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
Holiday scene at Ormerod Road, Burnley, shows the canal at its best.
Burnley councillors, Town Hall and Lancashire County council are being invited to take a cruise - along the Leeds and Liverpool canal through Burnley. The invitation comes from the local branch of the Inland Waterways Association backed by Burnley and District Civic Trust, two groups intent on showing the local authority just how big an asset the canal could be to Burnley. A fleet of up to 20 boats will be converging on the town for the trip on Saturday, October 2nd. Halfway through the cruise councillors and officials will go ashore to see an exhibition of photographs and drawings showing what has been done to improve canals elsewhere, and what could be done in Burnley.
The civic trust have put forward a five-point, guideline for improving the canal: Improve public access; More emphasis on the canal as a place for recreation and leisure; Lower bridge parapets so that the canal becomes visible from places like Manchester Road; New buildings near the canal should not be allowed to block the view from the straight mile; The straight mile embankment should be informally landscaped so that it becomes a strip of pleasant greenery in the town centre and acts as a haven for wildlife.
