Cockden

Settlement in Lancashire Burnley

England

Cockden

Heckenhurst Farm Viewed from Rowley Lane on a slightly misty day. Wasnop Edge is in the background, the beginning of the higher Pennines. — Heckenhurst Farm Credit: Bill Boaden

Cockden is a small village located in the county of Lancashire, England. Situated in the southern part of the county, it falls within the local government district of Pendle. The village is situated approximately 2 miles southwest of the town of Nelson and is part of the larger borough of Pendle.

Historically, Cockden was primarily an agricultural community, with farming being the main occupation of its residents. However, in recent years, the village has seen a shift towards a more residential focus, with many of its inhabitants now commuting to nearby towns and cities for work.

Cockden is known for its picturesque countryside and tranquil surroundings. The village is surrounded by rolling hills, offering stunning views of the Lancashire landscape. It is a popular destination for nature enthusiasts, who can explore the nearby countryside through various walking and cycling routes.

In terms of amenities, Cockden has a few local shops and services to cater to the needs of its residents. However, for a wider range of facilities, the nearby town of Nelson offers a more extensive selection of shops, supermarkets, and other amenities.

Overall, Cockden is a peaceful and scenic village in Lancashire that offers a quiet and rural lifestyle. With its beautiful countryside and proximity to larger towns, it provides a desirable location for those seeking a balance between tranquility and accessibility.

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Cockden Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 53.809876/-2.190556 or Grid Reference SD8734. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Heckenhurst Farm

Viewed from Rowley Lane on a slightly misty day. Wasnop Edge is in the background, the beginning of the higher Pennines.

Bill Boaden

Track up to Netherwood Farm

The section up the slope has been reinforced with concrete to make it more durable, though the concrete has a good coating of mud.

Bill Boaden

Path remedial works in the Brun Valley Forest Park

The broad paths are kept in good order by the local councils.

Bill Boaden

Crossing of paths in the Don valley

Part of the Brun Valley Forest Park. The route left takes you straight out into Heasandford Industrial Estate.

Bill Boaden

Widow Hill Road

A winding road through Heasandford Industrial Estate.

Bill Boaden

Council depot in Heasandford

A base for Lancashire County Council gritting lorries.

Bill Boaden

Path to Netherwood Farm

The path crosses the valley of the River Don. The brook to the left, which flows into the Don, has just emerged from a culvert.

Bill Boaden

Footbridge across the River Don

A very long bridge in relation to the width of the river, but it also crosses a small tributary.

Bill Boaden

Path to Netherwood Farm

The whole field is muddy, but this field corner is a bit worse than the rest of it.

Bill Boaden

Queen Street Mill - engine running

William Roberts of Nelson horizontal tandem compound mill engine running at 68 rpm. This explains the blurring of the crank and flywheel. The governor's balls can also seen to be in the 'out' position indicating that the engine is running. The yellow and black marking on the floor is for the public to stay behind. The engine driver is always present and the public are well behaved. Queen Street was the last Lancashire weaving shed to run under steam power and is now a working textile museum operated by Lancashire County Council. On this occasion this was the engine's penultimate run before the engine tenter retired ahead of a hiatus of unknown length. We obviously hope that a replacement will be found and the engine back in steam as soon as possible. The mesh guarding below the handrail is an addition since my last visit in 2013.

Chris Allen

Queen Street Mill - the weaving shed

This mill is now a museum and still demonstrates its steam engine turning the line shafting and operating a few looms only. There would be 800-1200 Lancashire looms in a typical shed, each taking about 0.5 horsepower of steam engine power and producing an incredible din. The mill girls communicated by lip reading a skill called mee-mawing (somebody will correct the spelling). This view was taken with the permission of the collections manager who was taking us through the shed to see some items in store. It gives a good impression of the forest of belts driving the Lancashire looms.

Chris Allen

Queen Street Mill - Engineering Heritage Award

This former cotton weaving shed is now a museum and the original steam engine - Peace - can still run and has been honoured with this award. The Institution has an excellent strap line - Improving the world through engineering. I always intend to photograph these plaques but often forget while distracted by what they are celebrating.

Chris Allen

Queen Street Mill - pressure gauges

These gauges on the engine house wall let the driver know that all is well with the tandem compound mill engine - Peace - that powered the mill. A glance will tell you that the engine is running, which should come as no surprise unless you are unconscious as the sight and sound of it is quite spectacular enough. The left hand gauge is the steam pressure in the main from the boiler house. This is just a shade under 45 psi, which is adequate for running the engine essentially off load apart from the friction of the gearing and lineshafts. The middle gauge is the vacuum in the condenser and is around 24 inches of mercury (one atmosphere being 30"). The gauge on the right is a combination pressure and vacuum gauge that measures the pressure between the high and low pressure cylinders. Because the engine is working on so little load this is subatmospheric at about 7" of mercury. With the engine on full load it would have been above atmospheric pressure. The red pipe on the right transfers steam between the two cylinders.

Chris Allen

QueenStreet Mill - steam engine electric vacuum breaker

This on the horizontal tandem compound mill engine by William Roberts of Nelson. There is an electromagnet at the top and when an emergency stop button is pressed the governor is disconnected and this weight is dropped on to the levers below that lift a valve to admit air down the black pipe. This breaks the vacuum in the condenser and helps slow the engine quicker. It is not instantaneous though. Without the vacuum breaker the engine stops in 28 revolutions and with it in 18 revolutions. There is a lot of momentum in the flywheel. Apparently the air rushing in makes quite a racket.

Chris Allen

Queen Street Mill - the governor's ghostly balls

This former weaving shed is now a museum and the horizontal tandem compound engine still runs to demonstrate the noise and motion of a large weaving shed. Its speed is controlled by this Whitehead governor that adjusts the amount of steam entering the engine to keep the speed close to constant. The linkage on the right includes underspeed and overspeed trips that will stop the engine if it goes out a specified speed range. The rectangular box on the governor stand is an electric stop motion that will close the steam valves if an emergency stop button is pushed. The same button also simultaneously breaks the vacuum in the engine's condenser, thus helping it to coast to a halt in a shorter time. We were witness to an unexpected underspeed trip earlier in the afternoon when the vacuum fell due to some unauthorised fiddling with the injection valve. The two balls are ghostly because the shot is of the engine running with 50:50 time and flash. That everything else is sharp is testament to the steady running of the engine because if the speed had shifted during the exposure there would be more blurring. The flash has also stopped the motion of the gib and cotter (bottom to the left of the handrail stanchion) in the little end of the connecting rod.

Chris Allen

Queen Street Mill - the big wheel goes round and round!

This is the flywheel of the horizontal tandem compound steam engine driving Queen Street Mill as a museum of the Lancashire weaving industry. The flywheel is 14' diameter and the engine drives directly onto the mill's main shaft to operate the looms. The engine was built in 1895 with new cylinders in 1918/19 and developed up to 500 horsepower. This is a 50:50 time and flash shot.

Chris Allen

Queen Street Mill - sizing machines

These treat the warp for the looms with a starch based mixture that improves the strength and handling. These are now electrically powered but I believe they were originally steam powered with a 'donkey' engine and the museum has acquired a suitable engine to display alongside. These machines are no longer used.

Chris Allen

Queen Street Mill - Peace

This is the 500 horsepower horizontal tandem compound mill engine that drove this weaving shed that is now a museum. It was built by William Roberts of Nelson in 1895 and rebuilt after a fire in 1918-19, which is when it gained its current name following the armistice. This was a running day and probably the penultimate one for some time due to the impending retirement of the engine driver.

Chris Allen

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Cockden is located at Grid Ref: SD8734 (Lat: 53.809876, Lng: -2.190556)

Administrative County: Lancashire

District: Burnley

Police Authority: Lancashire