Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes , characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally means uncultivated hill land (such as Dartmoor in South West England ), but also includes low-lying wetlands (such as Sedgemoor , also South West England). It is closely related to heath , although experts disagree on what precisely distinguishes these types of vegetation. Generally, moor refers to highland and high rainfall zones, whereas heath refers to lowland zones which are more likely to be the result of human activity.
80-728: The South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines . In the west it includes the Rossendale Valley and the West Pennine Moors . It is bounded by the Greater Manchester conurbation in the west and the Bowland Fells and Yorkshire Dales to the north. To the east it is fringed by the towns of West Yorkshire whilst to
160-487: A conventicle , meeting of nonconformists , was reported at Horwich and the ringleaders were prosecuted. In 1672 a nonconformist service was held at Old Lord's Farm, the home of the puritan Major Thomas Willoughby , a soldier of the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell , who later become 11th Baron Willoughby of Parham . In 1716 Bishop Gastrell of Chester recovered the chapel for the established church. The chapel
240-668: A 'bridge point settlement' on the River Douglas at what is now Scholes Bank. By the Middle Ages Horwich was a hunting chase , after the Norman Conquest held by Albert de Gresle between 1086 and 1100. In 1277 Robert Gresle, Baron of Manchester prosecuted Martin de Rumworth for carrying off deer in Horwich Chase which was described in 1322 as being within "a circuit of sixteen leagues with
320-425: A school was submitted to Bolton Council in early 2010. The initial phase of the development commenced in 2019. Asbestos used to insulate steam engines and railway carriages linked to mesothelioma has been a legacy affecting former workers and their families with asbestos dust also being carried in clothing. The redevelopment of the site required it to be cleared of contaminants before building commenced. With
400-472: A sensitivity to nature and one's physical surroundings grew with the rise of interest in landscape painting , and particularly the works of artists that favoured wide and deep prospects, and rugged scenery. To the English Romantic imagination, moorlands fitted this image perfectly, enhancing the emotional impact of the story by placing it within a heightened and evocative landscape. Moorland forms
480-405: A south westerly direction forms part of its northern boundary. The landscape to the north is dominated by Winter Hill , Rivington Pike and the West Pennine Moors . The highest point is 1,475 feet (450 m) on the moors in the north from where the ground slopes down towards the south and west, where the lowest land is about 350 feet (110 m). On Wilders and Horwich Moors the underlying rock
560-401: A total of 9,013 households, of which were 1,979 detached houses , 2,642 semi-detached houses , 3,254 terraced houses , 971 purpose-built flats , 160 other flats (including bedsits ), and 7 caravans (or other mobile or temporary structure). Until the late 18th century, Horwich was a small rural community. In 1774, it had a population of 305, comprising 156 females and 149 males. After 1780
640-402: A yearly value in pannage , aeries of eagles, herons and goshawks, in honey, millstones, and iron mines, in charcoal-burning, and the like issues, 60 shillings; of which the vesture in oaks, elms and wholly covered with such, 160 marks ." In 1294 Thomas Gresle, sixth Baron of Manchester obtained free warren over "Horewich". The local enforcement of Forest Law was through a Bailiff who served
720-673: Is Millstone Grit , and in the intermediate slopes are found the Lower Coal Measures of the Lancashire Coalfield . The Middle Coal Measures are found in the southwest of the township. Red Moss , 1.5 km south of the town centre, is a 47.2 hectares (117 acres) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) which was designated in 1995 because of its biological interest. Red Moss is the best example of lowland raised mire in Greater Manchester and
800-452: Is overgrazed , woody vegetation is often lost, being replaced by coarse, unpalatable grasses and bracken , with a greatly reduced fauna. Some hill sheep breeds, such as Scottish Blackface and the Lonk , thrive on the austere conditions of heather moors. Burning of moorland has been practised for a number of reasons, for example, when grazing is insufficient to control growth. This
880-465: Is a post office and library in the town centre. Public transport is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester . The nearest railway stations are at Blackrod and Horwich Parkway adjacent to the University of Bolton Stadium where there is a Park and Ride facility with trains to Bolton, Manchester and Preston. Blackrod station is nearer the town centre. The original Horwich railway station
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#1732765313026960-417: Is based on Chorley New Road. There are Tesco and Asda stores on the outskirts of town and Aldi and Iceland stores closer to the town centre. The Horwich indoor market building was closed and demolished in 2009, but the traditional town centre has many small, specialist shops and businesses, including a greengrocers, butchers, florist and gift shops. Free parking is available across the town and there
1040-626: Is centered around the Middlebrook area, this is planned to expand with new industrial areas being built toward Blackrod . Horwich was within the county boundaries of Lancashire from the 12th century and was a township in the historic ecclesiastical parish of Deane , in the Hundred of Salford . In 1837 Horwich joined with other townships and civil parishes to form the Bolton Poor Law Union and took joint responsibility for
1120-556: Is dated 1620 and is known as 'The Platt of Horwich', naming the landowner as Sir Thomas Barton, of the Barton family of Holme Hall in the manor of Holme Newark and Smithills Hall , Bolton. A plague pit is noted on the map, with victims of a 1623 outbreak, interred in a mass grave under what is now Lever Park Avenue. By the 17th century, the amount of woodland in the Horwich forest was reduced by house building and for fuel. Horwich Moor
1200-893: Is home to an estimated 10–15% of the world's moors. Notable areas of upland moorland in Britain include the Lake District , the Pennines (including the Dark Peak and Forest of Bowland ), Mid Wales , the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the Scottish Highlands , and a few pockets in the West Country . Moorlands are called páramos in Spanish. They are particularly common in Northern Spain and
1280-410: Is important for the material to be removed to avoid smothering regrowth. If heather and other vegetation are left for too long, a large volume of dry and combustible material builds up. This may result in a wildfire burning out a large area, although it has been found that heather seeds germinate better if subject to the brief heat of controlled burning. In terms of managing moorlands for wildlife, in
1360-594: Is one of 21 SSSIs in the area . The site is managed by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside . At the 2001 UK census, Horwich had a population of 19,312 of which 9,370 were male and 9,942 were female. The 2001 population density is lower than Bolton at 12.5 people per hectare compared to 18.7 in Bolton. At the 2011 UK census, Horwich's population increased to 20,067 of which 9,777 were male and 10,290 were female. The 2011 census recorded
1440-496: Is recorded in Britain in the fourteenth century. Uncontrolled burning frequently caused (and causes) problems and was forbidden by statute in 1609. With the rise of sheep and grouse management in the nineteenth century, it again became common practice. Heather is burnt at about 10 or 12 years old when it will regenerate easily. Left longer, the woodier stems will burn more aggressively and will hinder regrowth. Burning of moorland vegetation needs to be very carefully controlled, as
1520-460: Is the old Horwich Parish School which was built as a National , Infant and Sunday School in 1793 and now used as a parish hall and is a Listed building . Horwich Parish Church of England Primary School occupies the listed premises built in 1832. Our Lady's school was built in 1886 on Chorley New Road and Holy Family Primary School on Victoria Road in 1894. Holy Family was the first Lancashire County Council school to be granted aided status under
1600-756: The Battle of Preston . They were leased to the Blundells whose coat of arms is displayed above the door at the Blundell Arms on Chorley Old Road. The Pilkington family were notable in the town's history, prior to the Ridgways. The town coat of arms incorporates the Pilkington Cross, in recognition of the founder of the Rivington and Blackrod High School , James Pilkington, Bishop of Durham and
1680-698: The Education Act 1944 . The schools merged on the Victoria Road site as St. Mary's RC Primary School. Prior to the reformation a chapel of ease existed dedicated to St Mary's Church in Deane . In 1565 the commissioners for "removing superstitious ornaments" took various items that were deemed idolatrous from the chapel. The local population were forced by various means to conform to the Church of England and as with all other towns and villages across
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#17327653130261760-500: The Industrial Revolution . Coming with this increased population was a need for more houses, schools, and retail and service industries to provide for this new population. Large areas of former farmland was built on with the creation of vast numbers of brick terraced house streets of Victorian and Edwardian types of two-up two-down for the working class who had arrived from across Britain and Ireland, still used in
1840-668: The London and North Western Railway in 1922 becoming a constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway , (LMS) in 1923. Horwich Works continued to build and repair locomotives for the LMS until the company was nationalised in 1948 by the Transport Act 1947 , becoming British Railways . In 1962, British Railways transferred control of its main works to British Railways Workshops Division, with its headquarters in Derby . In 1970 it
1920-598: The Lord of the Manor and it was he who decided punishments. Trespassers in the forest were brought before the Manorial Court Leet . The decline of Horwich forest is connected to the dissolution when Henry VIII seized all the church lands and then sold them. By the 16th century, subsequent to the reformation land ownership had shifted from Church to the crown and was then sold to new owners, who transformed
2000-582: The Meseta Central . Two similar habitats, although more arid, found in western North America: Colombia is one of only three countries in the world to be home to páramo (tropical moorland) and more than 60% of the paramo regions are found on its soil. Horwich Horwich ( / ˈ h ɒr ɪ tʃ / HORR -itch ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton , Greater Manchester , England, within
2080-555: The Middle Ages as a hunting chase . Streams flowing from the moors were harnessed to provide power for bleachworks and other industry at the start of the Industrial Revolution . The textile industry became a major employer and after 1884 the construction of the railway works caused the population of the town to increase dramatically. The old industries have closed and urban regeneration has been led by out of town developments, particularly at Middlebrook , which, since 1997 has been
2160-729: The Rochdale Canal between Greater Manchester and Lancashire in the west and West Yorkshire to the east. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the Manchester to Huddersfield railway pass through the Standedge Tunnels and the A62 road crosses the moorland at Standedge . The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through Bingley and Keighley en route to Skipton. Natural England describes the South Pennine moorlands as
2240-565: The Watershed Landscape where the area's high rainfall fills a multitude of reservoirs. The South Pennines and its fringe has a population of more than a million people. Woodland covers about 4% of the terrain mostly on steep valley sides. The South Pennines provide evidence of Mesolithic , the late Bronze Age and Iron Age findings. The Romans built roads and built forts in Ilkley and at Castleshaw . They also dug coal which
2320-567: The de Havilland Aircraft Company built a factory that supplied aircraft to Cobham's Flying Circus . During World War II the factory manufactured variable pitch propellers for Spitfires , making it a target for German bombers, who in July 1942 attempted to raid the factory by employing some of Germany's best pilots and crews in two Junkers JU 88 bombers in a mission using the Rivington reservoirs as landmarks to navigate at low level flying over
2400-549: The 18th century, water powered mills were vital for industrial expansion of the textile industry, initially for spinning cotton, but subsequently for woollens and worsteds. Walking, mountain-biking and horseriding are common pastimes enjoyed in the area. Numerous walking trails have been established including, amongst many others, the Calderdale Way and the Bronte Way . The long-established Pennine Way passes through
2480-412: The 21st century. Many new streets near Horwich Locomotive Works were named after famous engineers of the time. Local government in Horwich meets and is administered from a typical Victorian-style building which became known as Horwich Public Hall, a gift to the town by Peter Martin of The Street, Rivington in 1879 and still in use. The post-war years saw a boom in the builds of Council Houses. In 1937
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2560-936: The Metropolitan Borough Council. Horwich Town Council , formed in 1974, has eight Wards; Vale, Bridge, Lever Park, Church, Claypool, Brazley, Central and Fall Birch which elect 14 representatives to the Town Council. Horwich is part of the Bolton West Constituency. Its Member of Parliament is Phil Brickell from the Labour Party who first won the parliamentary seat at the 2024 General Election . Suburban localities in Horwich include Wallsuches and Middlebrook . Horwich extends to 3,230 acres (13.1 km ) and measures 3 miles (4.8 km) from north to south and 2 miles (3.2 km) west to east. The River Douglas flowing in
2640-595: The Middlebrook and Blackrod areas in Horwich also runs in the evenings. Horwich is situated close to the motorway network with access at junction 6 of the M61 motorway . The A673 Bolton to Preston road passes through the town which is accessed by the B6226 and B5238. Manchester Airport is 50 minutes by direct train from Horwich Parkway railway station . Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada . Television signals are received from
2720-485: The Mountain coal seam . Crankshaws pipeworks used the fireclay and had had several beehive kilns at their works at Tiger's Clough. In the mid-19th century, cotton mills were built by W. & W. Bennett and Peter Gaskell. Ridgways provided land for the early 19th century Club Houses, a grid pattern development of streets of stone built cottages south of Church Street. Some had basements for hand loom weaving. In 1851
2800-583: The Railway Mechanics Institute in 1888. It became the Technical College but has been demolished. Horwich secondary school students years attend either Rivington and Blackrod High School , a Specialist Technology College which was originally the Rivington & Blackrod Grammar School on a site in Rivington close to the boundary with Horwich, or St Joseph's RC High School on Chorley New Road. The oldest school building
2880-637: The South Pennines includes Rombalds Moor , Rishworth Moor, Haworth Moor, Turton Moor and Castleshaw Moor. The highest point of the M62 motorway , the highest motorway in England, is at 1,221 feet (372 m) on Windy Hill near Junction 22. The rivers Aire , Calder and Colne drain the area to the east and the Roch and Irwell to the west. The Calder Valley provides a low-level route for road, railway and
2960-837: The South Pennines mostly cover the Pennine area between the Yorkshire Dales, Bowlands Fells and Peak District. It is separated from the Yorkshire Dales to the north by the Aire Gap , the Bowland Fells to the north west by the Ribble Valley and the Peak District to the south by the Tame Valley , Standedge and Holme Valley . The West Lancashire Coastal Plain and Greater Manchester conurbation are both to
3040-462: The UK, vegetation characteristics are important for passerine abundance, whilst predator control benefits red grouse, golden plover, and curlew abundances. To benefit multiple species, many management options are required. However, management needs to be carried out in locations that are also suitable for species in terms of physical characteristics such as topography, climate and soil. The development of
3120-649: The administration and funding of the Poor Law in that area and built a workhouse in Farnworth . The Horwich Local board of health was established in 1872 and was superseded by Horwich Urban District of the administrative county of Lancashire in 1894. Under the Local Government Act 1972 Horwich Urban District was abolished in 1974 and its area became a successor parish of the newly created Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester and
3200-574: The area. The South Pennines Walk & Ride Festival which takes place annually in September is a two-week celebration of the area's landscape . Typical events include guided walks, mountain bike rides, horse rides, orienteering events and evening talks by noted speakers. 53°37′16″N 1°44′28″W / 53.621°N 1.741°W / 53.621; -1.741 Moorland Moorland habitats mostly occur in tropical Africa , northern and western Europe , and South America . Most of
3280-491: The associated fauna consists of bird species such as red grouse , hen harrier , merlin , golden plover , curlew , skylark , meadow pipit , whinchat , ring ouzel , and twite . Other species dominate in moorlands elsewhere. Reptiles are few due to the cooler conditions. In Europe, only the common viper is frequent, though in other regions moorlands are commonly home to dozens of reptile species. Amphibians such as frogs are well represented in moorlands. When moorland
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3360-559: The base of Bolton Wanderers football club, who play at the University of Bolton Stadium , having moved from Burnden Park near Bolton town centre. The name Horwich derives from the Old English har and wice , meaning the place at the grey wych-elm and in 1221 was recorded as Horewic . The name was recorded as Harewych in 1277 and Horewyche in 1327. Ancient records are of Horwich Forest being overrun with wolves in
3440-517: The closure of Horwich Locomotive Works and other heavy industries, the town went through a period of hardship until the development of the Middlebrook Retail Park and the arrival in the town of Bolton Wanderers Football Club , which revived the service and retail sectors, alongside this the town is now known for sub-urban residential accommodation with the benefit of access to the motorway and other transport links. The economic area
3520-528: The country Catholicism was suppressed and it was not until 1886 when Father Hampson opened St Mary's Roman Catholic Church on Chorley New Road that the local Catholic population had a formal place of worship. The presbytery there was built by Father McGrath in 1906. After the English Civil War , with the contrivance of the vicar of Deane, the Chapel of Horwich was used by nonconformists and in 1669
3600-510: The deforestation was caused by climatic changes and how much by human activity is uncertain. A variety of distinct habitat types are found in different world regions of moorland. The wildlife and vegetation forms often lead to high endemism because of the severe soil and microclimate characteristics. An example of this is the Exmoor Pony , a rare horse breed which has adapted to the harsh conditions in England's Exmoor . In Europe,
3680-557: The end Carboniferous Coal Measures which in this region are all assigned to the Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation . It comprises mudstones, siltstones and sandstones and of course coal seams. Coal Measures rocks occur along the eastern and western margins of the region, on either side of the ‘Pennine Anticline’, and across much of the West Pennines. Although precise definitions vary,
3760-421: The end of the year. Protest marches and spirited trade union resistance failed to alter the decision and at 1 pm on Friday, 23 December 1983 Horwich Works closed after 97 years. The town went through a period of high unemployment afterward, The freehold of the railway works site was transferred from British Rail to Bolton Council in the mid-1990s. A proposal to demolish the works and build 1,700 homes and
3840-631: The firm installed a Boulton and Watt steam engine. Horwich Vale Printworks, founded in 1799 by the River Douglas, printed cloth using machines and handblocks. On the slopes of Winter Hill , stone was quarried and there were several small collieries and a firebrick and tile works. In 1896 the Montcliffe Colliery was owned by Adam Mason and Son and managed by Joseph Crankshaw and Joseph Kenwright. It employed 26 men underground and seven surface workers getting coal and fireclay from
3920-619: The first locomotives arrived at the works for repair. The first Horwich built locomotive, Number 1008, left the works in 1887 and is preserved at the National Railway Museum . In the First and Second World War, the works played a part in the war effort manufacturing tanks and munitions . The war led to women being employed in manufacturing at the site, but this did not continue in post-war years with occupational inequality persisting. The L&YR amalgamated with
4000-412: The founders of Pilkington Glass , his sons being Richard (1795–1869) and William (1800–1872). In the 1770s brothers, John and Joseph Ridgway, land agents to the Blundells, moved their bleach works from Bolton to Wallsuches . Their works was the oldest and one of the few stone-built mills in the Bolton borough. The firm was one of the earliest users of chemical bleaching using chlorine . In 1798
4080-400: The historic county boundaries of Lancashire . It is 5.3 miles (8.5 km) southeast of Chorley , 5.8 miles (9.3 km) northwest of Bolton and 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Manchester . It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway passing close to the south and west. At the 2011 Census , Horwich had a population of 20,067. Horwich emerged in
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#17327653130264160-421: The moors store carbon while high rainfall fills many reservoirs supplying water to the adjacent conurbations. The area is important for recreation having open access areas, footpaths and historic packhorse routes. The area is almost wholly formed from multiple layers of sedimentary rock dating from the Carboniferous period. The oldest of these are the limestones and associated mudstones which outcrop in
4240-414: The most extensive areas of semi-natural vegetation in the British Isles . The eastern British moorlands are similar to heaths but are differentiated by having a covering of peat . On western moors, the peat layer may be several metres thick. Scottish "muirs" are generally heather moors, but also have extensive covering of grass , cotton-grass , mosses , bracken and under-shrubs such as crowberry , with
4320-573: The nearby Winter Hill TV transmitter situated north east of the town. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Manchester , Heart North West , Smooth North West , Greatest Hits Radio Bolton & Bury , XS Manchester , Capital Manchester and Lancashire and Bolton FM , a community-based radio station which broadcast from its studios in Bolton . Horwich Advertiser is the local newspaper including other regional newspapers, The Bolton News , Manchester Evening News and North West Enquirer . The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company built
4400-417: The northernmost part of the region, though which are thought to underlie the entire area at depth. These are assigned to the Craven Group . Overlying these and occurring widely across the region are the mudstones and sandstones of the Millstone Grit Group . Many of the sandstones, particularly the coarser-grained ones are commonly referred to as gritstones or ‘grits’. The Millstone Grit is in turn overlain by
4480-432: The occupants were crofters, stovers and bleachers. In 1881 the population of 3,761 lived in 900 houses and had remained stable for fifty years, the arrival of the railway works and other industries including W.T. Taylor's cotton mill resulted in a considerable change to Horwich leading to a rapid increase in population, creating a boom in population by 1891 to 12,850 people, Horwich became a railway town in this period of
4560-459: The old industries and the area is now dominated by small and medium enterprises . E.ON and RBS have set up offices close the University of Bolton stadium. Watson Steel Structures founded in 1933 and BAe's successor company, Matra BAe Dynamics operates from the Middlebrook area. Georgia Pacific has a paper manufacturing plant close to the University of Bolton Stadium. Halbro , manufacturers of sportswear and equipment for both codes of rugby,
4640-407: The peat itself can catch fire, and this can be difficult if not impossible to extinguish. In addition, uncontrolled burning of heather can promote alternative bracken and rough grass growth, which ultimately produces poorer grazing. As a result, burning is now a controversial practice; Rackham calls it "second-best land management". Mechanical cutting of the heather has been used in Europe, but it
4720-612: The population increased as the Industrial Revolution brought changes to the town but remained constant until 1885 when the locomotive works were built more than trebling the population in ten years. Many of Horwich's traditional industries, Horwich Works and W.T. Taylor's cotton mill closed in the late 20th century. Regeneration was led by the construction of the Toughsheet Community Stadium for Bolton Wanderers at Middebrook in 1995. The development which stretches into neighbouring Lostock , attracted industrial and commercial users including Hitachi , generating jobs to replace those lost in
4800-425: The prominent role in the local history of the family. Richard Pilkington, a leading non-conformist and owner of Horwich Manor, and his family feature in the town's history from the post Protectorate to the industrial revolution being benefactors and founders of a number of places of worship. Another William Pilkington (1765–1831) became a physician and apothecary in St Helens. It is this branch that links Horwich to
4880-487: The setting of various works of late Romantic English literature, ranging from the Yorkshire moorland in Emily Brontë 's Wuthering Heights and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett to Dartmoor in Arthur Conan Doyle 's Holmesian mystery The Hound of the Baskervilles . They are also featured in Charlotte Bronte 's Jane Eyre representing the heroine's desolation and loneliness after leaving Mr Rochester . Enid Blyton 's Famous Five series featured
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#17327653130264960-481: The site replaced one at Miles Platting . Horwich Works was built on 142 hectares of land bought for £36,000. The first workshop, Rivington House opened in February 1887. It is 106.7 metres long by 16.8 metres wide. The long brick built workshops had full-height arched windows and were separated by tram and rail tracks. Work to construct the three-bay, 463.3 metres long, 36 metres wide, erecting shop began in March 1885. Inside it were 20 overhead cranes. By November 1886
5040-496: The south it is bounded by the Peak District . The rural South Pennine Moors constitutes both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation . The Southern Pennines National Character Area defined by Natural England includes the West Pennine Moors and is a landscape of broad moorland, flat-topped hills and fields enclosed by dry stone walls. Settlements built from local gritstone occupy river valleys with wooded sides. Peat soils and blanket bog on
5120-403: The time of Ecgfrid, ruler of Northumbria until 685, 'Smithills walled round to keep them at bay'. Around this time early Saxon Kings used the forest for the chase, while staying at the ancient Smithells Hall , records exist of Ælla_of_Northumbria making use of the forests for hunting. Ecgberht (Egbert) is a notably visitor associated with the area in this early period. Horwich developed from
5200-415: The town into an agricultural economy, and forests were cleared. Many of the farms from the period still existed until the housing boom of the 19th and 20th centuries, like many Lancashire towns the cotton industry was prominent as at least a secondary occupation in many households, weaving became a widespread occupation, and industries like bleaching, dying and paper making grew from the use of water power with
5280-430: The towns preindustrial plentiful access to flowing water. The town continued this path until the arrival of the railway workshops in the 19th century. In 1598 a number of men were presented at the court leet for tithing and in 1621 the court leet recorded "paid for hue and crye that came from Horwich after the man who made an escape forth of ye stocks for stealing certain lynen cloth 8 d ". The earliest map of Horwich
5360-473: The true story of some of England's most infamous witch trials. In Erin Hunter 's Warriors series, one of the four Clans, WindClan, lives in the moorland alone. Michael Jecks , author of Knights Templar Mysteries, sets his books in and around Dartmoor , England. Paul Kingsnorth ’s Beast is also set on a western English moor, using the barren landscape and fields of heather to communicate themes of timelessness and distance from civilization. Great Britain
5440-400: The water then rooftops of Lever Park to find its target. The raid went off course due to low clouds. The company was taken over by Hawker Siddeley and subsequently British Aerospace , the site was halved and moved to the south side of Hall lane Lostock when taken over by MBDA in 1997 it is still in 2013 making missiles and the site is now used for integration and test purposes. Horwich works
5520-564: The west while the West Yorkshire conurbation is to the east. Settlements within the South Pennines include Addingham , Ilkley and Otley in the north, as well as Bingley , Keighley , Haworth and Oxenhope . Halifax , Sowerby Bridge , Hebden Bridge and Todmorden are in the Calder Valley . These also include Marsden , Slaithwaite and Meltham in the south-east, Darwen , Haslingden and Rawtenstall in Lancashire , and Greenfield , Horwich , Ramsbottom , Oldham , Rochdale and Littleborough in Greater Manchester . Moorland in
5600-407: The wetter moorland having sphagnum moss merging into bog-land . There is uncertainty about how many moors were created by human activity. Oliver Rackham writes that pollen analysis shows that some moorland, such as in the islands and extreme north of Scotland, are clearly natural, never having had trees, whereas much of the Pennine moorland area was forested in Mesolithic times. How much
5680-410: The world's moorlands are diverse ecosystems . In the extensive moorlands of the tropics, biodiversity can be extremely high. Moorland also bears a relationship to tundra (where the subsoil is permafrost or permanently frozen soil), appearing as the tundra and the natural tree zone. The boundary between tundra and moorland constantly shifts with climatic change . Heathland and moorland are
5760-509: The young protagonists adventuring across various moorlands where they confronted criminals or other individuals of interest. Such a setting enhanced the plot as the drama unfolded away from the functioning world where the children could solve their own problems and face greater danger. Moorland in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire is the setting for Walter Bennett's The Pendle Witches ,
5840-761: Was closed in the Beeching cuts to passenger traffic on 27 September 1965, goods traffic continued until 1966, the line was fully closed in 1967. Frequent buses operate between Horwich and Bolton. The 575 is operated by Arriva North West , with Arriva services terminating in Wigan . Stagecoach Lancashire provide service 125 between Preston and Bolton via Chorley and Adlington . Bus links to Middlebrook Retail Park are provided by Diamond Bus North West services 516 (Evening and Sunday services only), 517 and 518 which all between Horwich and Leigh via Westhoughton and Atherton. Service 576, which operates from Bolton to Wigan via
5920-607: Was converted into a flats. It was originally built in 1856 on the site of an earlier build known as Horwich Lee Chapel built in 1774 on the site of an earlier house, also owned by Thomas Willoughby and was used for meetings from 1682 by Presbyterian members splitting away from the Rivington Unitarian Chapel as its doctrine changed. The Independent Methodist chapel in Lee Lane was built in 1867, Methodism had been practised from 1810. Primitive Methodists had
6000-510: Was enclosed between 1815 and 1818. Race meetings were held between 1837 and 1847 at the 'Old Lords estate', an area next to the Rivington border, named after 11th Baron Willoughby . Four Barons Willoughby of Parham are interred at Horwich Parish Church. The manor became the property of the Andertons of Lostock Hall, Lostock , who purchased it in 1599 from Nicholas and Elizabeth Mosley. These lands were confiscated by The Crown in 1715 after
6080-405: Was further exploited especially during the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Steep-sided valleys with fast flowing streams provided power and water for the area's early mills and factories. Water-powered corn mills and fulling mills were used in medieval times and more fulling mills were built after the mid-16th century as the woollen industry grew. At the end of
6160-765: Was removed from the county of Lancashire. On 9 January 1974 Horwich was granted a Town Charter by the Earl Marshal , giving Horwich the status of a town, a town council and the ability to elect a Mayor. An official coat of arms was granted and assigned on 6 December 1974 by the Earl Marshal. Horwich is covered by two electoral Wards of the Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, the Horwich South and Blackrod, and Horwich North Wards. Each Ward elects three councillors to
6240-419: Was renamed British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) and remained the towns most significant employer. Production changed and the last steam locomotive built at Horwich Works left on 27 November 1957, after which the works produced shunting diesel trains until 28 December 1962. It was reduced to repairing engines and maintaining railway wagons. On 18 February 1983 BREL announced that the works would close at
6320-618: Was replaced in 1782 and rebuilt as Holy Trinity Church , a Commissioners' Church , in 1831. Until 1853 became a parish in its own right with Holy Trinity as the parish church. After the non conformists were ejected from Horwich Chapel, Richard Pilkington built "New Chapel" between 1716 and 1719. It was enlarged in 1805. In 1890 the Unitarian Free Church was built on Church Street. In the 18th and 19th centuries other nonconformist churches and chapels were built. Lee Lane Congregational Church, founded in 1754, closed in 2005 and
6400-402: Was very active in armament production in the first and second world wars, in recognition George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth visited the town in 1940. In the period of the railway works from spring 1884 to 1983 Horwich changed drastically. The site first opened as the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) works, leading to a large complex for building and maintaining locomotives,
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