RIBCHESTER'S RICH HISTORY

Ribchester Almshouses Roman Ribchester St Wilfrid's and Sundial

The Village of Ribchester with the outlying hamlet of Stydd is situated in the picturesque Ribble Valley in the heart of rural Lancashire.

Ribchester grew out of the ruins of the Roman fort of Bremetennacum Veteranorum, which comprised a fort and civilian settlement. The earliest Roman fort in Ribchester was established in the early 70s AD as part of a network of defensive forts across northern Britannia.

The Parish Church of Saint Wilfrid, and the Village Hall itself, stand where the principal buildings of the fort would have been. The church, for the most part, dates from the 13th Century.

Always a farming community the Village grew significantly in the 17th and 18th Centuries through the expansion of the Lancashire cotton industry. Around the village can still be found many of the cottages used by the handloom weavers in the early part of the 17th Century - particularly in Church Street - but the weaving industry has all but gone.

Ribchester is still a busy place although most of its population work in the nearby city of Preston or the town of Blackburn.

Want to find out more? We've provided links below to some interesting leaflets on Ribchester's local history for you to download and print.

Ribchester History Trail - Produced by Ribchester Parish Council
Ribchester Millennium Sculpture Garden - Produced by Ribchester Millennium Project
A Brief History of RATS (Ribchester Amateur Theatrical Society) - Produced by Jean Skilbeck