WHEN I was "trawling" through the old papers, I came across this story in 1938 about Bottom o'th' Moor, written by one of our reporters, who described it as "a little community which prefers to be left to itself".
Well, anyone who knows that area will know that despite the fact that some residential building has taken place, that description still fits. So here I reprint the article as it appeared 63 years ago . . .
MOTORING past on the road between Bob's Smithy and Horwich, the chances are that you will completely overlook the little community of Bottom o'th' Moor.
Sheltering in the protecting hollow of Horwich Moor, it hides from passers-by, preferring to be left to itself. Modern transport facilities have brought Bottom o'th' Moor within a few minutes of town, but, even so, the people there -- and especially the older ones -- like to maintain some of that self-sufficiency which characterised the place years ago.
Time was when the place simply had to supply its own needs because it was so isolated. No buses every 10 minutes, then. If you wanted to get to Horwich or Bolton, you just had to walk.
That was what Mr Edwin Harper, one of the village worthies I talked with this week, did every Saturday for a long time. He "shanks-ponied" it, he told me, to Bolton every Saturday to hear the organ recitals in the Albert Hall. Now it's all changed. The same thing has happened at Bottom o'th' Moor as at many other villages.
While the old folk like to sit by the fire ruminating on the happy hours they spent in their young days, the young folk are off, finding their enjoyment in the cinemas and dance halls of Bolton and Horwich.
So I listened intently as he told me something of his village as it used to be in his young days -- remembering that now he is over 80.
W
hat I gathered from him was that Bottom o'th' Moor as it now stands is really very similar to what it originally was. It grew up at about the time that Wallsuches Bleachworks was first opened, and it was there, as well as at Ridgeways Colliery, that most of the inhabitants were employed.
Both of these sources of employment have disappeared, but, as compensation, the stone quarries in the district, Pilkington's and Nuttall's, to mention only two, are at present in clover.
As a result of these local industries, Bottom o'th' Moor came into existence as a community, nothing more than one long road with the houses clinging to one side of it. Nowadays, it has its own Methodist Church, opened nearly 70 years ago. The arrangement of the church itself is unusual, because the pews are arranged in tiers. This arrangement was made so that when the concerts were held there the whole audience would be able to see the platform uninterruptedly.
In days gone by, this building was used as a day school, but now the children must go down into Horwich, which, on a cold, wet morning, seems a long way. Before this chapel was built, services were held in a garret, much of the inspiration coming from a certain Mr Peter Butterworth, to whom the cause was dear and who was in charge of the services both in this top floor room and, for some time, in the new building.
Later on, this same garret was used as a non-political club, which became the hub of social activity in Bottom o'th' Moor. Here regular whist and domino drives were held and made the excuse for a general chit-chat. The club served its purpose, then was abused, and had to be closed down.
The district's strong leaning towards the Dissenting cause is best shown in its loyalty to the New Chapel Congregational Church. There is, I understand, reason to believe that a place of worship existed on this spot as long ago as 1690. The name itself indicates that an older building preceded this "new" one.
T
wo other village institutions -- Mason's Arms and Plumpton Arms -- closed down something like 30 years ago when they were adapted for use as cottages.
After that "refreshers" for those who wanted them were only to be had at the Jolly Crofters (which has been rebuilt three times) and the Blundell Arms.
Special interest attaches to the latter. It is reputed to date back about 400 years, having been built, it is said, in the reign of Henry VII.
The oldest part of the building still possesses a lot of its original character and charm, few structural alterations having been made. The old stone steps, constructed for the convenience of outside passengers on the old stage coaches and for mounting horses, are still there.
This is the place, so it is said, where the inquest on the young Scotsman who was murdered on Horwich Moor on November 9, 1838, was held. An open verdict was returned. Some people are ready to argue that the alleged murderer first appeared before the local magistrates at the Blundell Arms (it was then called the Moorgate Inn).
This week, I was shown the old court room with its long, narrow gallery where the prisoner stood, and the adjoining "lock-ups". According to this theory, the man, James Whittle, was committed to Lancaster Assizes from here, and eventually acquitted, the evidence against him being insufficient.
It was at the Moorgate Inn that farmers from the surrounding countryside gathered twice each year to pay their rent to the agent of the landowner. Now although you might suppose that this was hardly the occasion for celebration, the farmers thought differently. After transacting the business, they were in the habit of making a day of it and forgetting all their worries for a time. So, for a few brief hours they ate, drank and were merry.
Some folk think that now Bottom o'th' Moor is not looked after as it was when it was represented on Horwich Council by its "mayor", Mr Henry Carter. For years, Mr Carter was Chairman of the Council, and one of his greatest achievements, the one of which he is most proud, I think, was the erection of Tup Row Pumping Station. His work in ensuring Horwich a steady supply of good quality water is patent. Mr Carter has a reputation in the village, built on his unfailing devotion to the top hat and frock coat, which he used to wear day in, day out, and which he always travelled to his business in Manchester.
B
ut, as I was saying, the people have the idea that, since he left the Council, Bottom o'th' Moor is not looked after quite so well. It's true, of course, that they're building some bungalows in the village close by the site of the old almshouses. But that's a mixed blessing. Dumping "those modern things" right in the middle of the beloved old stone cottages! It's hardly fair!
The people of the old village may resent this intrusion into their privacy, but even they have a lot to thank the enlightenment of our day and age for. "Thank goodness," laughed Mr Harper, "we have no more of those wretched pig-sties that used to clutter up our street."
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