Bacup, by virtue of its history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, has been designated as a Conservation Area of Special Architectural and Historic Interest, and thanks to the plethora of Graded Listed buildings, has been names as the ‘Best Preserved Cotton Town’ in England, by English Heritage.
If you are looking for somewhere a little bit different to visit, where you can have a wander amongst the shops and the town’s market, or you want to find a cosy café for a brew after a walk over the scenic hills that surround the town then head for Bacup.
We hope you will enjoy browsing through our website, and you will come and visit us. We are sure that once you have been, you will want to come back again and again, each time discovering something else from this hidden gem of a town in the heart of the Pennines.
Bacup has a number of unmissable events throughout the year.
In particular, the Bacup and Stacksteads Carnival at the end of June has always brought the town together in a celebratory mood. With floats and walkers entering from all walks of life, it was at first organised by the Mills and Church Groups, now in its modern-day format the Charity BASCO are the event organisers, and each year it goes from strength to strength!
At Easter Time the famous Britannia Coconutters make their way through the town centre with their remarkable traditional dance, wearing their clogs and carrying garlands above their heads to music played by Stacksteads Band.
Have a look at some of our upcoming events here.
Bacup is situated to the East of Rossendale, and is where the A671, heading to Burnley in one direction and Rochdale in the other, and the A681 which takes you to Todmorden and Hebden Bridge cross over. This area has developed over the centuries in to one of well-established trade and industry and has acquired its own individual sense of style, with an eclectic mix of shops, cafes and businesses to suite everybody’s tastes.
The population is just over 13, 000, many of whom have grown up, gone to school and worked in the area all their lives. Indeed when the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, and even up until the early nineties, mills and factories employed whole families, ensuring a strong sense of community which exists until this day.
That proud industrialism has stuck with us and many of us run small businesses. Have a look here at just a few.