HISTORY: Landmark moment in restoration of Nelson’s Spring Cottage

The Mayor of Pendle (centre) along with Mohammed Afzal president of the Nelson branch of the UK Islamic Commission (left) and Abdul Haq Mian president of the UK Islamic Commission and others visiting Spring Bank Cottage in Nelson which is being restored.
Photo Ben Parsons — The Mayor of Pendle (centre) along with Mohammed Afzal president of the Nelson branch of the UK Islamic Commission (left) and Abdul Haq Mian president of the UK Islamic Commission and others visiting Spring Bank Cottage in Nelson which is being restored. Photo Ben Parsons

Phase Two has just been completed, resulting in the badly damaged roof and stone walls being fully restored.

So the Mayor of Pendle, Coun. Asjad Mahmood, went along to take a look at it and was impressed.

The aim is to try to get the doors and windows completed in historic format in the coming 12 months or so.

The cottage was originally the home of a historic Nelson textile family, the Ecroyds, but eventually became popular local pub the Spring Bank Hotel, later renamed The Grove.

It closed its doors in the 1990s, and was then hit by vandalism, bad weather and a series of fires.

It is a key heritage building on the gateway to Nelson town centre.

The restoration is being carried out by the UKIM Madina Masjid Mosque in Forest Street, Nelson.

The plan is to make the cottage a community centre to be used by the whole of the community, and to create a new mosque in the grounds and instal a parkland area where everyone will be welcome to relax.

The mosque’s aim to bring Spring Cottage back to beauty gained a £330,000-plus boost from English Heritage and Pendle Council for Phase Two.

This was probably the last scheme in Whitefield to be funded under this joint initiative.

The work has also had support from the local community.

The Mayor said: “I’m really impressed with it. From outside, particularly, it’s looking really fantastic.

“It’s great to see this historic building in Nelson going back to use. There is a lot of history of it.”

Mr Farooq Rafiq, branch secretary of UKIM Madina Masjid, made it clear Phase Two was completed, with a smart roof and great walls, and the Mayor and everyone else were impressed with the work.

But he added: “We are hoping to get the windows and doors installed in historic form in the next nine to 12 months. We have had help from Pendle Council and English Heritage and from the local community which has donated generously.”

Funding for the rest of the project is not yet clear.

And Mr Rafiq said anyone who wants to get involved in the project or make contributions can contact them by email: [email protected]