Views of Clitheroe Castle

Clitheroe is a market town in east Lancashire, situated between the Bowland Fells and Pendle Hill.  About halfway between Preston and Skipton Clitheroe is easily accessible to visitors travelling either by car on the A65 or train.

Clitheroe is the main town in the Ribble Valley, an area of rolling, arable farmland through which the River Ribble flows through between Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales and Preston, Lancashire.  A set of stepping stones across the Ribble near the town are said to be haunted by an evil spirit who drowns one traveller every seven years. Dominating the town is the castle, one of the smallest Norman keeps in the country and only a few minutes walk from the town centre.  There is no admission charge to visit the castle and there are several attractions and shops there including a war memorial from where good views of Pendle Hill can be had. There are two other scheduled ancient monuments in Clitheroe, Bellmanpark Limekiln and Embankment and Edisford Bridge. Pendle Hill from Clitheroe Castle

Major companies based in Clitheroe include Tarmac and Hanson Cement, the latter owns the brickworks and arial ropeway at Claughton. The Rover Company and Rolls Royce developed the jet engine here in Clitheroe.  Whittle Close, a residential area named after the jet engine's inventor, Frank Whittle is built on the site of the jet engine test beds.  The engineers from various companies met at the town's Swan & Royal Hotel to work on the engine. Unlike other towns, the streets have not been pedestrianised and on street and off street parking is available for people visiting the shops which include popular High Street names such as Tesco, Aldi, Sainsburys, W.H. Smiths, Pets at Home, Booths and Lidl.   Band stand and park from Clitheroe Castle

There are three Anglican churches in the town together with a Catholic and a Methodist church.  The United Reformed Church, Clitheroe Community Church, Salvation Army and Quakers' Meeting House also have a presence in the town.  A multi-faith prayer centre which includes a Muslim prayer room is available on Lowergate.

Famous people from Clitheroe include comedian, Jimmy Clitheroe who was born in the town but raised near Colne.  At only 4' 2" (1.27m) tall, Jimmy's surname was not an adopted one, being born to weavers Emma Pye and James Robert Clitheroe.