Rishton is situated in an area of low moorland north-east of Blackburn and north-west of Accrington. Its elevation above sea level varies from 250 feet (76 m) in the east, where Norden Brook flows into the River Hyndburn, to 785 feet (239 m) on Rishton Height, north-west of the town.
Rishton was the first place that the cloth calico was woven on an industrial scale. Its name means "village (or farmstead) where rushes grow".
0.7 Miles from the town is a former sandstone quarry known locally as Star Delph Quarry,Its use as a sandstone quarry ended in 1897. Part of the quarry contains rocks formed around 314-315 Million Years ago in the Carboniferous Period, These rocks contain an Imprint from where the roots of a Lepidonendron Tree which are known as Stigmaria. This quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and so it is protected by law with those that damage the site facing fines. The exposed rock layers are Fletcher Bank Grit, this is a subgroup of the Millstone Grit.
|
