The town of Littleborough lies at the foot of the Pennines and under Blackstone Edge. It has a history of woollen weaving before and during the Industrial Revolution, and was previously an important trading centre, due to its position at the junction of the old road that ran across the Pennines and on to Halifax, and the old packhorse track that climbed up to Todmorden. Communications began to improve after the construction of a proper road, begun in 1758, which ran from Rochdale to Todmorden, via Littleborough.

In the 18th century Littleborough consisted of small hamlets and cottages, where the handloom weavers raised their families and wove the wool into “pieces” which they either sold to the cloth merchants, or carried on their backs over the Penines to sell at the Piece Hall in Halifax. This way of life ended with the introduction of the steam powered weaving mills.

	Looking down Blackstone Edge to Littleborough

Littleborough grew fast in the 19th century, aided firstly by the Rochdale Canal, completed in 1804, and later by the Manchester to Leeds railway. The first section of the railway ran from Manchester to Littleborough and was opened in 1839. Engineers and navvies continued to work on the line until the Summit Tunnel was completed and the Manchester to Leeds railway was opened in 1841. Littleborough’s population grew as the textile trade expanded and the mills brought more workers to the town. Hollingworth Lake, originally built as a reservoir to maintain water levels in the Rochdale Canal, had became a popular recreational area by the middle of the 19th century. Visitors arrived at Littleborough station and walked to the Lake, known as “The Weighvers Seaport”. Today there is a Country Park and Visitor Centre at Hollingworth Lake and it is still popular with visitors.

	Holy Trinity Church

The Church of the Holy Trinity was consecrated in 1820, having been built very close to the site of the Chapel that had served the community since 1471. By 1800 the Chapel was in a very poor condition and described as dangerous. Money to build the new church was raised by public subscription. For a complete history of Holy Trinity church please visit this excellent website and click on the link Churches on the left hand side.

The centre of Littleborough is a conservation area and has some fine buildings built of local stone. There has been an inn on the site of the Falcon Inn since 1657, and livestock fairs were held at the rear. By the early 19th century the Falcon was a coaching inn, no doubt passengers were glad to see it after a bleak wintry journey from Yorkshire. The Coach House and Heritage Centre at the rear is now a tourist attraction.