The Whitaker, the place to visit in Rawtenstall
Every one of the 6 places on the list is among the museums or galleries. One place to visit is mapped inside Rawtenstall’s built-up area, with 5 more within 5 km of its edge. Drive 24 km to reach English Football Hall of Fame.
Where to start in Rawtenstall
Following The Whitaker are 5 museums.
MuseumThe Whitakerin town
MuseumHaworth Art Gallery3.9 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumHelmshore Mills Textile Museum1.9 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumWhitakers' Mill1.9 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumHigher Mill1.9 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumAccrington Dome4.9 km outside town, to the northwestEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The places, mapped
The map shows most of the 5 nearby to the southwest.
The dashed line is Rawtenstall’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
The kinds on offer
Every one of them is among museums or galleries.
Green: inside Rawtenstall. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
The list in full
6 places in all: one in town and 5 within 5 km of its edge.
Haworth Art Gallery
Art gallery, museum and park in Lancashire, England, United Kingdom.
Helmshore Mills Textile Museum
Wool and cotton mills in Lancashire, England.
The one inside Rawtenstall comes first, then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
78 listed buildings are on Rawtenstall’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Rawtenstall →
Beyond Rawtenstall
English Football Hall of Fame (24 km) leads the 12 big names within reach.
MuseumEnglish Football Hall of Fame24 km south
CathedralManchester Cathedral25 km south
Art galleryManchester Art Gallery25 km south
CathedralBlackburn Cathedral14 km west
MuseumThe Manchester Museum27 km south
Big drawMuseumScience and Industry Museum25 km south · 830K visitors a year
MuseumChetham's Library24 km south
MuseumImperial War Museum North26 km south · 2K visitors a year
MuseumNational Science and Media Museum36 km east · 442K visitors a year (2015)
MuseumNational Football Museum24 km south
CathedralCathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist25 km south
MuseumPendle Heritage Centre17 km north · 100K visitors a yearPlaces well known beyond Rawtenstall (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Seeing Rawtenstall: your questions
What are the main attractions in Rawtenstall?
The place to visit inside Rawtenstall’s built-up area is The Whitaker. In all, 1 place to visit is mapped inside the town, and 5 more within 5 km.
Does Rawtenstall have a museum?
6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Rawtenstall: The Whitaker, Haworth Art Gallery, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum and Whitakers' Mill.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Rawtenstall?
None is recorded within 5 km of Rawtenstall.
What are the best-known days out near Rawtenstall?
Within 40 km: English Football Hall of Fame (24 km), Manchester Cathedral (25 km), Manchester Art Gallery (25 km), Blackburn Cathedral (14 km).
Where are Rawtenstall’s historic buildings listed?
Rawtenstall has 78 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Rawtenstall when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (15)
- The Whitaker: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Haworth Art Gallery: Alexander P Kapp; cropped by Beyond My Ken 20:33, 28 August 2011 (UTC), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Helmshore Mills Textile Museum: robert wade, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- English Football Hall of Fame: Marnanel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Manchester Cathedral: 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Manchester Art Gallery: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Blackburn Cathedral: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- The Manchester Museum: DrPhoenix, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Science and Industry Museum: Science Museum Group, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chetham's Library: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Imperial War Museum North: Imperial_War_Museum_2008.jpg: pit-yacker from UK derivative work: IxK85, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Science and Media Museum: Chemical Engineer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Football Museum: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist: The_Cathedral_Church_of_St_John_the_Evangelist,_Chapel_Street,_Salford.jpg: Ian Roberts derivative work: Rabanus Flavus, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pendle Heritage Centre: Peter Worrell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.