Feniscowles Hall
This hall was the creation of a branch of the Fielden family of Witton Hall. It had an idyllic romantic location on the banks of the Darwen River, near its confluence with the Roddlesworth at Moulden Brow. Up the latter, red deer stocked the woodlands known as Stanworth, to provide good hunting for the many and distinguished guests. One famous owner often dressed in the garb of a Highland chief - an imposing sight he must have been! Latterly, by the 1920s, the hall was deserted. This was a result of the cotton industry in East Lancashire polluting the Darwen, for which the Fieldens sued the local council. Atop the cliffs behind, a farm now bears the nomenclature of this fine old home.
Feiscowles Hall early 1900's (left) and in the 1950's (right)
More remains of Feniscowles Hall than its neighbour Witton House. Nonetheless, it is in a considerable state of decay. The old gatehouse can be seen at nearby Walk Mill Bridge, just down the Pleasington Road from Immanuel C of E Church, where the Feniscowles Fieldens worshipped. The Stanworth Valley, now populated by roe deer rather than the magnificent reds, provides many enchanting woodland walks in breathtakingly ethereal scenery. The ruins of an old house/enclosure can be found there near where Stockclough Brook meets the River Roddlesworth. Nearby is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and views over the western portion of Lancashire, out towards the Fylde coast. In the 1990s, however, plans were passed for a Blackburn bypass, which involved the destruction of many trees in the Stanworth/Whitehalgh area and the permanent rupture of the woodland peace. Ecological groups opposed these plans with direct action. In the Roddlesworth Valley you will find a series of paper mills - the Star and Sun foremost. The Moon paper mill burned down early in the 1900s.
Feniscowles Hall 2002
The Fieldens of Witton House and those of Feniscowles Hall both shared in the upkeep of Livesey Old Hall, a Tudor building used latterly as a farmhouse. Sadly, the farmer emigrated to Australia and the old house was destroyed to make way for a housing estate. Nothing - not even the old freezer-cellar - remains.
It should be noted, however, that the older hall of Feniscowles still remains - it is atop the cliffs near Whinny Bank, and is used as a farmhouse. This was here before the hall of the Fieldens appeared in 1808, and was a home of a branch of the old Livesey family of the area. This first home is strictly known as Feniscowles Old Hall. It was a south facing porched house above Feniscowles Woods.
