Whalley

An attractive village, with interesting shops and galleries, where old cottages rub shoulders with Tudor and Georgian buildings along the main street. Whalley is famous for its church and Abbey. Whalley Abbey was a large and important Cistercian Monastery. It was moved here in 1296 from Stanlow in Cheshire, when Abbot Gregory of Norbury and 20 monks arrived. Serious construction began on the site about 1320. The ruins of the Abbey are now open to the public and are protected as an important Ancient Monument.

There is thought to have been a wooden church in Whalley as early as 600. Today's parish Church is famous for its pre-conquest crosses and beautiful interior. Completed in 1852 the nearby railway viaduct was a triumph of Victorian engineering; the 49 arches are constructed from red bricks hand-made on site. Whalley is notable in cricket history as being the location of the first 'Roses' cricket match held between Lancashire and Yorkshire.