2A Accrington Road, Burnley, Lancashire. Archaeological Building Investigation Survey.

Lancashire County Council Property Group is devising proposals for the future of a derelict building at 2A Accrington Road in Burnley, Lancashire (centred on NGR
383183 432679). One option that is being considered, in recognition of the very poor condition of the building, allows for its demolition. The building comprises a three storey property, with a basement, situated at the junction of Accrington Road with Westgate and Trafalgar Street, some 0.75km to the west of Burnley town centre.
Whilst it does not have any statutory designation, the building has been Locally Listed by Burnley Borough Council as a structure that offers a positive contribution to the
historic townscape. The site lies within the Canalside Conservation Area, which was designated initially in October 1988 in recognition of the concentration of important
former industrial buildings that dominate the area.
Documentary research has concluded that 2A Accrington Road was erected in c 1841, and was one of a group of buildings that represented the earliest development along
the western end of Westgate, pre-dating the prominent industrial buildings that were erected subsequently on Trafalgar Street. It seems likely that it was intended as retail premises, and was occupied during the later nineteenth century by a variety of tradesmen, including a draper, a butcher, and a grocer. The building was subject to
some alterations in 1891, which included a new shop front window and, in the early twentieth century, it was converted for use as public dining rooms, a function that it continued to fulfil until the 1950s. It was used most recently as a control centre for a local taxi firm, but has since been vacated and is presently in a derelict and poor condition.