http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/horwich/803129216514438017
the route taken
Horwich
HORWICH, a chapelry, in the parish of Deane, union of Bolton, hundred of Salford, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 4 miles (W. N. W.) from Bolton, on the road to Chorley and Preston; containing 3773 inhabitants. The ancient forest of Horwich, sloping down the sides of Rivington Pike, long since disappeared. It was sixteen miles in circumference; and from its capacious dimensions, and its abundant supply of timber for buildings and for fuel, it became a manufacturing station at a very early period: as remote as the reign of Henry VIII. we read of yarn spun in Horwich. The chapelry is situated for the most part in a luxuriant valley, gradually rising through the village towards Bolton, and is separated from Anderton by the river Douglas; it comprises 3230 acres. The population is chiefly engaged in extensive bleaching-works and cotton-mills. The bleach-works of Messrs. Joseph Ridgway and Company were commenced about 1781; and the print-works of Messrs. Chippendale and Company, employing 500 persons, about the same time. Of three cotton-mills, the two largest belong to Messrs. W. and W. Bennett, and Peter Gaskell, Esq. A good stonequarry is wrought. Here is a station of the Bolton and Preston railway. The living is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £240; patron, the Vicar of Deane. The present chapel, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was erected by the Church Commissioners in 1831, at an expense of £5848, in lieu of the old chapel; it is in the early English style, with a square tower, and contains a monument by Westmacott, which cost £1500, to the late Joseph Ridgway, Esq., who was a large proprietor of land here. There are three places of worship for dissenters. Attached to the chapel are, an infants’, a Sunday, and a national school. Two heaps of stones on Wildersmoore Hill are intended, it is said, to record the death of two boys in the snow, on going to the grammar school at Rivington
http://www.horwichmethodistmission.org.uk/
St Johns Methodist church Horwich
stone houses often found on the main streets
from the second world war people – removed railings as part of the war effort these are the tail tail signs of this ,the loco works and the local industry produced anything from Tanks to planes in the second world war
turn right to public right of way
go up the steps
the path goes straight ahead
turn right behind lever park school
http://www.leverpark.bolton.sch.uk/
the path has recently been cleared and goes between the lever park school and the golf course
http://www.theinternetgolfclub.com/golfclubs/horwich-golf-club.asp
Old railway sleeper at end of the path
up the hill
take the left of the two paths – near to stone wall
the Winter Hill mast , two lads in front of the mast – style of stone wall found around this part of Horwich
The pike
Wilderswood is seen below the Pike
two of my Blogs
http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/2010/10/two-lads-to-winter-hill-to-rivington.html
http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/2010/11/spooky-wilderswood-in-dark-at-4-to-6-c.html
a old stile-there is a old line of a hedge to the right
keep to the right hand path -towards the buildings in distance
Montcliffe quarries can be seen , Winter Hill mast on left hand side
http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/2010/08/montcliffe.html
http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/2010/09/burnt-edge-colliery-and-hedgehog.html
this route takes you past the quarries you can see above
looking back towards blackrod
path leads to lane – right is a old farm -stone is used for the roof turn left
route is to the left towards fleet street
Historic fleet street
1777 – some of the houses are dated at
stone drain -blocked by leaves
go past the Monkey puzzle tree
down the lane, to the right is the Ridgmont cemetery behind the wall
one house with slate and one with a tile roof
Stocks park (see below why)
Stocks ! enough said !
some of the club houses see below!
what does the plaque say ?
In 1777, the Ridgway family leased the Wallsuches site and within a few years their bleachworks employed the majority of people from Horwich as well as from Blackrod and Adlington. The town grew rapidly from 300 people when the Ridgways arrived to 3,500 in 1831. From the family home at Ridgmont, the Ridgways chaired many local bodies for the benefit of the community. They built Holy Trinity Parish Church and School and helped with the provision of workers’ housing. The latter was through the lease of Chapel Field on which employees who joined a building club were allowed to build their own houses. The streets running off Church Street are still known as the Club houses
taken from
http://www.horwich.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=36
http://www.about-horwich.co.uk/horwich/Horwich_Parish_Church.html
http://holytrinityhorwich.com/default.aspx
an old door way
Old post office -1807
Horwich School
old cellars
bay window houses -club houses ?
old police station -now a vets
CC horwich bridge
Bridge Inn
Horwich Conservative Club 1887
entrance to Horwich Old station park
VR post Box
Gorton Cottage home of Formerly the home of the prominent industrialist and benefactor Andrew Peak (1810 to 1889)
taken from http://www.horwich.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=80
2 windows at the front and ….
four windows at the back!!
lamp posts
reminder of the past loco works
http://www.horwichstation.org.uk/history
http://www.horwichstation.org.uk/maps
kildonian house surgery building 1902
plague on a terrace set of house’s
http://www.about-horwich.co.uk/horwich/Cottage_Hospital.html
http://www.about-horwich.co.uk/horwich/Cottage_Hospital.html
old and new street signs !
gate posts on Chorley new Road …
On Chorley new road there are three old houses with advertisements did you see them ?
Jake of winter hill 
