Stanhill is an historic village. A bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2015 was successful and helped us to to find £36,000 to be spent between Autumn 2015 and Autumn 2017!
This project celebrates many significant points in Stanhill’s history including James Hargreaves’ invention of the Spinning Jenny here in the village; Robert Peel, the grandfather of the Prime
Minister who formed the first official police force and William Westall, the popular Victorian novelist who lived at Stanhill Hall.
John Hargreaves, a descendant of James, cuts the ribbon with the Lord Mayor at the project launch
We have now begun a programme of education projects for schools and the general public including how to research your family history, Stanhill histories and demonstrations of the Spinning Jenny, a working model of which has been built from original patent drawings.
A physical 3.5 mile heritage trail has been established starting at the Memorial Gardens, around Stanhill and then up to Knuzden where it embraces the former PoW camp and Peel Fold Farm before heading down to the site of the old calico mills at Brookside. In addition we have constructed a dedicated web-site which is linked to the presentation panels on the trail via smart phone and which tells in more detail the history of this incredible village. The web-site will also include audio recordings of villagers past and present.
John Hargreaves, a local resident and descendant of the inventor officially opened the Heritage Trail with the Mayor and Mayoress of Hyndburn at Stanhill Methodist Chapel on 9 July. Over 150 people attended including Graham Jones MP and VIPs from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
We have been invited to exhibit the Spinning Jenny this summer at the Great Northern Exhibition in Newcastle which will give us a national and international audience. A video of the Jenny in operation is also in production in partnership with Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire and the Weaver’s Cottage Heritage Centre in Rawtenstall.
There will be updates as we go along. Our latest project is the publication of Stanhill Times, an anthology of life in the village from the middle of the 19th century based on local press coverage. Anyone who is interested in contributing to or being involved in the project can contact Richard Hooper on 07933773845.
