Into The Valley, Rossendale, Lancashire.

                                   Mill chimney with distant fells

 For some time now I’ve been involved with The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery in Rawtenstall, which is to the North of Manchester.

This post-industrial area is known as The Rossendale Valley, characterised by the steep sided valley of the River Irwell and its tributaries which cut through the high moorland of the Rossendale Hills. In the valley bottom, urban settlements grew up at river crossing points between Rawtenstall and Bacup.

                                          Mill workers clogs, Whitaker museum.

 Textile mills and chimneys and gritstone terraced houses are the dominant buildings and roads are concentrated in the narrow valley. There’s a striking contrast between the forbidding mill towns and the sunlit heights which form their backdrop.

There’s such a wealth of subject matter for the sketching workshops I’m giving at the museum, and for The Big Draw which took place late last year..

The museum’s in a Victorian mansion with lovely views over the surrounding park and town, towards the fells. Inside, there’s an eclectic collection of objects, including stuffed animals and birds, and a café.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         From the window

                                  Various objects in the collection, Whitaker Museum

Everything needed to spend a few hours happily sketching- and with refreshments to hand!

 Cakes, the Whitaker Museum.

Caroline Johnson, Manchester