Darwen in the context of "Lower Darwen"

Blackburn (/ˈblækbɜːrn/ ) is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, 8 mi (13 km) east of Preston and 21 mi (34 km) north-northwest of Manchester. Blackburn is at the centre of the wider unitary authority area along with the town of Darwen. It is the second largest town (after Blackpool) in Lancashire.

At the 2011 census, Blackburn had a population of 117,963, whilst the wider borough of Blackburn with Darwen had a population of 150,030; 30.8% of the population of town were people of ethnic backgrounds other than white British.

Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, North West England. The borough includes the towns of Blackburn and Darwen plus a wider rural area which includes the villages of Lower Darwen, Feniscowles, Brownhill and Hoddlesden.

The West Pennine Moors is an area of the Pennines covering approximately 90 square miles (230 km) of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley to the east. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west, Darwen and Turton Moors, Oswaldtwistle Moors and Holcombe Moors. These moors are lower in height than the main spine of the South Pennines. At 1,496 feet (456 m), the highest point is at Winter Hill. The area is of historical importance with archaeological evidence of human activity from Neolithic times. The area is close to urban areas, the dramatic backdrop to Bolton, Blackburn and Bury and neighbouring towns affording panoramic views across the Lancashire Plain and the Greater Manchester conurbation. The moorland is surrounded by the towns of Bolton, Chorley, Darwen, Horwich, Ramsbottom, Haslingden and Oswaldtwistle. Notable structures include Rivington Pike Tower, Winter Hill transmitting station, Peel Monument near Holcombe and the Jubilee Tower on Darwen Moor.

Hoddlesden is a village in the borough of Blackburn with Darwen, in Lancashire, England. The village population at the 2011 census was 1,239. It is in the borough's East Rural ward, and is situated east of Darwen. To the north there are the parishes of Eccleshill and Yate and Pickup Bank, to the east there is Haslingden Grane, part of the West Pennine Moors, and to the south-west there is Blacksnape, a small hamlet.

Although the village is now a residential area, with its residents commuting to places such as the nearby towns of Blackburn and Darwen, in the 19th and early 20th century, local industries included weaving and coal mining.