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Percentage Increases of Population per town 1801-1871. | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 |
Blackburn | 0 | 25.90 | 45.56 | 23.48 | 35.21 | 27.05 | 35.65 | 20.93 |
Oldham | 0 | 38.81 | 29.79 | 49.48 | 31.54 | 24.01 | 36.94 | 14.23 |
Bolton | 0 | 38.66 | 29.59 | 31.63 | 20.80 | 21.36 | 14.80 | 18.30 |
Preston | 0 | 43.56 | 44.01 | 34.74 | 51.40 | 36.72 | 18.33 | 2.98 |
Total | 0 | 36.73 | 37.21 | 34.83 | 34.74 | 27.28 | 26.43 | 14.11 |
Taking Blackburn in isolation, by taking a mean average of percentage rates of growth in the selected period, it would appear that on the whole Blackburn's rate of growth fell below the average on all but two occasions between 1801 and 1861. However on closer scrutiny, in only two of those years, 1811 and 1831 was there any significant difference between the rates of growth, the others being marginally less than the average figure obtained again indicating that on the whole Blackburn's growth was more or less average in relation to other Lancashire town between 1801 and 1861.
Useful as the population statistics are to illustrate the rate of growth of population in a town, they are somewhat limited as they are unable to show what conditions were actually like in those towns at that time and whether those appalling conditions which were experienced in those other towns including those which have been used alongside Blackburn for sampling purposes were also experienced in Blackburn. All the figures actually tell us is that Blackburn's population like Bolton, Oldham Preston as well as Lancashire's two cities, though not included in the above figures, Manchester and Liverpool did considerably increase in this period. However, in order to see whether or not those same horrendous conditions did exist in Blackburn, it is necessary to test some of the other theories discussed in chapter one in respect of other expanding Lancashire towns in this period and apply these same theories to Blackburn to see whether the same patterns emerged or whether different ones were apparent.
An interesting theory is that put forward by Nigel Morgan with regard to Preston. As previously stated, Morgan observed by the use of maps that in proportion to the increases in population in Preston between 1770 and 1851, the actual physical growth of the town, altered very little in this period, yet within this same timescale the population of Preston increased by an immense number, by about 62,650 people in eighty years - a twelve-fold increase (5). The conclusion that Morgan reaches from this data is that if there is no physical expansion of the town then this gives rise to the fact that there has got to be a great deal of overcrowding in Preston as population increases continued which in turn would give rise to the appalling conditions experienced in Preston during this time (6).
To test to see if the same is true of Blackburn, it is necessary to consider the maps which are available within this period. Starting with Yates' map of the whole of the county of Lancashire published in 1780 it can be observed that Blackburn was a small rural community. Since it is known that Blackburn was a more isolated community than Preston, Bolton and Oldham this could have meant that as the population increased then so too did the area of the town, since there appears from the map to be both scope and space for outward expansion in order to cope with the surge in the town's population.
The dwellings which can be seen from the Yates' map appear to be built along the sides of the main routes to Blackburn, which converge at one single point at the centre of the town at Salford Bridge and radiate from here in a star-like pattern, the population of Blackburn around this time being about 8,000. The only draw back of utilising Yates's map is the fact that it is only a small scale map. More detail as to the number of dwellings in Blackburn can be obtained for the map published around 1795 as shown below.
On close scrutiny, this does confirm the idea obtained from Yates's map that apart from at the very centre of Blackburn, almost all of the town's dwellings radiated from the centre of the town and that non of the major routes into Blackburn were linked other that where they converged at the centre of town. By the Map of 1824 published to coincide with the publication of Baines' Trade Directory of that same year, it can be seen that the outline of housing in the town still follows the same pattern being constructed primarily along the town's main radial routes and again there is very little evidence of building work in between these main routes.
From these maps it would appear that despite the fact that the population in the period has increased by 16,000 the town does not appear to have expanded in proportion to these increases in folk living in the town. Additionally there is little evidence of streets being built running off these main routes. What however can be seen though is the fact that on both maps there is evidence of gaps and spaces between rows of housing and so that these could be in filled by other buildings as the population of the town increased. Nearly twenty years on and after a further increase in population of over 14,500, there is still little evidence of any actual physical growth by the time that the first Ordnance Survey Map was published in the 1840s with houses still tending to be located along the main routes as shown above. Indeed if the Baines's map of 1824 was overlaid by the 1840 Ordnance Survey map it could be clearly seen that the extent of the boundaries of the town have changed little in this time despite the surge in population by over 20,000.
One feature that is obvious both in Preston as detailed by Morgan and found to be the same in Blackburn is that fact that between 1821 and 1841 the population of the town has increased by almost double in and yet physical terms the town's outward expansion was almost insignificant. With regard to his observation in Preston between 1770 and 1861, Morgan suggests that the lack of physical expansion was as a result of inward expansion. This has come about as a result of larger town houses once the home of the gentry having been divided into smaller housing units to enable the accommodation of more families under one roof, including the use of cellars as dwellings. Additionally he claims that further dwellings were provided within the former gardens of these houses, therefore squeezing many more people into a small space. Thirdly the data indicates at this stage that possibly more and more people are being squeezed into the existing dwellings which would account for the fact that town did not appear to be expanding. Therefore from the evidence of just maps and population returns, it would appear that in Blackburn like Preston was experiencing severe overcrowding between the years 1770 and 1860.
Like the population figures maps also have their limitations and despite the fact that when used in conjunction they can only point in the direction of their being the existence of the same appalling conditions which were apparent in other towns the evidence is only circumstantial and not based any hard fact in relation to Blackburn. Neither population figures nor maps are able to accurately state what the actual conditions in the town were like and at this stage any conclusions drawn to this matter would be based purely upon a process of conjecture comparing Blackburn with others places where it is known that such unsavoury conditions did exist. A very useful source which both scrutinises the conditions in Blackburn is the "Report on the Sanitary Conditions of Blackburn", compiled by John Withers and published in 1853. This source is very useful since it not only concentrates on Blackburn, but is also able fill in some of the gaps information to enable a more accurate picture to be presented of what life was actually like in 1850s Blackburn. If ever there was a source required to fill the gaps left by the inadequacies of the population statistics, maps and census returns with regard to conditions in Blackburn during the 1850s then the Health report leaves very little doubt about conditions in Blackburn at this time. In his report, Withers looks at certain criteria one at a time and discusses the appalling conditions that existed in Blackburn in this period and just when it is safe to start believing that things could not be any worse, another element appears, far worse than anything which has been written about before, shattering completely any notion that Blackburn was somehow different because of its relative isolation from those other Lancashire cotton towns discussed. The effects of the smoky atmosphere coupled with dampness and fogs associated with Blackburn and its cotton industry seem almost to be negligible in relation to some of the other hazards evident in Blackburn at that time. From the evidence provided by Withers, it appears that all of the conditions are in existence for the promotion of typhus, scarletina and other highly infectious diseases which were apparent in Blackburn at the time of the publication of the Health Report.
It is the conditions within the dwellings of Blackburn which seem to generate a negative attitude which has the ability to shape peoples minds into believing that all must have been bad at that time. The fact that historically Blackburn had been a more isolated community than Preston, Oldham and Bolton, did not excuse it from the very worst in housing conditions that there could be, according to the findings of Withers. Any notion that the cellar dwellings were a feature of the county's two cities is also shattered by Withers, whose descriptions of these underground black holes, match almost identically those descriptions that had been written about those which existed in the cities. Not only that, but from the report, it would seem that cellar dwellings are abundant in various parts of the town providing shelter primarily to Irish immigrants (7) and others who are considered to be on the lowest rung of the social ladder as was found in both Liverpool and Manchester. At the very best, the most positive element of these dwellings, is that as a consequence of their underground situation meant that they lacked both light and proper ventilation. Here Withers draws a parallel between these and the fact that occupiers consequently allowed filth and dirt to accumulate within them which "engenders disease" generated further by the high densities of occupiers in these dwellings (8). It seems that it was not uncommon to find one roomed cellars to be occupied by many devoid of the most basic of privations since the report recommends that every dwelling should have running water (9). In many parts a further deficiency appears to have been the lack of privies and the ones which are in existence are in a filthy state as no one considers them to be their responsibility again promoting disease especially the spreading of such ailments as typhoid and cholera which were not uncommon at the time. Inside the houses the report states that where people lived in single rooms that it was used for cooking and eating, for sleeping and for both male and female and the sick and healthy to co-exist side by side. The reports claims that the fact that so many people were crammed into such a small space was "prejudicial to both health and morality" (10) and correlates the former with the town's higher than average mortality rate. Another of the notorious dwellings of this age that were apparent in Blackburn were the common lodging houses, frequently the report suggests that these like cellar dwellings were severely overcrowded and occupied by the lower migratory classes who were low in morals and cleanliness a criticism frequently levelled at Irish immigrants (11). In order to combat these problems, Withers' recommends that all new houses should be built with a minimum amount of space, for the act which prohibits the construction of any further cellars to be used as dwellings to be strictly adhered to, lamenting that if this act had been adopted earlier then few if any would have been occupied at this time, for them to be subjected to height restrictions and for restrictions to imposed on the amount of living space individuals were entitled to, all of which suggests that most of the houses which existed in Blackburn were small, overcrowded and crammed into a small area and since Withers' suggests that space, air and light are essential for a healthy life and should be provided in abundance, indicates that lack all three of these are lacking in Blackburn at this time (12).
Despite the fact that it was conditions within houses which commands the greatest attention, it was the streets outside which not only acted as the primary breeding ground for the spread of infectious diseases, but also had the power to influence the opinions of outsiders coming into the town. As Withers' suggests that there should be better planning in regard to the streets, recommending that street widths should be fixed, that they should be straight and form a single line of curve, without bends and the fact some properties project out of the line of rows of buildings indicate that there was no proper planning involved as buildings were speedily erected to cope with the fast growing population. This also implies that infilling existed in Blackburn as it did elsewhere since it appears that it was not uncommon for streets in the town to be blocked off at one end as they ran directly into the wall of buildings in other streets which inhibited the flow of air allowing the air containing such noxious aromas that were present in the atmosphere to linger. He claimed that if there was greater planning then streets could be continuous routes joined at two ends to other streets allowing a better flow of air (13). Additionally, any street which was less than twelve feet wide would not be designated a highway and from the report it appears that only the town's highways possessed drainage and were paved (14). The fact that few appear to have been paved indicates that the majority of the streets in Blackburn were not highways and were twelve feet or less wide demonstrating the problems associated with overcrowded conditions.
According to Withers' there was twenty-two miles of streets in Blackburn two thirds of which are either unpaved or poorly paved mainly unpaved. "I have simply to observe that in the majority of streets enumerated that there is no surface drainage and that where it does exist is imperfect and inadequate for the purpose" (15). As a consequence streets which were unpaved had no provision for the drainage of surface water enabling stagnant pools to accumulate on streets which he claims were very rarely cleansed (16). The report further claims that the streets were filled with an accumulation of debris and filth including decaying vegetables and other matter which are "detrimental to the promotion of good health". Withers' says of these streets, "They are generally unscavenged, accumulations of filth and decaying vegetable matter is found about the fronts thereof and thus every facility is given for engendering of noxious vapours, thereby tainting the atmosphere" (17). These conditions in turn had the adverse effect of blocking up of sewers where they existed, caused by householders and shopkeepers alike who swept rubbish out into the streets which not included the usual dirt and filth from premises but also such refuse as oyster shells and fish remains causing noxious vapours to taint the atmosphere of the town (18). Not that this was the only problem since the presence in an abundance of such matter also had the effect of blocking the drains interfering with the course of water in rain showers which caused flooding to occur enabling waste to be swept along by the flood waters to other parts of the town and also into the dwellings themselves. Withers' calls these streets "The neglected part of town, parts without sewers or conveniences, unpaved, rarely scavenged ...overcrowded dwellings, generally indicate the localities of Typhus, &c" (19).
Another feature on the streets of Blackburn was the not too unusual sight of animal blood flowing from slaughter houses flowing in them (20). It is apparent from the report that Withers' believes that these were located in inappropriate localities as it was not uncommon to observe the blood from slaughtered animals flowing down channels in Darwen and Penny Street, two of the main highways both at the very centre of town and both lacking any form of sewer (21). It seems also that they tended to be located in the most populous and overcrowded areas of Blackburn which brings into question their hygiene. This lack of proper drainage on many of Blackburn's streets also appears to have been a major cause of the spread of infectious diseases at this time. Statistics indicate that there was a higher incidence of deaths caused by Typhus on those streets which were unpaved, had insufficient drainage were very rarely cleaned with overcrowded dwellings lining the sides of these streets where there was little air flow. According to the report, where drains did exist, they were both imperfect and inadequate for its function and aided the spread of those highly infectious diseases.
A additional element at the centre of Blackburn which contributed to the tainted atmosphere of the town was the River Blakewater which flowed thorough the town. At Salford at the heart of Blackburn, a bridge crossed the river where all major routes to and from Blackburn from other parts of the county converged. The report mentions that there were dams constructed at intervals on the river which affected the flow of the river and allowed the formation of stagnant pools (22). As a consequence of these the river was described as being putrid and a nuisance to all who resided on its banks in dry weather the stench being further exacerbated by any hot spells of weather (23). These pools which formed as a result of the dams on the also allowed pollutants both to accumulate and linger both in the water and in the air (24). Withers calls these stagnant pools as "...a series of elongated cess pools receiving all that is vile and putrid, throwing off poisonous exhalations, spreading the seeds of disease and death and even contaminating the very food of the living". He claims that this description is no "overdrawn picture" claiming that the inhabitants of Blackburn must be well aware of these aromas, not only those who live adjoining the banks of the river, but also those passing over the river at bridges at Salford, Whalley Banks and in Darwen Street (25). The smells emitted from the river at the town centre could only have lingered in the air, adding to the already polluted atmosphere of the town. If therefore the people who lived in Blackburn were aware of these aromas, then people who passed through the town must have been overcome by them and have wanted to hastily leave this Godforsaken place behind as quickly as it was possible. Another problem with the construction of dams on the river are that they altered the flow of the river and which deprived it of its natural scouring powers, having the adverse effect of increasing deposits on the bed of the river which in turn has caused the level of the river to rise. As a consequence Withers' claims "...many cellars are now about the same level of the river. Thus they are rendered liable to be flooded upon any rise of the water in the river taking place (26).
The higher than average death rate amongst the poorest in the town that succumbed to the effects of the heavy pollution in Blackburn itself was an additional cause of the environmental problems which existed in the mid-nineteenth century. Since people were dying at a constant rate and these tended to be amongst the poorer members of society, the question of dealing with the volume of corpses effectively became an issue. The report indicates that there existed huge open pits existed for the dead of the poor so that bodies could be disposed of quickly and easily and at a minimal cost without the need to constantly dig graves for these folk (27). Because of their proximity to the centre of town these mass open graves, also produced offensive exhalations adding a further disgusting stench to the already appallingly polluted and noxious air of the town. The fact that the report suggests that there should be a minimum of 2'6" between the top of the coffin underground and the surface (28) would imply that there was a danger that in those graves which had been filled in for the limbs of the dead to actually protruded from the ground. This feature illustrating that even in mortality there was no escape from the problems of severe overcrowding. In an attempt to combat these problems the report strongly recommends the laying of a burial ground on an elevated piece of land away from the main population of the town (29).
But what about the people themselves who lived in Blackburn and had to endure such appalling living conditions? With reference to the report it would seem that the people of Blackburn in the early 1850s were themselves unkempt and cared little about such matters as personal hygiene, wearing filthy clothes for weeks on end and slept between filthy bedclothes (30). Not that there was any real opportunity for those folk to have regular washing as according to the report, there were no facilities, such as the provision of a public bath house for the cleansing of the population of Blackburn. Withers' claims that for the majority of the population, the only chance they got to cleanse their bodies was as a result of a cheap trip to the seaside - probably once a year for the labouring classes at the time of the town's wakes week in August (31). The way that they both prepared and handled food was also questioned by Withers who suspected that this aided and abetted the spread of those aforementioned highly contagious diseases.
Despite his recommendations, Withers' realises that the greatest problem is actually enforcing these to ensure conditions will change calls for some form of policing of the act since it seems apparent from the report that Withers' has found there to be a connection that disease and neglect are closely related, not only affecting the dwellers of these cellars but also others in the town as a consequence (32). The fact also that the report makes the recommendation that each and very house in Blackburn should be supplied with water is indicative that most of the dwellings within the town are without (33). It calls the supply of water, "essential to promoting the good health of the inhabitants. The lack of water is also indicated by the fact that the report mentions that if water be provided in an abundance it would help to prevent the sewers from blocking up and a constant flow of waste water would help clear the sewerage away (34). The report mentions also that privies should be replaced by water closets (35). This overall negative picture of the town is further augmented by the observations of eminent medical practitioners whose tested theories have produced conclusions which indicate that sewer mouths, outlets to drains, polluted cess pools are all "hot beds" of disease and that humidity and fogs have a tendency to promote disease to which Blackburn because of it low situation is liable.
From the evidence which has been obtained from the Health Report it is suggested that effectively the report paints a very grim picture of Blackburn by the mid nineteenth century, which conforms almost perfectly not only to those conditions in other Lancashire towns and cities, but towns and cities throughout the country. It would appear from the Health Report that the effects of stagnant water, overflowing privies and cess pools, accumulations of stable, cow house and pig sty filth, deficient drainage, overcrowded burial grounds, slaughter houses, garbage, decaying vegetable matter, discarded fish shells, overcrowded dwellings, the River Blakewater giving off a noxious smell even at the very centre of town and folk wearing filthy and soiled clothing whose idea of a regular wash was a dip in the sea on their annual outing to the seaside, coupled with exhalations from the town's industry all added to the poor air quality of the town with its damp air and susceptibility to fogs (36). In fact Withers goes so far as to state that the air in Blackburn is so full of pollution that it not only affects people as they breathe it in causing a whole host of respiratory ailments, but also has the effect of contaminating any decent food the people in the town might have. In short, Blackburn in 1853 appears to have been a place that any sensible person should avoid at all cost. Those conditions which existed on Blackburn's streets could not be ignored nor missed by any casual visitor passing through the town. It is assumed that as a consequence that no commercial business would want to set up in a town like Blackburn other than the textile industry which had been so influential both in shaping Blackburn causing the huge migrations the town, which ultimately had caused the appalling conditions that existed there.
Having tested the theories discussed in Chapter 1, it would appear that there existed infilling, overcrowding borne out by the Health Report and that Blackburn conformed to the generally accepted picture that the appalling conditions that had been described elsewhere in Lancashire were apparent in Blackburn with conditions being every bit as bad if not worse. In short there was filth in the dwellings, in the streets, in the river, in the air filled with the smoke of industry and on the clothes of unwashed people just about everywhere. There seemed little chance of being able to ignore such conditions, causing an unbearable stench that even the most insensitive of olfactory organs could not avoid. Just by standing in Blackburn it would appear was enough to taint and have a derogatory effect upon, the pollutants seemingly having the ability by a process of osmosis to affect even the internal organs of the bodies of the most healthy of visitors. The recommendations which he makes include four elements which he states are vital-and should be provide in abundance, light, air, space and cleanliness and that diseases included what he terms "the dreaded scourge of cholera bow to the effects of cleanliness, ventilation, and purity of air, whereas crowded, filthy, badly ventilated habitations court disease and are handmaids of Cholera and Typhus &c". But it would appear that nothing short of a miracle could ever improve those atrocious conditions which Withers' graphically describes and would appear to affect a very large proportion of the population of Blackburn.
By Andrew Taylor
REFERENCES
1. Primary Sources:
Published Sources.
Baines, E - History, Directory and Gazetteer of Lancashire Vol I (1824)
Mannex -Directory of Mid Lancashire (1854)
Rogerson, T - Lancashire General Directory (1818)
Slater - Lancashire Directory (1851)
Slater -Lancashire Directory (1848)
Withers, J - Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Borough of Blackburn, with observations on the Drainage and other subjects, calculated to improve the health of the inhabitants (1853).
Newspapers.
Blackburn Standard 12 May 1841
Blackburn Standard 10 August 1842
Maps and Plans
Yates's Map of Lancashire (1780)
Untitled Map of Blackburn (c1795)
1824 Map of Blackburn
1795 Map of Blackburn
Ordnance Survey 6" to 1 mile map of Blackburn (1848)
Ordnance Survey 5' to 1 mile map of Blackburn (1848)
Other Primary Sources
Census Return, 1851
Secondary Sources:
Books.
Aspin, C - The First Industrial Society - Lancashire 1750-1850 (1995 - revised edition) Bagley, JJ - A History of Lancashire (1982)
Beattie, D - Blackburn - The Development of a Lancashire Cotton Town (1982).
Chapman, SD -The History of Working Class Housing, Chapter 5 - Liverpool
Working Class Housing 1805-51 - James H Treble (1971)
Dickens, C - Hard Times (1969 re-print of the 1854 edition)
Langton, J and Morris RJ - Atlas of industrialising Britain 1780-1914, Chapter 2 Population - Richard Lawton. Chapter 22, Urbanisation, RJ Morris.
Miller, G - Blackburn - The Evolution of a Cotton Town (1951)
Morgan, N - Vanished Dwellings, (1990)
Roberts, Dr J - Working class houses in Nineteenth Century Manchester - The Example of John Street, Irk Town, 1826-1936 (1983)
Whittle, P - Blackburn As It is (1852)
Victoria History of the Counties of England - Lancashire Vol 2 (1966 re-print of the 1908 edition)
By Andrew Taylor
The Non-Conformist View of Nineteenth-Century Blackburn
One could be forgiven for thinking that in the light of the Withers' Health Report of 1853, that Blackburn in the mid-nineteenth century was hell on earth when considering all those appalling conditions which existed in the town. However, should this have been a true record throughout the town, then how ever could have the town survived? As already stated, although the increased birth-rate goes some of the way to explain the population expansion the town experienced at the time, migration into Blackburn also played a major roll. Surely if the conditions were as bad as Withers' claims, then no one would have wanted to come to such an inhospitable place where the air must have been heavy with the stench of pollutants and decaying matter which existed in the streets. Yet as population figures show, Blackburn's population continued to increase as the graph below illustrates. In the census of 1861, the first after the publication of the Health Report, the town's population increased by 35.65% and continued to increase by around 20% for the remainder of this century, the second highest rate of those town's previously considered, and continued with similar rates of growth into the twentieth century by which time in population terms Blackburn had soared passed Bolton and Preston, reaching a population peak by 1914 of almost 140,000. It could be claimed that the town's survival hinged on the fact that the measures recommended by the Health Report were applied, but again if conditions were as bad as stated then it surely would have taken many years or even decades to overcome such horrendous conditions as the report implies, yet the general impression from this source is that those conditions were widespread which no one could ignore.
Beginning with the Lancashire General Directory by T. Rogerson and published in 1818, it is claimed that Blackburn "... is a commercial and improving town" (1) . His synopsis writes of this town in glowing terms, mentioning the fact that not only is there piped water and several springs of what he terms "most excellent water", but it seems from his account of Blackburn in 1818, that the townsfolk have the luxury of a cold bath. Additionally this directory mentions that the town has is own theatre (the Theatre Royal), Assembly rooms, Billiard Tables and several public news rooms. It also highlights the fact that considerable improvements are being made in Blackburn at that time and from Billinge Hill to the north west of the town it speaks of the view that it commands "truly grand that no pen can do justice to" (2). Baines' renowned Gazetteer published just eight years after Rogerson's employs the same style in writing of the town. Baines claims that in the early stages of the cotton business, the inhabitants in general were "indigent and scantily provided, but the decisive proof of wealth now appears of every hand; handsome new erections are constantly rising up, public institutions for the improvement of the mind and the extension of human happiness are rapidly increasing and this place at one time proverbial for its rudeness and want of civilisation may now fairly rank in point of opulence and intelligence with many of the principle towns of the kingdom" adding the Independent Academy for the instruction of the classics, the Linean Society promoting the study of natural history and the Charity School for Girls in addition to the aforementioned Grammar School and theatre. Baines' also writes of the Blackburn General Dispensary which receives donations from the "parochial funds of the township" dispensing to the poor of the town "without... any other consideration but their sickness and poverty" (3).
However, both of these Trade Directories were published well outside the period covered by the Withers' Health Report, and if the conditions outlined by the Withers' Health Report are to believed without question, then the town must have taken a severe downward turn in the decades which followed as population numbers increased. In order to present a more objective picture of what Blackburn was like in the 1850s it is necessary therefore to view those directories compiled at the time that details for Withers' report were being collected and see just how descriptions of the town in these directories changed over the thirty years as conditions if the Health Report is to believed took a downward turn in those interim years and to observe whether this was apparent from those Trade Directories from the late 1840s early 1850s.
The Lancashire Directory compiled by Slater and published in 1851 states that "Blackburn stands on the bank of a brook" (4). From this description, it would mean that this brook was a quaint water course running through the centre of Blackburn. Additionally the word brook is generally connected to the term babbling, so from this the reader is presented with scene of a fast flowing river with clear water implying that the river was clean. Furthermore, the directory states that the town is "...sheltered by a ridge of hills stretching from northeast to northwest"(5). Again here hills coupled with the aforementioned brook implies an almost rural scene. Additionally, the directory claims that "within these last few years [the town] has been much improved, is well lighted with gas and abundantly supplied with water". Not only that but the Trade Directories state that "Considerable attention has also been directed to the paving of the streets, flagging the footpaths and repairing the highways" (6). The earlier Slater Directory published in 1848 also states that the savings bank is "Flourishing"(7) which is indicative that Blackburn is a relatively prosperous town and that there are plenty of people in Blackburn with the means to save. Similarly, the Mannex report of 1854, describes the town in glowing terms, claiming that there are twelve police in the town chosen under the provision of an act obtained as long ago as 1803, who provide for and monitor the lighting, paving and cleansing of the streets and it would appear that in no way are they failing in this duty (8).
The overall and general prosperity of the town is illustrated by the wealth of building which are evident at the time of these trade directories. The Parish Church completed in 1826 was there at the time of Withers' Report and yet nowhere does this nor any of this other structures figure in the Health report. Slater synopsis reports that the parish church "...presents one of the most pleasing specimens of modern gothic architecture" (9). Mannex agrees with this description further stating that it is "...a stately edifice, a noble structure in style of florid gothic" (10). Time can confirm this as in the twenty first century this building still emits these same features. However, the Church was built in 1826, before the period that the Health Report concentrates on. So what of those buildings which were built between 1840 and 1860 and were these hastily constructed buildings?
One of the most significant buildings erected during the mid-nineteenth century in Blackburn was the Market House built in 1848. Claimed to be Blackburn's first public building (other that the town's churches), Slater and Mannex both give glowing accounts of the architecture of this building. Slater states that "The market house now erected combines ornament with utility and exhibits a memorial to the talents of architecture and constructor" (11). Mannex calls it "...a unique building of early Italian palazzo style with a grand entrance tower, the campanile crowned by a splendid border of fine wrought cornice" but this is not all that Mannex says of the structure. "The beautifully covered market house bears ample testimony to the public spirit of the inhabitants of Blackburn"(12). This is an interesting point since it would appear that from this that the townsfolk had a certain amount of pride in their town. However the depiction of Blackburn by Withers indicates that such a structure might have looked out of place in this place where there was so much squalor. The trade directories are also very informative about communications to and from the town and mention the speedy communications which the railways have affected between Blackburn and other towns, calling the East Lancashire Railway Station near the centre of Blackburn " a neat building"(13). The Slater directory is also glowing of its description of the Bolton Station at the Nova Scotia district calling it a "noble, Grecian building of polished stone, with a fine portico supported by six double squared pillars and possessing every accommodation for the passenger" (14). However these directories do not do real justice to some of those other buildings that were in existence at the time, which are not mentioned and yet are still standing and still possess an elegant and attractive air over 150 years which surely must illustrate that the town of Blackburn during this period did emit an image of affluence and style presenting a favourable impression one to the outsider coming into the town.