Oswaldtwistle

Oswaldtwistle is a town in the Hyndburn region of Lancashire in England. Situated on the bank of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, near Accrington, Oswaldtwistle's name derives from that of Saint Oswald, the King of Northumbria who passed through, adding his name to the existing "twistle", the Anglo-Saxon term for meeting brooks.

Like many of the towns and villages of Lancaster, Oswaldtwissle was once a mill town for the textile industry. The town's Rhyddings Park was originally the grounds of the private house of a local mill owner. It opened to the public  as a park in 1909; while Oswaldtwistle Mills, one of the former textile mills, is now a craft fair and exhibition about life in the mill a hundred years ago. The mill also showcases one of the world's largest pear drops, which was made by the town's Stockley's Sweets. 

The Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre, also known as the "Friendly Theatre", is also a popular draw having previously featured household names such as Ken Dodd, Rick Wakeman, Steve Harley, Marty Wilde & Derek Acorah, and The Houghton Weavers.