Padiham

Padiham is a small town on bank of the River Calder, neighbouring Burnley and Pendle Hill, in Lancashire, England. The town was originally a rural village and still retains that village atmosphere. It is surrounded by scenic countryside views and by the foothills of Pendle Hill, famous as the homeland of those convicted and executed in the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612.

The first known record of the town is from the year 1294, where it was refered to as 'Padyngham'. It was historically a primary market town of Pendleside and the market of Padiham is still held on Wednesday and Friday each week. The town is now a conservation area due to a number of listed buildings from the Industrial Revolution. Sherry's Towel Mill is a working 19th-century cotton mill, which is open to the public for educational purposes.

The Early Elizabethan "Gawthorpe Hall" a siginifican attraction in the area. It is managed by the National Trust, who describe it as "an Elizabethan gem in the heart of industrial Lancashire". An office and a tea-room are run by the trust in the main bulding's courtyard. Read Hall and Park are also available to view in nearby Read village. There are two other halls in the local area, although neither are open to the public. Huntroyde Hall, dates from 1576, while Simonstone Hall, dates from around 1660.