THIS image of Darwen, taken on a winter's day in 1980, is so typical of our East Lancashire communities.

Snuggled at the foot of the moors, the countryside lies only minutes from the terraced streets and town centres.

It was this desire of families to be able to enjoy the fresh air, in the days when Darwen was choked in soot and smoke from the multitude of mills, that resulted in the iconic tower being built high above them on Beacon Hill.

And, photographed from this view point, it really does appear to be standing guard over the bustling town below it.

Of course the octagonal tower, opened to the public in 1898, does not only celebrate the victory of townsfolk for the right to walk across the moorland, it also commemorates Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

The second iconic landmark of Darwen that can be seen is the India Mill chimney, with its distinctive decorative top, built by Eccles Shorrock in the 1860s.

Three hundred feet tall and built in the style of an Italian campanile, it is said to rest on the largest single block of stone quarried since Cleopatra's Needle.

Darweners will, we are sure, be able to pick out more of the town's streets, houses and business premises.