TODAY they would be probably be advertised as ‘desirable waterfront properties’ but when they were built in the mid 19th Century the 11 homes which made up Slater Terrace in Burnley were the latest in social housing.

This photograph was taken in 2002 and shows how unusual the properties were as they were built above the warehouse belonging to the adjacent mill.

All were owned by George Slater who owned three mills and employed more than 300 people around Sandygate.

The two-up-two down houses were cramped and overcrowded. The 1861 census revealed that two families, totalling 12 people shared four rooms in one of the dwellings.

Slater owned Clocktower Mill, which got its name from the large clock he commissioned so that his workers had no excuse for being late for their 12 hour shifts in his cotton mill.