Haslingden, United Kingdom

Haslingden appears to have held markets during the 16th century, with the first reference in a Court Roll of 1555 where it records a John Radcliffe being fined for being a 'forestaller of the lords market of Haslyngden'. There are later references to markets and fairs in The Shuttleworth Accounts (1582-1621) and the map-maker Richard Blome writing in 1673 describes Haslingden as originally having 'a small Market-town on Wednesdays', and later, at the time of Charles I, the market had been moved to Saturday. The market continued to grow and Haslingden was designated a market town in 1676. It became a coaching station and a significant industrial borough during the Industrial Revolution. Haslingden benefitted in particular with the mechanisation of the wool and cotton spinning and weaving industries from the 18th to the 19th centuries, and the development of watermills, and later steam power. By the latter half of the nineteenth century, the diversity and wealth of industry earned the area the name 'The Golden Valley'.

In the 20th century, the population declined from 19,000 in the 1911 census to 15,000 in 1971. The 2001 census recorded a population of 16,849 living in the town.

Haslingden was once connected to Accrington and Bury Bolton Street by railway (Rush, 1983). The East Lancashire Railway built a station here, which remained open to passengers under British Railways until 7 November 1960 and to goods until 2 November 1964. The Bury–Accrington line itself remained in use until December 1966.

Much of the trackbed of the railway is no longer visible, with the A56 by-pass built over it between Grane Road and Blackburn Road; however, the line can still be traced through Helmshore towards Stubbins, where several magnificent viaducts still remain. The East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society was originally established at Helmshore station in the mid 1960s, with the aim of reopening the railway line to Stubbins. The project was abandoned with the organisation relocating to Bury in the 1970s and eventually reopening the Rawtenstall to Bury line.