The Spirit of Sport
The Spirit of Sport is the largest piece of public art in the UK to be developed out of public consultation (it is almost a third taller than the Angel of the North). Standing at approximately 100 feet tall, the sculpture is constructed of stainless steel and has a 'golden' appearance with its surface 'tiled' with 600 etched images of sporting heroes.

The sculpture has been commissioned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council and designed by leading artists Terry Eaton, Jem Waygood and Dave Howie of Eaton Waygood Associates. It is a highly ambitious project designed to symbolise and represent everything that is good about sport and sporting values.

The sculpture recognises not only those who achieve sporting greatness, but also those who strive towards that greatness, and those who make that greatness possible. The Spirit of Sport is a developing initiative - future sporting achievement will be acknowledged on it. This unique initiative and the accompanying Spirit of Sport Awards and ongoing community sporting initiatives will ensure that the piece renews itself and retains its relevance on a national and local scale.

The Spirit of Sport is located at a site just off junction 6 of the M61 at the junction of De Havilland Way and Burnden Way and leads near to the Reebok Stadium (home of Bolton Wanderers Football Club), the Bolton Arena and a major retail park.

If you are one of the sportspersons featured on The Spirit of Sport and would like to have your short biography added to the site, please email the details to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rivington Park
The best walk is through Lord Leverhulme's Gardens, but the quicker access is via Georges Lane.

Rivington Barns
Leave Horwich via Lever Park Avenue and continue along Rivington Lane. The Lower barn is on the left hand side of the road at the point where a lane on the right leads to the Higher Barn.

Lord Leverhulme's Gardens
These may be entered from the rear of the Higher Barn or from Georges Lane. The latter route gives scenic views over the Lancashire coast, but the road is quite rough higher up.

Winter Hill
Horwich is built on the lush western slopes of Winter Hill. It used to be thought that a mountain was any hill of 1,500 feet or more above sea level. If this is the case, then Winter Hill misses its title "Winter Mountain" by 4 feet, as it stands 1,496 feet tall. Standing proudly on top of the hill are various broadcasting masts, the most noteable of which is the television mast which, until recently, stood a further 1.015 feet into the air. It is now even higher as the latest technology means that more feet have been added by the erection of a digital antenna atop the mast.

From 1840 to 1942, the skyline of Horwich was dominated by another feature of Winter Hill, Rockhaven Castle. It was built by a Bolton solicitor whose father was a Horwich man, and bought by Lord Leverhulme in 1899. It was demolished in 1942. Some say that the demolition was as a result of the building's falling into disrepair. others that it was because it was seen as a landmark whereby the Luftwaffe could easily locate Horwich and Lostock, where the Locomotive Works and the de Havilland factory were vital to the munitions industry fighting the Wehrmacht.

At 9.45am on February 27 1958, tragedy struck on Winter Hill as a plane of businessmen on their way from the Isle of Man to Manchester crashed in thick fog. The First Officer of the Bristol 170 aircraft fed the wrong information into the 'plane's honing device, and instead of starting the descent to Manchester via the given route of the Oldham Beacon, the aircraft started to lose height en route to the Wigan Beacon, across the treacherous terrain of Winter Hill. Because of the mists, the pilot did not realse the dangers into which he was heading, and the 'plane crashed, killing 35 of the 42 people on board.

The people of Horwich tended for the sick and dying, and the Victoria Methodist church was used as a Mortuary. A plaque commemorating the dreadful events of that February day is attached to the buildings at the foot of the main television mast at the summit of Winter Hill. Relatives of the dead often visit the plaque to remember their loved ones, and in 1998, the Rotary Clubs of Horwich and Douglas arranged a service to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the terrible accident.
A 50th Anniversary Memorial Service took place at Holy Trinity Church, Horwich on 27 February 2008, followed by the Town Mayor, Councillor Ken Denton unveiling a plaque in Horwich Heritage Centre.

Triangulation Point
The Triangulation Point is situated on Winter Hill and stands at over 1000ft above sea level. It has also been used as an unusual site for wedding ceremonies.

Scotsman's Stump
Scotsman's Stump lies just inside the Horwich Boundary, close to the summit of Winter Hill. It marks the spot where a young Scotsman was murdered on 9 November 1838. George Henderson was a 20 year old native of Annan in Dumfrieshire and he worked for a Blackburn draper as a travelling salesman. He often walked across the moors to settle financial matters with his employer. On the fateful day, an autumnal mist enshrouded the hills as Henderson set out on his last earthly journey. He called into a local hostelry at around twelve noon for sustenance before embarking on the trek over the hill. Shortly after he had left the inn, a young boy saw blood on the road and heard somebody desperately crying for help from a ditch. The boy fetched help, and Henderson was found horribly disfigured by gunshot wounds. Despite attempts to revive him, George Henderson died at 2.00pm that same day.

It is reported that his last words were "I am robbed, I am killed".

Much evidence pointed to the identity of the murderer as James Whittle, a 22 year old man who lived close to the inn where Henderson had taken his last sojourn, and who had bought a shotgun the previous day. So strong was the evidence that Whittle was charged with Henderson's murder and stood trial at Liverpool Crown Court. The main prosecution witness, a Joseph Halliwell of Bolton, became increasingly less reliable as his testimony proceeded, and it took the jury less than an hour and a half to acquit Whittle. Nobody else was charged with the murder. Shortly after George Henderson's murder, a tree was planted to mark the place of his demise. In 1912, a cast iron pillar was bought by public subscription to replace the tree, and it stands there to this day, Scotsman's Stump, a memorial to the young victim of a murder most foul.