600 years of water power in Whalley

The weir is an important part of Whalley’s conservation area. Whalley Hydro has undertaken to maintain it in order to continue its historic use in harnessing the power of the river.

The Cistercian monks who built the weir on the River Calder at Whalley 600 years ago were noted for their hydraulic engineering. They diverted water from the weir down the still existing mill race for the newly built abbey. In 1837 this mill race was used to power the water wheel for Abbey Corn Mill until 1987. The water wheel can still be seen in Corn Mill Mews off King Street. It was refurbished in 2003 but is not now in use.