A PICTURES tells a thousand words and this image certainly sets an atmospheric scene of a town’s industrial past.

It is of Bennington Street destructor chimney in Blackburn which dominated the town’s skyline for decades.

A forest of nearly 200 factory chimneys scraped Blackburn’s skyline 50 years ago, testimony to the might of manufacturing over which King Cotton was predominant.

But the biggest of the town’s smokestacks was devoted to destruction not production.

Seen here with its 312ft of Accrington brick highlighted by the vestiges of winter blizzard, the chimney of the Audley destructor on the banks of the canal at Bennington Street cost the corporation £2,550 to erect in 1888.

Then it was the tallest chimney shaft in the country.

This chimney was an incinerator used for the destruction of household rubbish and belched out the smoke from the town’s incinerated waste.

Its reign as a Blackburn landmark ended with its demolition in 1959 - a task which took the wrecking steeplejacks far longer than they expected, so sturdy was the old giant.

Perhaps you have a tale to tell about the old chimney. If so we’d love to hear from you.

Share your memories with ben.butler@nqnw.co.uk.