Have you ever wondered what the weaver’s cottage was?

Found on Bacup road between Ilex Mill and Rawtenstall’s Health Hub is the Weavers Cottage, seemingly out of place; this cottage would have been typical when it was built.

Many people have seen this building, but they don’t know anything about it or its history.

Some brief history
  • A weaver family would have used the ground floor as a home.
  • The first and second floors would have been used as a workshop where weavers operated the large weaving looms.
  • During the industrial revolution, it was split into four separate dwellings.
  • In the 1940s, the first murder was recorded in Rossendale, and one of the tenants of the cottage was the convicted murder.
  • The cottage was used as a Police Box.
The Cottage is
  • It dated around the 18th century when English weaving was at its height.
  • A three-story brick building
  • The first and second floors have six large windows.
  • Built with two massive floors with an open plan layout for working
  • South facing
  • Access to the working floors was at the rear of the building.

What was the initial use?

The cottage name tells us that the primary use was for Wool and/or silk weaving.

Weaving was a trade common among the working people. Therefore the cottage work area’s were available to all the weavers in the province.

It seems like the designer had taken in the risks of this profession when he had planned this building. Excellent building design is necessary for specialised work.

You can see this in the use of windows so that the natural lighting would reduce the number of candles needed in the room, minimising the risk of a possible fire. A fire was a significant worry in the weaving business; just one spark could lose your livelihood and home.

Some weavers employed their own or local children to assist with the weaving process as children could easily reach more difficult areas on the loom.

Until the introduction of the powered loom, this cottage would have been in constant use.

At the height of the industrial revolution, work in the mills was encouraged. However, with mills producing large quantities of fabric, it became harder for those who worked in these cottages.

As a result, the weaving profession began to decline until it was later abandoned.

English weaving is a traditional skill among those in decline.

The cottage workshop was left vacant; the ample space was then partitioned off to create homes. But, as more desirable dwellings were built, the weaver’s cottage again was empty.

The weavers cottage was in the location of the first murder in Rossendale’s living history. The shocking murder of Nancy Chadwick in 1948. Find out more Click here.

What is it now?

In the 1970s, the area was under urban renewal.

This council approved arrangement resulted in several old buildings being demolished.

The Rawtenstall Civic Society saved the cottage from being completely demolished. But, unfortunately, the sloped rear roof was lost.

The Civic Society was able to restore the cottage to as much of its original format. Now using it as a heritage centre for the local area.

In October 2019, the local council granted the cottage the chance to use local traditional artisans to install new sash windows, helping bring the original look back to the building.

The cottage became a grade II listed building registered on the 16th of October 1970. Thus, giving the weavers cottage the status of a structure of national importance and particular interest.


Learn More
There is a video provided by the Rossendale civic trust marking The history of the weavers’ cottage.