During lockdown we’re all trying to get out of the house and get some “interesting” exercise in. Walking around on the tops, you can see a lot of old farmhouses and barns that are vacant or practically ruins. But there’s a lot of things on the valley floor that have also disappeared over time or only left small traces behind. A short walk around Lydgate in Todmorden is full of empty spaces that on casual glance wouldn’t seem to have ever been built upon. Here are just two of them.
Picker Street is named for Arch View Picker Works which once stood on this site, almost directly on the main road. As well as the factory there was also a school in the building, originally one of the Fielden factory schools serving children who lived near or worked at Robinwood Mill. The school played host to the “Lydgate People’s Institute” which hosted lectures and a small library for working class men and women starting in 1847.
(photo copyright Roger and Daniel Birch)
Over the river where the road curves was a line of houses that seem improbable when you look at a photo today. Bowed Row was built overtop the watercourse just past Robinwood Mill on the way to the Staff of Life and Eagle Crag. The weir that served Robinwood, Canteen and Lineholme Mills flowed behind it. As you can imagine they were not terribly flood-proof and a few were even knocked down during flooding in 1870. Another flood in the 1980’s finished them off and they were finally demolished.
(photo copyright Pennine Horizons Digital Archive)
In this photo you can see Bowed Row on the right hand side of the road, curving down towards the mill. You can also see Arch View directly in front of the viaduct. Below is the view today.
If you see some interesting ruins near your home while out walking, you can access historical Ordnance Survey maps for free via the National Library of Scotland website at http://maps.nls.uk – from there, see what you can find about locations using other local history websites or get in touch with the Information Services team if you get stuck. We are here to help as much as we can so do feel free to ask us for help. Happy exploring!
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