Whitworth is a town and civil parish in Rossendale, Lancashire, England, amongst the foothills of the Pennines between Bacup, to the north, and Rochdale, to the south.
At the very earliest period, Whitworth was at the edge of the famed and extensive Forest of Rossendale, which covered 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) and reached a point somewhere near Bacup.
Flint arrows, stone hammers and spearheads found in the area point to the existence of Mesolithic man who roamed the bleak open moors.
[7] In those early years, Whitworth came within the ancient parish of Rochdale which, although vast, was itself a part of the hundred of Salford, one of the main divisions into which the historic county boundaries of Lancashire were divided during Norman times.
[8] It was one of the few such roads in East Lancashire and provided a ready means of conveying local goods to Manchester and Yorkshire.
The road was of vital importance in Whitworth's industrial expansion and with it, the settlements in the township thus began to grow.
[9] Towards the end of the 19th century a great deal of development was visible including the opening in 1881 of a rail link between Bacup and Rochdale.
[11] The population of Whitworth reached its peak of 9,574 in 1901 following which the recession in industry in the 1930s and the effects of the Second World War saw it decline.
[14] Whitworth Town Council was formed in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972, as part of the terms of successor parishes.
In April 1976, an area in and surrounding Healey Dell, at the south end of the valley became legally designated as a statutory local nature reserve.
[19] Whitworth experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters.
Whitworth Waterski and Recreation Centre[20] based at Cowm Reservoir provides integrated facilities for both the able bodied and the disabled.