Darwen

File:Arms-darwen.jpg

Arms of the former Darwen Borough Council

Darwen is a small market town in Lancashire, on the edge of the West Pennine Moors. Previously part of the Blackburn administrative district of Lancashire, Darwen became part of Blackburn with Darwen, a new unitary authority and administrative county in April 1998. The town is spread along the route of the A666 road, which joins Darwen to its bigger neighbours, Blackburn to the north, and Bolton to the south. It has a railway station and is on the Ribble Valley Line.

The Romans were also present in Lancashire. A Roman road is visible on the Ordnance Survey map of the area, and Roman artifacts from the Whitehall area are on display in the Public Library.

The name Darwen is Brythonic Celtic in origin, and either derives from Old Welsh "Dwr" meaning "water" and Brythonic, possibly Cumbric "gwyn" meaning "white" or "clear" or Brythonic "derwa" meaning "oak" whence "derewent." Like many towns in Lancashire, Darwen was a centre for the production of textiles during the industrial revolution. The most important textile building in Darwen is India Mill. This was built by Eccles Shorrock & Company but the company was ruined by the effects of the cotton famine of the 1860s. The building is now home to many companies including Capita who runs TV licensing. The textile industry has since strongly declined in the region, although many of the factories and other industrial buildings from this period survive and are now used for other purposes. Overlooking the town from the moors to the west is Darwen Tower (officially 'Jubilee Tower'). Built in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, it stands at a height of 1225 feet and is 86 feet tall.

In Lancashire dialect, the name Darwen is pronounced Darren, and the locals refer to themselves as Darreners. They are generally resistant to any attempts at submerging the identity of the town within Blackburn [1]. Junction 4 of the M65 motorway lies within the town and the services here were originally named "Blackburn Services". Following local protests [2] they have been renamed "Blackburn with Darwen Services".

The town is also the home of Darwen Football Club and the TV show Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.