The archive is extensive and we aim to make many of these images available online.
*SEPTEMBER 2025 UPDATE*
There are now more than 17,553 images on the website including those on our Other Collections section. There are more images to see if you View our Articles section to read longer articles written by our volunteers on a range of historical subjects.
We have received a donation of Burco Dean archive material which has not yet been digitised for the website but you will find information about Burco Dean and a small selection of images on our Articles page.
We are now operating without the benefit of Heritage Lottery Funding and welcome donations to enable us to continue scanning negatives and making them available on the website. Donations can be made directly to us or via JUSTGIVING
Or scan our Just Giving account QR Code
BCTHIC is most thankful for the generous donations made by:
Burnley Rotary, Burnley Pendleside Rotary, Stocks Massey Bequest Fund, Celeste & Kevin (in Canada) and other donors who have contributed to our funds to enable this project to continue after our Heritage Lottery funding ceased.
All funding contributions are gratefully accepted
We WELCOME NEW VOLUNTEERS and have vacancies on our Wednesday and Thursday afternoon sessions. If you can spare a couple of hours why not contact us and arrange a visit to the archive. All that is needed are some basic computer skills and an interest in local history. PENDLE AND WEST CRAVEN images can be found in the Surrounding Districts pages and we would welcome volunteers from the Pendle area to digitise images and stories about this area as we have no volunteers working on this area at the moment.
We have produced a short history about the project which you can download.
50 Years Ago
The trial class in progress on Sunday afternoon, with Miss Heap directing students.
The Adult Centre at Burnley College was crowded with more than 100 women last Sunday afternoon, all bent on enjoying an appreciation of ballet. Most of them liked what they saw so much that about 90 enrolled for classes. Miss Joyce Heap (Mrs Ian Sage) runs the classes at the Adult Centre on Thursday mornings, and senior classical ballet at Heasandford on Wednesdays. She thought that if women could see a trial class in progress, as they did on Sunday, they would know if they wanted to join a proper class or not. Most of them opted to join.
The trial class was a huge success, and attracted all age groups of women. There will be another open class for mothers and daughters on May 2nd, again with the same idea in mind, and a third class a week later.
