The Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership started in 2018 and one of the strands of that Partnership is Pendle Radicals. This strand is run by Mid Pennine Arts, who enable volunteers to explore  Pendle Hill’s heritage of radical thinkers and non-conformists, from research investigations through commissions of new art to celebration events.

 

Who do we mean by Pendle Radicals?  They include George Fox, founder of the Quakers, who had his great vision on the summit of Pendle in 1652…  Sir Jonas Moore, known as the ‘father of time’, born at Higham and part responsible for the Greenwich Observatory and the creation of Greenwich Mean Time,  Selina Cooper, a hero of the suffrage movement in spite of having to work in the mills from the age of 12.  Selina, like many members of Nelson ILP (Independent Labour Party) made strong connections to Clarion House at Roughlee, now the last of the Clarions but still thriving.

 

Work has been done on bringing Ethel Carnie Holdsworth, poet, author, socialist and pacifist (as are many of our Radicals) to the attention of a wider audience.  Research into Tom Stephenson and Thomas Arthur Leonard who fought for the National Parks, ramblers rights and the establishment of long distance trails , particularly the Pennine Way. A walk is being developed to link Stephenson's home in Whalley and Leonard's congregational chapel in Colne.
Pendle Radicals are identifying locations around the area that connect us with our radical history, including of course Clarion House itself. Walks are being developed linking the two Tom’s and another connecting Nelson ILP Socialist Institute, who’s foundation stones were laid by Selina Cooper and Katharine Bruce Glaiser, via Selina’s home to Katharine’s former home in Earby, now a Youth Hostel. Other walks, such as the one to the Chartist Husting place above Sabden, have or are being developed.

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Discover more here http://midpenninearts.org.uk/programmes/pendle-radicals/ 

and read the project blog here  https://pendleradicals.wordpress.com/