When I was a schoolchild we were taken on a school trip to Ribchester Roman Museum, shown the granary – or what was left of it - and encouraged to poke out burnt grains of wheat from the low foundations of what was left of the granary.  Those burnt grains had survived for near 2000 years !

The Whalley Abbey West Gatehouse mentioned today is massive – as gatehouses go – and completely covers the road, making an ideal place for cyclists to congregate in the dry.  Which is why, away from any houses it was the Blackburn CTC meeting place for the majority of runs in my youth, with bags of room to play football as well.  Now they gather before runs at the Whalley bus station, not quite the same I fear.