Nelson is a town in Lancashire in north-west England with a population of around 30,000. It is the administrative town for the Borough of Pendle which has a total population of around 90,000.

Nelson is located 4 miles north of Burnley, 25 miles east of Preston, 25 miles north of Manchester and 30 miles west of Leeds.

The town was named after the Lord Nelson Pub at the crossroads around which Nelson developed. It grew up as an industrial town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its economy being mostly based upon the textile industry (mainly cotton weaving). The textile industry has now sharply declined, leaving the town with high unemployment. It was also associated with the production of confectionery, including Jelly Babies and Victory Vs. The Package Holiday company Airtours (formally Pendle Travel and recently taken over by My Travel) began life as an independent travel agent here.

Despite being home to a much larger South Asian community than adjoining Burnley, no "race riots" have occurred here, and the far right-wing British National Party have failed to gain any seats in local elections in any part of the borough.