Parks
Remembrance
Memorial
Playing Field
Lowerfold
Churchfield
Bottom Rec
Top Rec
Bank Mill
Greenhill
Railway
Garden St
Lyndon Ave

GREAT HARWOOD

Churchfield
House and Park

Built in 1851 by surgeon Mr. Henry Ainsworth in 1854 it became the home of Joseph Haydock, spirit merchant in Blackburn, member of the Nuisance committee from 1855 and Local Board from 1863. His son Milton was also a Local Board member and in 1895 became a councillor on the newly formed Urban District Council.
Milton and his wife were childless so when Milton died in 1926 he directed that his estate was held in trust for his wife then should pass to the U.D.C. for the benefit of the people of the town, the house to be a free library, the gardens to provide a pleasure ground for the townspeople and the income from the residue of the estate to be used to pay for outgoings in respect of Churchfield House. Any remainder from the annual income was to be used "in works of public improvement to the ornamentation of the town" ........ but ....... "not to be applied to purposes for which the Urban District Council usually provided out of rates".

Mrs. Haydock died in 1936 by which time a temporary library had already been built in 1930. It proved impractical to convert the house into a library so to comply with the terms of the will Churchfield House was used as a reference library and a room was set aside for people to read the daily papers which were provided.
During the Second World War the greenhouse was used for raising seedlings to be planted by allotment holders in the "DIG FOR VICTORY" campaign and for growing mushrooms and tomatoes.
Much restoration was carried out between 1990 - 1992 to the building and the books left by Mr. Haydock.
Today the house is used by many local groups for meetings, seminars, classes and social functions.

Documents and plan regarding the gift of Churchfield to the town.

Map showing the parks

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Designed and written by ifinwig
Last updated 11th June 2004
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