River Darwen

The River Darwen is a river running through the towns of Darwen and Blackburn in Lancashire which eventually joins the River Ribble at Walton le Dale. Here the river runs to the south of Preston on its way to the Ribble Estuary on the west coast of northern England.

Course

Originating at Jack's Key Clough where Grain Brook and Grainings Brook meet, the two streams from Bull Hill and Cranberry Moss respectively, the river flows through the town of Darwen, continuing into the suburbs of Blackburn past Ewood Park. The river passes below the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Ewood Aqueduct and is culverted again at Waterfall and near Griffin Park. It is joined by the River Blakewater near Witton Country Park in Blackburn and leaves the mostly urban landscapes of the towns behind, flowing through parklands and valleys. A further tributary, the River Roddlesworth, joins the Darwen at the bottom of Moulden Brow on the boundary between Blackburn with Darwen and Chorley Borough Council (the name Moulden Brow being associated with Moulden Water, an alternative name for this stretch of the river). From there, the Darwen flows past Hoghton Tower through Hoghton Bottoms and Samlesbury Bottoms, finally combining with the River Ribble at Walton-le-Dale.

Darwen

Coordinates: 53°41′53″N 2°27′40″W / 53.698°N 2.461°W / 53.698; -2.461

Darwen is a market town and civil parish located in Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen — a unitary authority area. It is known locally as "Darren" or in quick speech (throughout Lancashire), as "Daa(r)n," or "Darun" or most commonly "Daaa-win," and its residents are known as "Darreners" or "Daane(r)s." The main road through Darwen is the A666 towards Blackburn to the north and Bolton to the south, and ultimately at the Pendlebury boundary with Irlams o' th' Height where it joins the A6, about 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Manchester. Darwen's population decreased to 28,046 in 2011 and is made up of five wards.

The town stands on the River Darwen, which flows from south to north and is visible only in the outskirts of the town, as within the town centre it runs underground.

History

Most authorities trace the name 'Darwen' to the Brythonic derw "oak", originally applied to the river; an etymology supported by an older form of the name, Derewent (1208).

Darwen (disambiguation)

Darwen may refer too:

Football clubs

See also

Darwen (UK Parliament constituency)

Darwen was a county constituency in Lancashire, centred on the town of Darwen. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.

During the 1920s, the constituency was a fiercely contested marginal between the Liberal and Conservative Parties, with the sitting MP defeated at each election. At the 1924 general election, it saw a 92.7% turnout, a record for an English constituency.

It was largely replaced by the new Rossendale & Darwen constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1914/15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;