Cadley

Museum of Wigan Life

Scholes Village · 17 miles

The Museum of Wigan Life is a public museum and local history resource centre in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The nineteenth-century listed building is by the noted architect Alfred Waterhouse. It originally housed Wigan Library, where George Orwell researched his book The Road to Wigan Pier in 1936.

Trencherfield Mill

Wigan Pier · 17 miles

Located beside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at the historic wharf known as Wigan Pier, Trencherfield Mill is a Grade II-listed cotton-spinning mill built in 1907. The landmark, recorded by Historic England as a heritage feature, forms part of the Wigan Pier regeneration area in the town of Wigan, Greater Manchester. Its four-storey brick structure, with a circular chimney modelled on Venice’s St Mark’s Campanile, stands on the canal bank that once carried coal and finished cloth between the Lancashire pits and the textile factories. The mill’s most visible attraction is the restored 2,500 hp triple-expansion steam engine, originally supplied by J & E Wood of Bolton and halted in 1968. The engine is steamed on selected dates during the year, allowing visitors to hear the 26-foot flywheel and see the 54 ropes in operation. Internally the building has been converted into a mixed-use complex that includes commercial and retail units, leisure facilities, a call centre for EE and BT, and 52 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Access is straightforward via the canal towpath and the town’s rail links on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal corridor; no specific admission charge is mentioned for the engine demonstrations, which form part of the heritage programme organised by Wigan Council.

Hall i' th' Wood Museum

Bank Top · 17 miles

Hall i' th' Wood is an early 16th-century manor house in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is a Grade I listed building and is currently used as a museum by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council. It was the manor house for the moiety of the Tonge with Haulgh township held by the Brownlows in the 16th century. The original building is timber framed and has a stone flagged roof; there were later additions to the house, built from stone, in 1591 and 1648. The name represents "Hall in the Wood' spoken in the local regional English dialect and is pronounced.

Peel Tower

Holcombe · 19 miles

Rising 128 feet above Holcombe Moor, the stone monument known locally as Holcombe Tower marks the spot where Robert Peel, the former Prime Minister and founder of the modern police force, was commemorated after his death in 1850. Situated near Ramsbottom in Greater Manchester, the tower sits at an elevation of roughly 1 100 feet (335 metres) and forms a prominent landmark on the moorland that separates the town from the surrounding countryside. Construction began shortly after Peel’s passing, driven by a public appeal and overseen by a committee chaired by industrialist William Grant. The gritstone used for the structure was quarried on-site, leaving a visible pit beside the base. The tower’s crenellated base bears the name “Peel” above its entrance, and the four-stage shaft features mullioned windows and battlements that support a viewing platform. In 1929 the original wooden staircase was replaced with iron, and a marble panel bearing an excerpt from Peel’s 1846 speech to the House of Commons was added. During the Second World War the tower served as a lookout post; later corrosion led to its closure until a new concrete staircase was installed and the monument was rededicated in November 1985. Today the structure is owned by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, holds Grade II listed status (designated 1984), and is occasionally accessible to visitors on Sundays when the flag at its summit is flying, the flag being maintained by volunteers.

Bolton Art Gallery, Library & Museum

Eagley · 19 miles

Has an archive section

Museum of Lancashire

Avenham · 1.9 miles

Currently closed due to funding issues.