Rossendale

Rossendale is a local government district in Lancashire, in North West England, occupying a stretch of the Rossendale Valley on the western slopes of the South Pennines. The borough contains Rawtenstall, Bacup, Haslingden and Whitworth, and a network of smaller settlements. Moorland and gritstone outcrops rise above steep valleys, where streams join the upper catchment of the River Irwell and feed reservoir chains such as the Haslingden Grane. Reservoirs and peat bogs shape the skyline and mark the transition from settled valley to open moor.

The area bears clear traces of the 18th and 19th century textile industry: cotton and wool mills, rows of terraced houses, and former mill buildings now used for housing, workshops or offices. Rawtenstall is the administrative centre and a base for the preserved East Lancashire Railway, which attracts interest locally. Local employment mixes manufacturing, services and outdoor recreation tied to walking routes across the moors and valley trails. The borough was formed under the 1974 local government reorganisation, bringing its towns into a single district.