Bacup is a town in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundary with West Yorkshire. The town is inside the Forest of Rossendale and the upper Irwell Valley, 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometres) east of Rawtenstall, 6.4 miles (10.3 kilometres) north of Rochdale, and 21 miles (34 km) east of Preston. As recorded in the 2011 Census, Bacup has a permanent population of around 13323 inhabitants. Bacup emerged as a settlement following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the Early Middle Ages. For a long time, it was a little and not well known centre of domestic flannel and woollen cloth production, and a lot of the original weavers' cottages survive as listed buildings. After the Industrial Revolution, Bacup became a mill town, growing around the now covered bridge crossing the River Irwell and the North-South / East-West crossroad at its centre. During that time, its landscape became dominated by recognisable and substantially sized rectangular woollen and cotton mills. Bacup received a charter of incorporation in 1882, which gave it municipal borough status and its own elected town government, made up of a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs. During the late 20th century, Bacup became a part of the borough of Rossendale. Bacup's historic character, culture and festivities have led to the town's suburbanisation and redevelopment as a more cosmopolitan commuter town for Manchester and also other North West towns and cities. Nevertheless, English Heritage has named Bacup as the best preserved cotton town in England, and its town centre is named as a conservation area for its unique architectural qualities. For all of your house upgrades, be sure that you employ trusted professionals in Bacup to make sure you get the top quality service.