A Well-Trodden Way

Example screen from the interactive tram ride to Darwen.

A modern main road links Blackburn with Darwen today, though the traffic moves no more quickly than it did in the days of horse and steam power. There must have been a clearly defined path in medieval times, when folk walked and led pack-horses.  Later still there would have been a road of sorts, albeit impassable in wet weather, in other words, most of the time. Then came the turnpike roads and coaches would have rattled their way into Darwen at a fair old rate, once they’d put Cravens Brow behind them.

And then came the trams.  The Blackburn and Over Darwen Tramways Co. Ltd. opened their line from St Peter Street in Blackburn to the Angel Inn, Darwen on April 16th 1881.  It was the first tramway in the country authorised to be run by steam power.  By 1900 electric trams were operating along the route.

There are people alive today who will remember the tram journey from Blackburn to Darwen.  Many of us however will never know what it was like, or will we?  A rare opportunity to travel back in time beckons. Paradoxically the new world of Information Technology is opening history up for us. Cottontown is proud to present a ‘Tram Ride to Darwen.’  All aboard.  Have your money ready for the ticket.  Hold on tight.  Here we go.

Click here to begin your journey.

Please Note: The file is large in size and could take a short amount of time to load.

In order for you to use this interactive journey, it may be necessary to install some software onto your computer but this will be done automatically and should only take a few seconds.

Example screens from the interactive tram ride to Darwen.