Ribchester, ENG - Postcode - PR3 3YA

Description of Ribchester

Civil parish of Ribchester is located in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England. It's on the Ribble River, about an hour's drive from Blackburn and an hour and a half from Preston.

There is proof that the village was inhabited as early as the Bronze Age. Bremetennacum, a Roman cavalry fort whose remains have been partially uncovered through excavations, is a well-known and important Roman site. Cotton weaving, first on hand looms and then in two mills, came to dominate the town's later history, as it did for many other East Lancashire settlements. Neither mill is in operation anymore, and residents instead use it as a bedroom community for workers in nearby Blackburn, Preston, and Manchester.

The B6245 is the main thoroughfare into Ribchester. Coming from the northwest, this is Preston Road, which eventually becomes Church Street. It's Blackburn Road coming in from the east, which connects to Church Street in the heart of the village at its westernmost point. The northernmost Stonygate Lane is built in part on the original Roman road into Ribchester.

Geographical description of Ribchester

Longridge Fell towers over the village, which rests on the banks of the River Ribble. Heavy boulder clay deposits, washed up by the River Ribble, cover the Sabden Shale, creating a solid landscape. As a result of the river's meanders, the land around the village has been terracing. Extreme spates on the River Ribble are a common cause of flooding in Ribchester during the winter.

Demography

The Ribchester Millennium Projects Committee published a book called Ribchester: A Millennium Record in 2000 as a way to commemorate the turn of the millennium. Its primary objective was to document the year 2000, but it also collected data about the local community.

Surveying 500 homes in the parish of Ribchester in January of 2000, researchers were able to compile information on 1,244 residents. The following statistics pertain to the survey's sample population.

Economy of Ribchester

In the early 20th century, the village relied heavily on three mills, all of which are now defunct. Both Bobbin Mill and Corporation Mill, which were located directly across from the Ribchester Arms, were demolished in the 1980s. The second, known as Bee Mill, is a thriving commercial hub.

The village has a sports and social club that used to be the club for mill workers, as well as three public houses (the White Bull, the Black Bull, and the Ribchester Arms), all named after bulls. Both a small Spar store (which used to be a Co-Operative store) and a tea shop can be found here.