Pleasington House-Blackburn..Feniscowles Hall

On the way to Preston, along Preston Old Road and just passed the top of Livesay Branch Road in Blackburn are remnants of a Georgian mansion. I have always came by it on buses or when I was travelling in cars but this morning, I decided to invesigate this place with my brother and my pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier. There are two offical ways in, one at a two storey toll booth (now derelict) on the border of Preston/Chorley and Blackburn and the other is within the village of Pleasington. This was our exit place since we had to climb over a wall and then wander around for a bit.

We investigated this old derelict mansion and located a series of underground chambers. They were cellar rooms of which some will be enterable quite easy. The location is quite expansive with stables, boathouse and a peculiar set of steps that run down to River Darwen. The house itself was at least three storeys high and had a wooden interior. This was decided upon due to segments still having the inner wood showing and the series of slits that rose up the walls.

On the end point of the the mansion had a strange detail of which held a chapel. There was a large window space that looked towards the path of the sun and this is where the stained glass window would have been. Also, above the entrance to this part was a crevice where an idol would have been placed.

We followed a route down to the river and saw the aforementioned steps. There was at one time, a set of buildings here made out of Accrington brick. It might have been a summer house or a boating house, fish must have swam here before the Industrial Revolution.

I think the house must have been owned by some Looming Merchant or someone involved with quarrying because this is what Pleasington is famed for. We walked back up the old path the that lead from the back of the mansion up passed the river (which at some parts was man-made) and by some older premises from across the river that might've been an old school. As said earlier, we exited from what had been the entrance and found ourselves within the centre of the village and across the road from the old St. Immanuel Church.

I think there was a huge fire here and the premises had to evacuated due to extensive damage. There is blacksoot that runs from one corner and out of the top left window and that is the location in my mind. We are going to come back here with torches and try to investigate the cellars.

There is another old mansion that is left demolished like this within Witton Park, Blackburn and is of the same era. I am wondering if these were damaged due to the Cotton Town Riots of the last part of the Industrial Revolution.