Laneshaw Bridge

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.860665
longitude= -2.115517
population=
official_name= Laneshaw Bridge
shire_district= Pendle
shire_county = Lancashire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Pendle
post_town= COLNE
postcode_district = BB8
postcode_area= BB
dial_code= 01282
os_grid_reference= SD925405
london_distance=

Laneshaw Bridge (otherwise Laneshawbridge) is a village and civil parish in the borough of Pendle. It is to the east of Colne in Lancashire and is the easternmost settlement in Lancashire (via the main road route) before the North Yorkshire border.

At first sight you might think that Laneshaw Bridge, or “The Brig” as it is affectionately know by the locals, with its quaint, underestimated cottages, is just a sleepy village tucked away near the Yorkshire border, but this attractive little village has a lot more to offer than that, and there is chapter and verse of history to go with it.

The villages roots date right back to the era of William the Conqueror, when he gave some land to the Emmott family, which they still own to this very day. It is thought that the family were given land for their military support and founded a hamlet know as “Eamot” which later became Laneshawbridge, and then for some reason was renamed Laneshaw Bridge before the millennium. The family resided at Emmott Hall, the first of which dated back to 1310, but of course it was to be modified, rebuilt and finally catastrophically demolished in 1967.

Near to where the hall stood there still remains a most interesting building, Emmott House, which was a coach house to the main hall and dates back to 1737. In the nineties, the old boating lake was dug out to create Hullow’n Fishery, and this is run by the Choyce family for sporting purposes.

Next to the lake is Hullow’n Well which has its own history. It is reported that in A.D 926 King Athelstan, one of the bravest Saxon Kings, confirmed a treaty of peace between the Welsh, Scots and Northumbrians.

The Emmotts owned much of the village, and provided a school, as well as Saint Andrews Church, both of which are residential properties to this day.

It would also appear that the family also had a public house which was probably used as a shooting lodge. The first Emmott Arms is rumoured to be what is today Rye Flatt, which has just been lovingly restored to be the village's only Bed and Breakfast.

The Emmott Arms, or Th’Emmott as locals call it, stands in the centre of the village and is a true village pub in every sense. They even have a dominoes team which still plays every Sunday.

A trip up Emmott Lane will take you past the village park, around which the village is built, to the Alma Inn which seems to be doing very well and also offers accommodation.

Laneshaw Bridge Primary School is a typical village school with an excellent reputation and was built in 1912. The building has had some recent alterations to modernise it and increase its size and the school boasts its own before and after school club taking care of children from 7.45am until 5.30pm.

Laneshaw Bridge is a typical example of a village which has gone through the changes. Like most villages, you wouldn’t have had to leave from one week to the next in the 60’s with a hairdressers, butchers, tea room, post office, village shop, cobblers and five pubs around the village.

A visit to this truly quaint little village is highly recommended!

The village of Trawden is 2 miles (3km) to the south west and the historic village of Wycoller is 2 miles (3km) to the south.

The village has two public houses,The Emmott Arms and The Alma Inn, both of which serve great food.

Local Media

See Colne and Trawden.

External links

* [http://www.pendlelife.co.uk/roundabout/opencms/Residents/Government/LocalCouncils/LaneshawBridgePC.html Laneshaw Bridge Parish Council Website, includes some brief details and photographs]
* [http://www.pendle.net/Laneshawbridge/index.htm Pendle Net - Laneshawbridge webpages]