With the closure of the coalmines around East Lancashire went a comradeship that few other industries could ever boast. Today the dry and dusty coal seams with death and danger ever present are but a memory for those whose unique recollections contribute to this proud collection. In this book, former coal miners recall their time spent labouring in the local mines: Josh Greenwood recalls at age fourteen pushing tubs of coal for the colliers in his bare feet along the dark and wet underground galleries at the old Whinney Hill Colliery near Clayton-le-Moors, whilst on his very first day at the Little Naab Colliery, a drift mine on the high and bleak moors above Water village in the Rossendale Valley, Stephen Spencer, also aged fourteen, was given just four candles to light his way along the dark, dank tunnels. This book is a fitting tribute to all those who worked underground in the coal mines of East Lancashire, and an acknowledgement of a bygone industry to which we owe so much. It is also a mark of respect to the camaraderie of the miners, and their trust in their colleagues while working in extreme conditions, for they knew that should the need arrive, others would be there to help.

The Industrial Revolution borough tens of thousands of rural folk into Burnley from Yorkshire Dales and Derbyshire. In just a few decades, the town became the 'Cotton Capital of the World', with more than 100,000 looms in operation. The price of such fame came at a cost - to cope with the influx of workers, low-class slum housing was built, row upon row in the smoke-blackened streets. Poverty was rife, and strikes and famine common - it was not the 'New Jerusalem' that many had hoped for. Often workers turned to drink, and their need to ale was satisfied and quenched by hundreds of beerhouses and taverns, often unlicensed. By 1881, Burnley was known as 'The Most Drunken Town in England'. Illustrated with more than 70 archive photographs, this book tells the histories of many of the 300 beerhouses, pubs and inns which were in the town. Snippets from the local newspapers of the day add to the interest, with tales of violence, robbery, drunkenness, street crime, rape, and even murder. This is an essential guide to the inns and taverns of Burnley.

Coal mining is the second oldest industry in Britain after agriculture. As big coalmines developed to cope with the output to feed the Industrial Revolution, many small-scale moorland pits - including those around Rawtenstall, Bacup, Rochdale, Littleborough and Heywood - were still worked to provide fuel for local markets, households, farms, mills, factories and foundries. These small, private coal mines were often worked on a shoestring budget, and the miners themselves toiled in extreme conditions using methods of mining hundreds of years old. Written by a former miner, this book recalls an industry now long gone, of accidents and deaths, of child labour and the owners of these mines, as well as the proud men who toiled below ground, sometimes hundreds of feet down, others in coal seams less than eighteen inches high. Illustrated with 50 images, this book a lasting record of the East Lancashire Coalfields.

A Grim Almanac of Lancashire is a day-by-day catalogue of 365 ghastly tales from around the county dating from the twelfth to the twentieth centuries. Full of dreadful deeds, macabre deaths, strange occurrences and heinous homicides, this almanac explores the darker side of the county's past. This compilation contains diverse tales of highwaymen, murderers, bodysnatchers, poachers, witches, rioters and rebels, as well as accounts of old lock-ups, prisons, bridewells and punishments. All these, plus tales of suicide, explosions, accidents by land, sea and air, and much more, are here. If you have ever wondered about what nasty goings-on occurred in the Lancashire of yesteryear, then look no further. But do you have the stomach for it?

This fascinating collection of over 150 archive images provides a nostalgic insight into the changing history of Padiham over the last century. Each image is accompanied by a detailed caption, bringing the past to life and describing many aspects of life in this old market town, including chapters on work and industry - including the cotton mills, coal mines and stone quarries that marked the industrial heart of the Pennines - sporting and local events, offering a vital record of vanished vistas and past practices. This book will appeal to everyone with an interest in the history of those who worked or lived in this vibrant community.

In 1929, 63 per cent of the working population of Burnley was involved in the industry. This fascinating work, illustrated with over 90 images, explores the history of this industry which was so central to the economy of Burnley. The author includes detailed histories of the 140 mills of Burnley, as well as stories of the weavers themselves and their families.

The last deep mine in the Burnley Coalfield, Hapton Valley Colliery, closed in 1982 and with its demise went a comradeship and companionship that few other industries have enjoyed. The Burnley Coalfield covers an area from Colne through to Blackburn and Darwen, Higham Village to the west and Worsthorne Moor to the east. A number of pits in the Bacup area have also been included. Four companies - John Hargreaves, George Hargreaves, Brooks & Pickip and the Cliviger Coal Co. - dominated coalmining in the area and between them sank the pits which many of the Burnley miners will, even now, recall. Collieries of North East Lancashire is the story of those pits, of those who sunk and financed them, and of those who toiled, laboured, even perished, within their depths.