Wheelton meaning 'farmstead with a water wheel' is actually made up of two parts, higher and lower Wheelton. Both are quite different. Lower Wheelton is characterised by its steep streets rising up from the canals, there are traditional locks, and warm friendly pubs (right next to each other!) In the village center there is the village memorial clock and rows of brick cottages on cobbled roads original built for the workers at the local mill.

It is a rural, English place to live, with an Olde Village Shoppe post office, dry cleaners, garage and oddly, a tanning salon.

The Dressers arms pub is found here which is where the slate workers used to quench their thirst after a hard days work, the pub is found along 'Harbour lane' which itself has some history, At the top of Harbour lane is a dirt track, apparently this is where 13th Century Monks would climb 40 steps up this hill to Whalley Abbey via a road named 'briar's brow' though to have been originally name 'Friar's Brow'.

Higher Wheelton is found on higher ground following the A674, property tends to be larger here with better parking, it is also better spaced out. Open farmland surrounds the area. There are excellent transport links, with the motorway network only being a few minutes away.

Like many village in the area, this village grew up with the cotton trade. Many groups of people were attracted to the valley areas where natural springs formed continuous water courses, essential for the mills. Wheelton is also situated along the Leeds Liverpool canal, just slightly below Withnell Fold which brings excellent transport links for the mills.

When the large cotton mill was built in 1865 (by Peter Todd), housing was also set up in the area to house the workers and families, when the mill expanded, so did the housing and the village grew.

The structure of Wheelton has changed little over time, many shops still running, pubs still open, this early photo shows Wheelton centre (below), you can see the 'Heapey Busy Bee' which is now a tanning salon, and on the left of the photo the Red Lion Pub.

This is a great photo showing past Wheelton during a walking day (below), you can see the mill towering over the rest of the village, and Wheelton's famous clock tower in memorial to those fallen in the wars.