The Lake District and Cumbria - Ref 2024

A well kept secret to many, this picturesque Lancashire village has won a number of best kept village competitions over the years Chipping is known to be at least 1,000 years old and is mentioned in the Doomsday book The village became a hive of industry during the Industrial Revolution when there were seven mills located along Chipping Brook Today only one survives, the famous chairmaking factory of H J Berry where furniture has been designed and made since the 1890s Local attractions include Clitheroe Castle Museum, Whalley Abbey, Sawley Abbey and the Ribchester Roman Museum Stonyhurst College where J R R Tolkien visited his son, and Browsholme Hall, still privately owned, are open on select days and well worth a visit Interestingly, the Ribble Valley was used as the inspiration for Middle Earth in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit This property was built from traditional stone in the mid-1700s, 10 miles from Clitheroe There are four bedrooms, offering spacious yet homely accommodation for groups of up to 10 people During the colder months, you can relax by the open fire in the lounge and, for the warm summer evenings, there is a beautiful garden in which you can enjoy a glass of wine or a spot of outdoor dining Next door is a former cotton mill, which also houses the original 30-foot waterwheel, previously fed by water from the nearby dam Today, this is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts, acting as home to ducks and other wild creatures .