Winter Hill is a hill in Lancashire, England. It is located on Rivington Moor between Chorley and Bolton and is 456 metres (1,496 ft) high. Part of the West Pennine Moors, it is a popular walking area, and has been the setting for UFO sightings, mining activity, aeroplane disasters and murders.
Its prominent position made it the ideal site for the Winter Hill TV Mast, transmitting to a large part of North West England. There also a number of other telecommunicationmasts and towers around the summit and side of the hill for mobile phones, PMR users and emergency services.
Paths to the summit lead from Belmont, Horwich, Rivington and Bolton. The hill is a distinctive feature on the skyline for most of south Lancashire, being the highest point west of the Pennines in Lancashire, and further due to its unusual shape.
In clear weather conditions, it offers views over Greater Manchester, including Manchester city centre, the Civic Centre in Oldham, Salford, Werneth Low and nearby Bolton. It also offers views of Blackpool Tower, Snaefell in the Isle of Man, the Cumbrian mountains, Snowdonia in North Wales, Liverpool, Southport, the Irish Sea, Peak District, the Pennines and much of the North West of England.
The nearby Rivington area is home to the gardens of the late Lord Leverhulme. These included a large bungalow now demolished and Chinese gardens which still remain today.
There is a Bronze Age round cairn dating from 1600-1400 BC on the hill.
A flint arrow head has also been found in the area.[citation needed]
Plane crashes
On February 27, 1958, a Silver CityBristol 170 Freighter (G-AICS) travelling from the Isle of Man to Manchester crashed into Winter Hill several hundred yards away from the transmitter.
Thirty-five people died and seven were injured.
[2]. The weather that night was so severe that none of the engineers working in the ITA transmitting station were aware of the crash.
[3] Several feet of snow hampered rescue efforts, and a snow cat vehicle had to be diverted from the A6 to cut a path for emergency vehicles though the track had been cleared by people using spades by the time it arrived.
There have been several other aircraft crashes around Winter Hill.
A two seater aircraft crashed there in the 1920s. During World War II an American Fairchild UC-61 Forwarder (41-54885) of 5th Air Depot Group crashed on 7 August1942.
In the following year, on 16 November1943, the crew of a Wellington Bomber (Z8799) from 28 Operational Training Unit, flying from Blackpool to Manchester, were killed when it crashed just to the North of Winter Hill, on Hurst Hill, Anglezarke Moor.
The following month, 24 December1943, an Airspeed Oxford (BM837) of 410 Squadron crashed on the hill.
Other crashes have included several Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Gloster Meteor which crashed in 1953.
In September 1965 a RAFDe Havilland Chipmunk flew into the hill in cloud, without serious injury to the crew.
The last crash occurred in October 1968 when a Cessna 172 force-landed between Winter Hill and Rivington Pike.
Scotsman's Stump
On 9 November1838 George Henderson, a Scottish merchant walking over the hill from Bolton to Blackburn, was murdered by gunshot. James Whittle, a 22-year-old collier from Belmont, was brought to court and found guilty of murder. However, he was found not guilty at a second trial in Lancaster. There is a metal post with plaque on the hill in memory of the victim, replacing an earlier wooden post erected in 1912. This is known as Scotsman's Stump.
Two Lads
It is also believed that on the 'Two Lads' a hill opposite Winter Hill two young men walking from Chorley to Rochdale went mysteriously missing from the site during a winter storm in the early 20th century. Two memorial cairns are built on the site in the memory of the men. Another theory is that this was the burial site of a powerful Saxon king with a burial mound and bodies found at the site.
The song by A Certain Ratio
The song "Winter Hill", appearing on A Certain Ratio's 1981 album
"To Each...", consists of excessive drumming, occasional whistling and a low pitched drone which alternates between two notes a whole tone apart for the entire length of the song. A visit to Winter Hill in 1988 found a piece of electronic equipment on the top which made a high-pitched drone which also alternated between two notes a whole tone apart.
Since A Certain Ratio came from the nearby city of Manchester, the sound of the electrical equipment on the hill was presumably the inspiration for the song.
THE WINTER HILL AEROPLANE CRASH
ARRANGEMENTS have been made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Winter Hill Disaster - the Isle of Man's worst aircraft disaster.
Events took place on Wednesday, February 27 th 2008- exactly 50 years to the day since the plane crash at Winter Hill in Lancashire which claimed the lives of 35 Manx residents
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Bolton's spectacular Reebok Stadium opened in 1997, and is one of the most impressive football stadiums in the UK. As well as being the home to Bolton Wanderers, there's lots more going on in and around the Reebok Stadium.
Check out the interactive museum and tour centre on-site, crammed with Bolton memories of celebrity Bolton football stars of the past. Bolton Wanderers football team officially took the name in 1877, and in 1882/83 they entered the FA cup.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club
Bolton Wanderers football team officially took the name in 1877, and in 1882/83 they entered the FA cup. The Wanderers really began to take off in 1885/86 when they won the Bolton and the Derbyshire Charity cup. In 1888 Bolton Wanderers were one of the first 12, which included other Lancashire teams like Accrington, Burnley and Preston North End, to form the historic football league.
The Reebok Stadium Museum then explores the history of Bolton Wanderers notable place in the context of football history, and alongside the National Football Museum in Preston is a must visit for football history fans. Check out more details of Bolton Wanderers football history on the Reebok Stadium weblink to the right, as well as details on their classic 'Hall of Fame' which looks at big name Bolton Wanderers players and managers of old like Nat Lofthouse, Bryan Edwards and Joe Smith.
'We're the one and only Wand'rers', so sing the Bolton fans. Treat yourself to the Bolton Wanderers tour of the ground which includes not just a visit to the players' dressing and warm-up rooms, but also a look in at the officials' changing rooms, the managers' dug-out and the media interview room.
The Bolton Reebok Stadium tour is very reasonably priced with adult admission 2.50, concessions 1.50, and families of 2 adults and 2 children 6.00. The Reebok Stadium Museum and Tour is open from Monday-Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm, Saturday 9.00am - 4.00pm, and Sunday 11.00am - 4.00pm, and you'll need to give about 2 hours to cover everything.
Bolton Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium, Burnden Way, Middlebrook Leisure & Retail Park, Bolton BL6 6JW. Tel: 01204 673670. Getting to Bolton Reebok Stadium is simple, with ease of access from motorways. From The South, M6 to Junction 21a, take eastbound M62 leaving at Junction 12. Follow signs for M61 (Bolton/Preston) and leave the M61 motorway at Junction 6. You'll see the stadium clearly from the junction, just follow the signs, clearly marked.
From The North, M6 to Junction 29 and take the M65 towards Blackburn. Leave the M65 at junction two and join the M61 towards Manchester. Leave the M61 at junction six. The ground is visible from this junction and is clearly sign posted.
There are alternatives for parking. Many surrounding industrial estate units offer cheaper parking so watch out for them. Also Horwich Parkway railway station serves the Reebok Stadium well, with regular trains from Bolton's main station. Horwich Parkway is only a few minutes walk from the stadium. It's well worth consider travelling to Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok by train!
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is generally regarded as one of Thomas Telford's greatest civil engineering achievements. Its construction was revolutionary at the time for, apart from its dramatic size and setting, Telford, rejecting all precedents, designed a cast iron trough 3.25 meters wide and 307 meters long laid along the top of 18 stone piers to carry the waterway 37 meters above the River Dee. The first stone was laid in July 1795 and construction took ten years at a total cost of £47,018.
The Pontcysllte Aqueduct is one of the main tourist attractions within Wrexham County Borough. It can be accessed from either end - at Trefor (signed off the A539) or at Froncysyllte (signed off the A5(T)). Car parking is available at both ends of the Aqueduct. It is an amazing experience to walk across the Aqueduct as it towers 37 meters above the River Dee and to take in the panoramic views of the whole area. However, you need a head for heights! The international importance of the Aqueduct is reflected in its inclusion on the tentative list of future nominations for UNESCO World Heritage Site designation.
For the adventurous, it is possible to hire a canal boat both at Chirk Marina (Tel: 01691 774558) or at Trefor Basin (Tel:Anglo Welsh on 01978 821749 or Ribbon Plate on 01978 823215) and cross the Aqueduct by boat, alternatively there are canal boat trips available for those who want to sit and take it all in.
Everyone should experience a trip over Thomas Telford and William Jessop's awe-inspiring aqueduct, by boat or on foot. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument; a candidate for World Heritage Status; and a Grade I Listed structure.
The aqueduct, taking the Llangollen Canal over the beautiful River Dee valley, is 1000 feet long and 125 feet high. Such distances had never before been conquered, until Telford's audacious decision to build it by laying an iron water-carrying trough on stone piers. To this day, the joints are effectively sealed using a mixture of flannel and lead dipped in liquid sugar.
For those crossing in a narrowboat, the effect is that of being suspended in mid-air. The thin iron trough, which extends to only about a foot above the water level is unprotected on one side - so looking out of one side of the boat, there is literally nothing there. Children should stay inside the craft during the crossing. Two-hour trips by canal (01978 860702) over the aqueduct are available at Llangollen Wharf, just four miles away. For more details, call the local Tourist Information Centre on 01978 860828.
You can also walk across the aqueduct, and the towpath is mercifully protected by a set of railings.
Staying near Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
You can, of course, hire a boat from one of the numerous hire-bases on the Llangollen Canal to cruise over Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. Find boats available for hire through Waterscape.com.
Aqueduct facts and figures
The cast iron trough which holds the canal water is 11ft wide, 5ft 3ins deep and 1,007ft long at its highest point.
There are 19 arches, each with a 45ft span and piers 116ft high.
To keep the aqueduct as light as possible, the slender masonry piers are partly hollow and taper at their summit.
The mortar was made of oxen blood, lime and water.
The aqueduct holds 1.5 million litres of water and takes two hours to drain.
And for the non-Welsh speaker, Pontcysyllte is pronounced 'pont-kersulty' - you may need to practise the famous Welsh 'll' sound!
