Feniscowles New Hall - November 08
 

Sir William Feilden built Feniscowles New Hall at the foot of a steep bank, in 1812, and lived their until his death in 1850. The hall originally held a collection of natural history objects, its gallery containing a valuable collection of paintings. Around 1854 his son Sir William Henry Feilden, complained bitterly over the polluted water in the River Darwen which ran close by the hall, at its confluence with Moulden Water. He lost his costly and protracted conflict with the Corporation & Over Darwen health Board in 1877 when litigation failed. He left the hall and died two years later in 1879. In 1903 the house was put up for auction but did not find a buyer. It was used for wedding functions etc for a short period of time but fell into disrepair in the 1930's and was left to decay. The decline of the property was exacerbated during WW II when the lead was removed from the roof for the war effort. On the Pleasington Road just over the bridge by Immanuel Church, sits the derelict smithy gate house, still guarding the entrance to this once fine property. Another ruined gatehouse sits by the bridge at the foot of Moulden Brow on the A674 Blackburn to Preston Old Road opposite a recent small housing development, erected on land once occupied by the now demolished Sun Paper Mill.

and into the dark.......


Smithy Gate House
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/p...l/CIMG0015.jpg

cobblestones hidden under this.....
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gate posts
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the Hall
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Whats this?????
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/p...l/CIMG0004.jpg


Down I go..........
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http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/p...l/CIMG0007.jpg
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