The exact boundaries between the villages in this area to date is still a topic of debate. Withnell can easily be reached from the M61 motorway by leaving at Junction 7 and following the A674 Blackburn Road for about 5 miles. Regular bus services make Blackburn and Chorley in easy reach.

Withnell is a small village with few amenities. Most are located on Bury Lane which runs through the centre of the village and includes a post office and newsagent, a chippie, grocery shop, chemist, and a pizza shop. At the bottom of Bury Lane at the junction with Railway Road lies the health center. A local garage owned by Mr Cocker, a founder member of the International Aid Trust can also be found here. Although the shops may have changed, the community spirit hasn't

While it is very pleasant in spring and summer time, the village is often cut off when the snows come due to its proximity to the West Pennines and its exposed situation. With transport in and out of the village being totally cut off, power cuts, and closure of the local schools - (not that it bothers the kids)

Within easy reach of Withnell are Brinscall Swimming baths and there are also many nature trails and many out-of-the-way places to explore.

Withnell is a very sought-after area to live in, there is nowhere quite like it and the surroundings are beautiful. Withnell and Brinscall has it's own angling club, where young and old can pass a pleasant time fishing in the lodge at Brinscall.

Withnell has two Churches (St Paul's and St. Joseph's) with Brinscall housing St Luke's and the local Methodist church. St Pauls shown here below:

The villages in this area are surrounded by open farmland and have beautiful countryside scenes. Although situated close to each other, each of the villages has a strong identity and community atmosphere. People moving to these village quickly settle in and become part of the community.

Every year, around the 20th June, Withnell has it's very own carnival and Sports Day. Each school and playgroup in the area chooses a theme, such as cops and robbers, or Disney. Every one in the school then dresses up in fancy dress to match that theme. They may also build floats, and other props. Everyone makes a fool of themselves and a good time is had by all. The day concludes with a variety of sporting events at the nearby sports field in Brinscall.

One of the first mentions of Withnell was in 1290, when Withnell was (and still is) part of the Leyland Hundred. Over the years it has been known as Withenell, Wythenil, Whytenhull and Wythenul. One of the first people to buy land in Withnell was Rodger de Stanworth who sold Stanworth to the Monks of Stanlaw, who had to pay the chief rents. The Monks obtained other land in Withnell. Later Sir Richard of Hoghton acquired their estate. Radcliff Houghton fell at Preston in 1643 fighting for the king, and his estate was sequestered to Parliament. Henry Sudell and John Park owned most of Withnell. In 1906 John Parke died and his estate was sold to Mr.Herbert Thomas Parke of Withnell Fold. The Parke family are responsible for much of the early development of Withnell and built the Coronation Hospital (now a house) in Brinscall.

The 1891 census showed Withnell as having a population of 2,855. In 1901 the area of Withnell was 3,705 acres and it had a population of 3349 people, 1,607 male and 1,742 female. There were 670 inhabited houses, 52 uninhabited and 12 under construction. Some of the buildings built in the 1800's were St. Paul's Church Of England, which was built in a central position at the top of the hill as you enter Withnell (Bury Lane), St. Luke's, built near the quarry and St. Joseph's R.C. Church, built near to St. Paul's and the Methodist Chapel which had several sites in the village over the years, the final one being on Bury Lane where construction started in 1886.

St Paul's Church was built in the late 1830's on a plot of land donated by Mr Robert Parke, a member of the Parke family of Withnell. It held its first service in 1841 conducted by the Reverend David Slyman.

The church has its own graveyard and although it has had one or two minor additions, it remains today very much as it was externally although the interior was modified to provide an upper room for use by Sunday School. This photo shows the church before the alterations

Also in the graveyard there is a memorial to a resident of Withnell who was killed on active service in the First World War. Private James Miller was awarded the Victoria Cross for Gallantry and visitors to the Church are able to read about his bravery in the war, as there is a framed newspaper report in the Church.

The Church also used to have a school 'morally' attached to it and this was built lower down in the village on Bury Lane but was demolished in 1968 when St. John's School in Brinscall was opened. St. Joseph's RC Church was built further down the hill on Bury Lane and is unusual as it has it's school directly underneath it.

As with the other villages in the area, Milling was the major reason for the growth of the village, there were many mills in the area due the transport links provided by the now dismantled railway which ran from Chorley to Blackburn Via Heapey Brinscall and Abbey Village

Due to economic depression and new technological advancements, large scale manufacturing in the villages began to die away. With the advent of better and more reliable public transport, local shops began to loose business and eventually closed down. Despite this decline is business, the villages in this area have been kept alive by the desire of people wishing to move from urban areas, the live the peaceful country lifestyle.

The 1971 census showed the population of Withnell as 3,205; 1,560 male and 1,645 female so there had been very little change in the population over the last one hundred years. Today Withnell still has many of the same buildings; St. Joseph's is still there, so is St. Pauls Church and St Luke's. The railway is not there anymore but Railway Road and its houses remain. The cotton mill and brick and tile works have also gone. The Quarry has been given a new lease of life and reopened as its stone was used to build the M65 extension. St. Pauls school was demolished after St. John's was built on School Lane.