Bacup is a town in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's border line 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 kilometres) north of Rochdale, and 21 miles (34 km) to the east of Preston. Based on the 2011 Census, Bacup has a resident population of about 13323 people. Bacup was established as a settlement after the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the Early Middle Ages. For a long time, it was a modest and not well known centre of domestic flannel and woollen cloth manufacturing, and many of the original weavers' cottages survive today as listed buildings. After the Industrial Revolution, Bacup transformed into a mill town, expanding around the now covered bridge which crosses the River Irwell and the North-South / East-West crossroad at its centre. In the course of that time, its landscape was increasingly dominated by recognisable and big 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, comprising a mayor, aldermen and councillors to oversee local affairs. During the late 20th century, Bacup was integrated into the borough of Rossendale. Bacup's historic character, culture and festivities have encouraged the town's suburbanisation and redevelopment as a more cosmopolitan commuter town for Manchester as well as other North West towns and cities. Nonetheless, 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 distinctive architectural qualities. For all your residence improvement projects, be sure that you utilise trusted pros in Bacup to make sure you get the top quality service.