Two years into the slump, Foundry and Limbrick Mills became the first to close permanently. Not long afterwards, in 1926, the General Strike saw production suspended at half the town’s mills. There was another slump in 1928, and another strike in 1929, 40,000 cotton workers struck for a week and eight mills closed, making 28 closures in six years. By the start of 1930, 50 mills had shut and 21,000 people were unemployed. A financial crisis in 1931 led to 24,000 unemployed, with 1,000 houses and 166 shops lying empty in the town. A total of 26 mills closed down between 1930 and 1934.
The industry experienced a short post-war boom between 1948 and 50, during which sales increased, industry training methods improved and automatic looms were introduced which allowed a single weaver to control 20 to 25 looms. Loom sheds were rebuilt to house new, larger looms. Despite the post-war boom, the cotton industry continued to decline and only 25% of the town’s population were employed in textiles by 1951; this : this figure had stood at 60% up to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929.
In 1952 the number of weavers fell from 10,890 to 9,020. By 1955 more cloth was imported from India than was exported and between 1955 and 1958 another 16 mills closed. In 1959, due partly to the re-organisation of the textile industry as a result of the Textiles Act another 17 mills closed. By 1960 there were 30 mills operating in Blackburn.
Albion Mill, closed in 1975, demolished in 2010
Since the 1950s the town has experienced significant levels of migration, particularly from India and Pakistan, and consequently has the third highest proportion of Muslims in England and Wales and the highest in the United Kingdom outside London.
The town seems to be embracing the canal more now as a visitor attraction & improvements are apparent.
Two CRT workboats hogging the entrance to the next lock!
This type of mechanism is used when space at the locks is at a premium & no room for long wooden beams.
We saw no signs of rubbish, louts or drunks on our way down the locks through the town. The most inconvenient issue was the two workboats making entering one lock very difficult & making it awkward for two boats to moor up for water, hey ho we managed.
A couple of rather odd sites as we started leaving the town behind!
Green started to make an appearance again.
We stopped at Cherry Tree for some supplies, although not a brilliant mooring spot as its a bit run down & the side is shallow, it is handy for supplies as the village is right beside the canal along with a small Sainsburys at Bridge 95.
From Cherry Tree onto Riley Green.
A colourful yogurt pot at Riley Green & we moored up just by the cows which unbeknown to us were planning the great escape! …………to be continued.
8 Miles 7hrs 6 Locks 0 Swing Bridges
nb That's D'riculous 
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