Whalley Abbey is a picturesque ruin & well worth a visit, along with the nearby gatehouse - railway fans will love the viaduct, whilst the tea room provides at atmospheric setting for all manner of refreshment.

Less well known is that the bulk of the medieval choir stalls (c. 1430) ended up in the parish church of St. Mary and All Saints where they remain to this day looking as fresh as the day they were carved. These are the work of one Mr Eatough (how rare it is that the name of the sculptors come down to us) and represent some of the finest misericords in the country, with all manner of the didactic scenes - folklore fans will love the 'Green Men' as well as the vivid scenes of medieval vernacular life & comedic depictions of domestic strife. Unique to Whalley is an early English proverb concerning the shoeing of the goose; the image is found elsewhere (i.e. York Minster on a column capital) but never with the text which makes the Whalley carving so fascinating.

Problem is, Whalley Parish Church is only open for two hours each weekend, making visiting hardly convenient - but it's well worth narrowing your window for.

Foliate Head, Whalley Parish Church, c. 1430

Other Whalley Abbey misericords can be found in Blackburn Cathedral and Cliviger. In Blackburn is Mr Eatough's remarkable depiction of The Fall, though they haven't survived as well as those at Whalley.