Bacup is a town in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines near to Lancashire's boundary with West Yorkshire. The town is within the Forest of Rossendale and the upper Irwell Valley, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) east of Rawtenstall, 6.4 miles (10.3 km) north of Rochdale, and 21 miles (34 kilometres) to the east of Preston. Based on 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 centuries, it was a modest and obscure centre of domestic flannel and woollen cloth manufacture, and a lot of the original weavers' cottages survive today as listed buildings. After the Industrial Revolution, Bacup transformed into a mill town, growing around the now covered over bridge which crosses the River Irwell and the North-South / East-West crossroad at its centre. For the duration of that time, its landscape became increasingly dominated by recognisable and substantially sized rectangular woollen and cotton mills. Bacup acquired a charter of incorporation in 1882, which gave it municipal borough status and its own elected town government, consisting 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 helped 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 proclaimed Bacup as the best preserved cotton town in England, and its town centre is named as a conservation area for its special architectural qualities. For all your house upgrades, be certain that you employ trustworthy experts in Bacup to make sure that you get the top quality service.