Samlesbury and Cuerdale lies in lower Ribblesdale and forms most of the green belt between Preston and Blackburn. The estimated acreage, (including inland water), is 4,386 statute acres. 
The ecclesiastical parish of St Leonard-the-Less is four miles long, extending in an easterly direction from the River Ribble at Ha'penny Bridge, by the Tickled Trout, to the Bosburn Brook, which lies on the eastern side of Branch Road. North to south the greatest distance, (between the Ribble at Bezza and the Quaker Brook boundaries), is nearly three miles. The Roman Catholic parish boundary includes Brockholes, but does not stretch as far south or east as the Anglican parish.
The M6 motorway, the A59 and A677 all traverse the parish, but despite this, there are still a number of ancient woodlands and a pleasing variety of flora and fauna. There are also a number of designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Biological Heritage Sites.
In addition to agriculture, horticulture and their related industries, there is a brewery, a major aircraft manufacturing facility, some light industry, a farm shop development, plant centres, golf driving range and various places to eat.
 Despite modern developments, many attractive and interesting properties still remain, including the only two Grade I Listed buildings in South Ribble, Samlesbury Parish Church and the Higher Hall, (now known as Samlesbury Hall). There are also 21 Grade II Listings and a further five Grade II buildings in Cuerdale. The War Memorial Hall built in 1922/3 in memory of the 13 servicemen killed in WWI, stands in an isolated position on Cuerdale Lane.
Parish Plan
In 2007, the Parish Council after an approach by the trustees of Samlesbury War Memorial Hall agreed to initiate a parish plan for Samlesbury and Cuerdale. This was after a Government White Paper encouraged rural communities to become more involved in local decisions that affect everyone. The idea is that people have more say and more control over their own lives and their own localities. It is recommended that a parish plan should be produced by the people, with the people, for the people.
The purpose of the parish plan is to investigate and discover what needs to be improved, and what are the issues that people feel strongly about, so that something can be done to address them and the interactions with the various agencies are made easier and more straight forward.
Click to view the 2008 Parish Plan
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