Winter Hill (Lancashire)
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| Winter Hill | |
|---|---|
 Winter Hill from Belmont. The mast can be seen for many miles around. |
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| Elevation | 456 m (1,498 ft) |
| Location | Lancashire, England |
| Prominence | 218 m |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 109 |
| OS grid reference | SD659149 |
| Listing | Marilyn, County Top |
Winter Hill is a hill in Lancashire, England, located on Rivington Moor between Chorley and Bolton. 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 telecommunication masts 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 of the Greater Manchester conurbation, 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. Other reminants include the Pigeon Tower and Roman bridges.
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[edit] History
The hill is believed to have been inhabited over 2,500 years ago, as a flint arrow head was found in the area that dated from that era. Several Bronze Age burial mounds have been located also.
[edit] Plane crashes
On February 27, 1958, a Silver City Bristol 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. The weather that night was so severe that none of the engineers working in the ITA transmitting station were aware of the crash. 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 crashed around Winter Hill. A two seater aircraft crashed there in the 1920s. Then during World War II an American Fairchild UC-61 Forwarder (41-54885) of 5th Air Depot Group crashed on 7 August 1942. In the following year, on 16 November 1943, the crew of a Wellington Bomber (Z8799) were killed when it crashed just to the North of Winter Hill, on Hurst Hill, Anglezarke Moor of 28 Operational Training Unit, after flying from Blackpool to Manchester. The following month, 24 December 1943, an Airspeed Oxford (BM837) of 410 Squadron crashed on the hill. Other crashes have included several Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Gloster Meteor crashed in 1953. In September 1965 a RAF De 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.
[edit] Scotsman's Stump
On 9 November 1838 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] See also
The Murphy Incident, a famous UFO sighting on Winter Hill.
[edit] External links
- winterhill.org
- Computer generated summit panoramas Winter Hill index
- Winter Hill Scrapbook - A free internet book about Winter Hill
- Tunnels and Mines of Winter Hill
[edit] Further reading
- The Devil Casts His Net, Steve Morrin, ISBN 0-9534503-1-7, The Winter Hill Air Disaster.
