The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the south and Pendlebury where it joins the A6, about 18 miles (29 km) north-west of Manchester.

The Brythonic language name for oak is derw and this is etymologically linked to Derewent (1208), an ancient spelling for the River Darwen.

As well as human remains, items found at the barrow included a bronze dagger some 7.5 inches in length, a flint thumb scraper, a sub-plano-convex knife and a clay bead.

[5] Whitehall Cottage is thought to be the oldest house in the town, and was mostly built in the 17th and 18th centuries but contains a chimney piece dated 1557.

[9] Cotton manufacture was an important industry, and by 1907, the Darwen Weavers', Winders' and Warpers' Association had more than 8,000 members in the town.

In 1848, during a night of heavy thunder storms and torrential rain, water rushed down from the moors and the dam failed catastrophically.

[12] Andrew Carnegie financed a public library here; the town also had an art and technology college and a grammar school.

[13] In 1931, Darwen was visited by Mahatma Gandhi, he had accepted the invitation from Corder Catchpool, Quaker manager of the Spring Vale Garden Village Ltd, to see the effects of India's boycott of cotton goods.

[14] India Mill is now home to many companies, including Brookhouse (producers of aeroplane parts) and Capita Group, which runs TV licensing.

[19] Locally, Darwen has been represented by Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors in the main council wards for the town.

[22] At the foot of the coat of arms is the town motto in Latin Absque Labore Nihil, which translates as "Nothing without labour".

At the helm of the coat of arms is a barred helmet representing nobility, and above it the torse in the town colours of blue and gold.

[citation needed] After the passing of the Education Act 1870, many schools were established to serve the ever-growing population.

[24][25][26] In September 2013 Darwen Aldridge Enterprise Studio opened and in 2014 the school moved to its permanent home in the renovated former Model Lodging House on Police Street.

A competition to design the tower was won by Ralph Ellison from the borough engineer's department and on 22 June 1897 work began.

Present at the ceremony were Councillor Alexander Carus, Mayor Charles Huntington, the High Sheriff of Lancashire and Lord of the Manor Rev.

A spiral staircase leads to the top from where, on a clear day, Blackpool Tower, the Isle of Man, North Wales and the Furness Peninsula can be seen.

It was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish migrant to the USA who made his fortune as a producer of iron and steel.

[33] Darwen Town Hall was opened on 11 July 1882 and the clock tower was added in 1899 when Dr. James Ballantyne became mayor.

Although local government proceedings were transferred to Blackburn in the 1970s, the council chambers remained in the building, and were used by the magistrates' court from 1983 until 1992.

Three of the parks in Darwen are on the west of the main road through the town, with paths leading to countryside and to Jubilee Tower.

[citation needed] Bold Venture Park stands to the west of the town, at the foot of the moors and the path which leads to the Jubilee Tower.

The local council has recently attempted to address the situation by adding a new road layout to the town centre, with public transport and junction improvements to reduce traffic.

However, it has been controversial, with some residents placing "Say no to Bus Lane, we don't want it" signs in their windows, and the neighbouring district of Hyndburn pulled out of the scheme.

[42] The scheme was put on hold in 2010 as local authorities reviewed their spending after their budgets were cut, before being abandoned later in the year due to lack of government funding, and the councils are now looking at other ways to improve public transport.

Darwen has a few footnotes in entertainment history: its theatre (now demolished) had appearances by Charlie Chaplin, and it featured in the film, There Was a Crooked Man, which starred Norman Wisdom and Alfred Marks.

The festival has attracted artists such as Buzzcocks, China Crisis, Toyah and Paul Young, as well as being a showcase for local bands.

[66] The team reached the semi-final of the FA Cup in 1880-81 and played in the Football League at the Barley Bank ground between 1891 and 1899.

Past Professionals include David Wiese, George Linde (SA) Keith Semple (WI) and Scott Hookey (AUS).

[67] Until the sports centre was demolished, Darwen was home to the North West Open Karate tournament, which hosted many national and world champions.