Stoneyhurst College, Clitheroe is one of the largest buildings in the North West. This magnificent 16th Century manor house is home to a famous Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school. Past pupils include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and rugby player Kyran Bracken. The tour of the school includes dormitories, library, chapels, school rooms and historical apartments. The extensive gardens also open to the public and there is a Tea and gift shop on site. Ample parking is available.
Browsholme Hall, pronounced 'Brewsom', is an historic house and the ancestral home of the Parker Family, Bowbearers of the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire, who have lived there since it was built in 1507. The interiors of the Hall have featured in a number of TV programs including Hetty Wainthrop, Juliet Bravo, Chessgame and Bullman. Browsholme Hall welcomes coach parties and group tours by arrangement throughout the spring, summer and autumn. Otherwise the Hall is open to casual visitors on certain days at Spring Bank Holiday, early July and late August.
Bowland Wild Boar Park is situated 2 miles outside of Chipping on the Chipping to Dunsop Bridge Road. It is ideal for young families, grandparents with grandchildren or group visits and school children. The Park is home to wild boars, cattle, llamas, wallabies, red squirrels and pet lambs and other animals. Some of the animals can be fed, much to the delight of children. In Spring and Summer you can bottle feed the lambs and stroke the baby chicks at 11AM, 2PM and 5PM. Footpaths lead you on walks through the beautiful wooded countryside or along the river where you can seek out a perfect picnic spot. The Park does have a café facility that is open daily from March to October and on weekends during the winter months.
The Ribble Valley Sculpture Trail runs through Brungerley Park, from Brungerley Bridge to Crosshill Quarry, along part of the Ribble Way. It was launched in December 1993 following the seven months residency of artist Thompson Dagnall. More recently four new pieces of public art have been added. There is an exhibition at the Platform Gallery in Clitheroe which runs until July 29th, showcasing the artists that have been commissioned to create new art works for the Ribble Valley Sculpture Trail in Clitheroe. The gallery is open Monday - Saturday 10am - 4.30pm and admission is free.
Walley Abbey is a 14th century Cistercian Abbey ruin set in beautiful countryside beside the River Calder, with mini woodland trail and riverside path. Within the ancient walls, amongst the tall trees, beside the modern fishponds, the visitor can attain a sense of stillness and renewal. The site also has an exhibition centre, gift shop and coffee shop. Guided tours are available for groups with afternoon tea and/or light buffet available (booking essential).
Sawley Abbey was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1148. Sawley Abbey was suppressed in 1536. Following the Dissolution, monks returned to Sawley Abbey under a new abbot. However, when Henry VIII heard of this, he immediately ordered the monks to be executed for treason, as was common practice during the Pilgrimage of Grace. Therefore, in March 1537 the abbey was again dissolved.. The remains of the abbey are set on the banks of the River Ribble against a back drop of Pendle Hill. Whilst Sawley Abbey can't be classified as one of the 'great abbey sites', it is worthy of a visit simply to appreciate the rural surroundings where it lies, almost forgotten, in a picturesque village - forever a poignant reminder of the wrath of King Henry VIII.