Ruins

Anglezarke Moor contains many ruined farms, the remnants of which are slipping off the Ordnance Survey maps over the years as surely as the stones and timbers are fading on the landscapes.

This is undoubtedly the largest part of the site at present, and is constantly being updated.  Click the links to the right for detailed information on the ruins:

If you have anything to add regarding this section, please get in touch!

There are quite a few properties listed here now, I have several others in draft (whilst I gather sufficient information to make a page), but do also check other sites such as http://www.white-coppice.co.uk/ which are on the fringes of the area.

The farms are in ruins mainly because of an act of parliament in 1902.

The act of 1902 had a three-year window.

The act of 1902 had a three-year window.

The farms were all taken over by the Liverpool Corporation in the period 1902-1905, when they deemed it fit to destroy all properties within their water catchment area.

Richard Skelton has painstakingly compiled a list from all the available mapping sources:

Abbots, Alance, Albion Villa, Bradley’s, Brinks, Brown Hill Farm, Calico Hall, Cliff, Clump, Coppice Stile House, Coomb, Drinkwaters, Finch’s Land, Gills, Gir’ Nest, Great Hill Farm, Grimes, Grut, Heapey Moor Farm, Hempshaws (Higher and Lower), High Bullough, Higher Knoll, Hollinshead Hall, Jepson’s, Keck, The Lord’s Hall, Lyon’s Den, Moor Edge, Moses Cocker’s, Naylors, New Temple, Nightingale’s, Old Brooks, Old George’s, Old Isaac’s, Old Kate’s, Old Knowles, Old Lord’s, Old Rachel’s, Old Will’s, Pall Mill, Parson’s Bullough, Peewet Hall, Pendennis, Piccadilly, Pimms, Ratten Clough, Rough Lee, Siddow Fold (Gamekeeper’s Cottage), Simms, Scott Hall, Solomon’s Temple, Sour Mik Hall, Stone’s House, Stoops, Turner’s, White Hall, Wilcock’s, Wilkinson Bullough.

There are also unnamed ruins that were rubble even at the time of the earliest available maps.  These will be explored in more detail, also.

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Abbott’s

There is still information to be found on these old, long gone farmsteads, but it’s not easy to track down.  The dwelling of Abbott’s unsurprisingly had many links to the church.  Richard Abbott was one of four Puritan ministers of Rivington between the years of 1647 to 1662.  This is backed up by the local …

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Anderton’s

Anderton’s is one of three ruins that fell foul of the creation of Yarrow Reservoir.  These are the only one of the three that still has any ground evidence, as the shores of the reservoir finish just outside the grounds of the old farm. This farm is believed to have existed as far back as …

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Brook House

Brook House is situated by High Bullough Reservoir, which was also known as Chorley Reservoir. There is another Chorley Reservoir which is on the slopes of Healey Nab near the M61. I have read elsewhere that Brook House was destroyed during the creation of High Bullough Reservoir, but this was certainly not the case.   I …

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Brown Hill

Brown Hill Farm is a nice spot, but it is long, long gone as a farm.  There is evidently a reference to it in the earliest known grant of land in Rivington about the year 1250, at least mention is made of a William of Brownhill in a connection that laves little room for doubt …

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Fogg’s

The location is near to Peewet Hall, and was farmed by members of the Cocker (of the famous Moses Cocker and his flying machine) family in the 1700s.  There were 34 acres to the property at this time. In 1824, Thomas Pilkington lived here.  The Pilkington’s also lived at this time at the landmark farm …

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Hempshaw’s

Hempshaw’s is said to be a corruption of Helmshaw’s.  There are two ruins at Hempshaw’s – Higher and Lower.  There had been fine barns here, and at least one of the ruins may have been two structures joined into one.  There are said to be the remains of a small close planted with trees, which …

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Higher House

Higher House Farm was a big setup, complete with a barn, stables and shippons (cow barns).   Across the lane on the right and in the corner can be seen the ruins of a cattle pound and a sheep pen. From these a footpath goes south over a ford in the brook, across the slope of …

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Latham’s / Wilcock’s

On 20th October, 1860, the Bolton Chronicle reported the sale of farming stock, equipment and furniture at Latham’s Farm, Dean Head Lane, Rivington, by William Barlow.  Then in the July of 1862, the site was to be let by Ticket on July 12th.  The site consisted of 12 acres with House, Barn, Stable, Shippon (cattle …

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Lee House

The ruins of Lee House are located on the path of the Anglezarke Woodland Trail, near High Bullough Reservoir. The sale of the house, along with Brook House and Leicester Mill Quarry, took place on 14th September, 1868, at the Royal Oak Hotel, Chorley. This is great walking around here- the old quarries provide a …

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Margery’s Place

Margery’s Place ties together a few old names – it was known as Garnet’s, then Gernest Bullough, evolving to Gernest and Gir Nest, however, on the 1847 Ordnance Survey map it is known as Margery’s Place.  It was also at a point called Margery’s Mine, to describe the coal-mining activities that took place at this …

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Moses Cocker’s

The property is currently without tenant, and the building is understandably listed, as described at www.sevenspots.co.uk: Moses Cocker’ s Farmhouse – – II Farmhouse. Dated 1693 on lintel of door, transformed. Coursed sandstone rubble with quoins, slate roof with stone gable coping, one brick and one stone chimney. L-plan: 2-bay end-baffle-entry with rear wing, various …

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Old Brook’s

Old Brook’s stands alone on the moors without a track to it these days – which makes it all the better preserved.  The history of this property starts more recently than many others – I don’t know anything about the dwelling prior to 1835 when we know that cattle were kept here in the shippons. …

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Old Knowle Farm

Old Knowle Farm is one of those, like Higher House Farm, that many people will pass by without evening noticing it.  As it is so close to Sheephouse Lane, there is precious little left, but if you look hard enough there is enough evidence to chew on! The farm appeared to be quite a small …

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Old Rachel’s

This was a large farm, and is one of the more prominent and well-known ruins on the moors.  It’s name still features on maps today, even though there is precious little of the buildings remaining.  It was known also as Old Racket’s in the early days. It is thought that Old Rachel was regarded as …

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Parson’s Bullough

Parson’s Bullough ruins are near Lead Mines Clough, and are on the track that once led to the abandoned hamlet of Alance, now beneath the waters of Yarrow Reservoir. I’ve recently received a lot of information on this property, which I’ve incorporated below, but I do need to update this page to some semblance of …

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Peewet Hall

The ruins of Lees became known as Snapes, and later as Peewet Hall.  There was also a separate residence called Lee House. The original OS mapping shows a modest-sized property, certainly not a hall of the type you may expect.  However, aerial mapping appears to show a considerable expansion. In 1757, Peewet Hall, as Lees, …

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Simms

There is not much left of this old farm nowadays, but there is evidence of TWO farms here. This area once had an abundance of farms but even the ruins are disappearing as the stone is used for road building and other purposes. A friend remembers seeing Simms’s in the mid-90’s when there were still …

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Stones House

Stones House is closely associated with the quarries of the area, and is now the site of a car park near the Anglezarke viewpoint. The earliest known inhabitant was a Thomas Shaw in 1625.  The Shaws owned much land and property in the area, second only to the Pilkingtons, and their family trees often cross. …

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Stoops

The ruins of Stoops are evidence of one of the smaller dwellings of the moors.  The barn was an extension of the house, like Old Rachels and Wilkinson Bullough. The footpath that runs just West of here used to be a cart road – it is still used by wheeled vehicles, albeit only the farmer’s …

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Turners

Turners Farm was swallowed up by Yarrow Reservoir.  It only survives now in name, as the Southern end of the reservoir is known as Turner’s Embankment. Note the changing punctuation in the name.  Apostrophe use was even more inconsistent then than now! This area has a history of leather working.  A Tam Pit is a …

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Unfinished

There are quite a few ruins where I have some information, but not enough to yet warrant a dedicated page.  I’m constantly trawling through reference works, and intend to create full pages for these in due course – if there is sufficient information out there.  Anyway, these have been in “draft” status for a couple …

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Wilkinson Bullough

Wilkinson Bullough was one of the oldest farms on the moors. [osmap color=”red” gpx=”https://www.anglezarke.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/gpx-wil.gpx”] We know that Wilkinson Bullough was standing at least as early as the year 1626, along with the other ancient homes of Jepson’s, Higher Bullough (Manor House) and Stones House.  The property was at this time written into the will of …

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