Places to visit around Read, from Whalley Abbey
All of it lies outside: 4 places within 5 km of its edge, none inside Read’s built-up area. Look for 2 museums, an abbey or priory and a historic house. The list includes one place cared for by English Heritage. Day-trippers head 11 km out to Blackburn Cathedral.
The best known around Read
The list goes on from Whalley Abbey to 2 museums and a historic house.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageWhalley Abbey3.2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumGawthorpe Hall2.9 km outside town, to the eastHistoric houseHistoric houseMartholme1.3 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumGawthorpe Textiles Collection2.9 km outside town, to the eastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The lie of the land
Head to the east for most of the 4 on the list.
The dashed line is Read’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
Most are castles or historic places, 2 in all, ahead of museums or galleries (2).
Green: inside Read. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Whalley Abbey).
Place after place
All of it lies within 5 km of its edge: 4 places.
Gawthorpe Hall
Grade I listed historic house museum in Lancashire, England, UK.
Gawthorpe Textiles Collection
Museum in Burnley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
13 listed buildings are on Read’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Read →
A drive away
Start with Blackburn Cathedral, 11 km off, the best known of 12.
CathedralBlackburn Cathedral11 km southwest
MuseumPendle Heritage Centre11 km northeast · 100K visitors a year
MuseumEnglish Football Hall of Fame37 km south
CathedralManchester Cathedral37 km south
Art galleryManchester Art Gallery37 km south
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSawley Abbey12 km north
MuseumThe Manchester Museum39 km south
CastleSkipton Castle28 km northeast
Big drawMuseumScience and Industry Museum37 km south · 830K visitors a year
MuseumNational Science and Media Museum39 km east · 442K visitors a year (2015)
MuseumImperial War Museum North38 km south · 2K visitors a year
MuseumChetham's Library37 km southPlaces well known beyond Read (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.
Quick answers on Read
What is there to see near Read?
No attraction is mapped inside Read itself. Within 5 km of it are Whalley Abbey, Gawthorpe Hall, Martholme and Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.
Does Read have a museum?
2 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Read: Gawthorpe Hall and Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Read?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Read, 1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Whalley Abbey).
What are the best-known days out near Read?
Within 40 km: Blackburn Cathedral (11 km), Pendle Heritage Centre (11 km), English Football Hall of Fame (37 km), Manchester Cathedral (37 km).
Where are Read’s historic buildings listed?
Read has 13 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 Read 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 (13)
- Whalley Abbey: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Blackburn Cathedral: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Pendle Heritage Centre: Peter Worrell, 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
- Sawley Abbey: Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Manchester Museum: DrPhoenix, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Skipton Castle: Davegill70, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Science and Industry Museum: Science Museum Group, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Science and Media Museum: Chemical Engineer, 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
- Chetham's Library: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
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