while I love your videos. the areas you show are beautiful and the shots are great however I believe with a few small changes you can expand your appeal and viewer base. the first is an equipment change, if you were to switch to a 360 degree camera anyone with a VR headset could essentially be on a walk through the countryside with you, and you would not have to worry about moving the camera around to show everything, the second would be a change in the editing, if you were to make the videos longer by leaving in more b-roll footage of the scenery, it does not even need any speaking, just walking along a path or standing on a hill or bridge, imagine it as a mini VR vacation for those us that can't get out much these days. heck if you do a few hour trek some place, with a 360 camera, I would suggest not editing it at all, upload it as a complete walk to, through and back. I know I would watch the whole thing, and many people with the itch to travel or love to walk in nature would love it too. thank for all the great content sofar, i look forward to seeing what is next.
Hello Martin, I'm a fan from Phoenix, Arizona, USA. I'm a history buff with a new found appreciation for the histories of the Midlands and northern England cities, and their contributions to the industrial revolution. Stumbled on your channel surfing for vids of old Manchester. It's a shame that so many old buildings and businesses were still standing and operating through the 70s and 80s, after being around almost 2 centuries, just to close or be demolished a couple of decades before the RU-vid generation. I'd give a lot to be able to travel back to the 60s and see everything as it was before the slum clearances, and record it properly for posterity. Hard to believe that as vital as mining was to the north, for so long, that it's almost all gone now. I love all your videos - keep it up. Cheers!
That was stunning Martin, I love mining history. I live in Bendigo, Victoria, Aus, and this was huge goldfield, the deepest shaft we had here was 4,613 feet deep. It eventually flooded, and it was said the the water was coming up the shaft as fast as a man could climb a ladder!
You've done it again fella, thanks. As an ex Agecroft miner, glad to see the Astley Green Colliery in here. People should visit and contribute, and help save, what is quite honestly, a great coal mining history day out. It is situated just off the A580. Thanks again Martin & Co.
@@MartinZero The pit head is just over our garden wall, so if I had looked out at the right time I would have seen you filming! We saw them shooting a Peaky Blinders episode there a few years ago. Very interesting to see the top of the winding gear from above.
Near where I was born and raised in Illinois, much of the coal was 600 feet deep. I went to school very near some of the disused mines, without realizing it, as there were almost no signs left of the old workings and I didn’t recognize what little there was. Lots of deaths back in the day...
You must be in Down state Il. were the coal is good quality ,, We mined coal here in the upper section of Il. but it wasn't nearly that deep and the slag piles are still standing in many places,, they look like a pink mound maybe few hundred feet tall. The state started covering them with topsoil and planting grass to keep heavy metals in the slag out of the watershed back in the 1980's,, most are covered now. In fact the 3rd deadliest mine disaster in the US happened in Cherry, Illinois back in 1909 where 259 men and boys were killed including distant family .
Thank you Martin and James - today's episode made me realise what a joy for life you have, and bless you for sharing it. I think Ive been to all these locations, so lovely to see you there too.
I was just reading an old book about follies, and the tower is in it, although it is referred to as 'The Carnaby Tower on Rivington Pike'. (It's oddly creepy, by the way - just how you'd picture a haunted house) The picture for it, from the 1980's shows it in a quite dilapidated state - you can see the rafters - so I'm glad that it has been nicely renovated in the interim. Great video. Thank you, Martin. Great start to a Sunday night!
A bungalow stood in Leverhumes Chinese gardens and was burned down by suffragettes, parts of the tiled floors can still be seen. Regarding the pill box bunker in Turton I don't think it would have anything to do with the ROC, it looks to be a defensive position intended to be used in the event of an invasion. Post War ROC posts were buried underground to protect them from the blast of atomic bombs. Great video once again.
That was a defensive pill box put up in WW2 to cover strategic defence points in the event of a German invasion, they are all over the country covering road junctions, railways, military camps etc. They were often manned by the Home Guard (Dad's Army) and sometimes equipped with machine guns. The windows were shaped to allow weapons to be swept from side to side with a small exit hole to minimise incoming fire entering the pill box. I am a mine of useless information but hope this clears it up. As you said, ROC posts are underground with a metal lid on top for access and were post war.
@@Hairnicks Not all ROC posts were underground. WW2 posts tended to be in places with a good view of the sky. Often in the north they were a simple brick building. I have one on my channel in Wigan. The underground ones are cold war 1950's built bunkers. FYI there is one near the golf course in Bromley Cross.. find the underground reservoir by Holts Fold.. it's very near ;)
The house was used as a billet by the army during WW2 and it was them who trashed it.. They left it in such a mess that it needed to be demolished in 1948
@@PaulaXism above ground posts are rare as hen's teeth. There's one outside Fort William and I know of one other (my dad is ex-ROC and a proper anorak)
Martin and James you have got to be the happiest explorers on YT...... The best content ever! The Tower and the bridge though..... so beautiful and I was so glad to see the picture of the interior with the little stove..... They were such romantics in those days with their follies and themed gardens.... Magic!
Brilliant as ever, Martin! As I've said before, you're so lucky being in the Cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Whilst I live in Oz, I have Great Grandparents who came from over the border in Bradford & Halifax, so I find your insights particularly interesting. 😉
Martin, you are a fantastic documentary maker. Could watch you all day, you have a real talent for explaining things which keeps viewers interested. Thanks
I've been thinking about coloured lights. I know you like to use them. Here is an idea for still photography. Take time exposures using three exposures on top of each other. But, change the colour of the lights for each shot. If you use the three primary colours - red, blue and green or yellow, magenta and cyan - then things that do not move will be as if white light was used, and things that have moved will be the colour of the light that exposed them. Use coloured lights or gels over the lights to get the coloured light. This can be done with gels over electronic flash too. Have fun :)
Martin - more thoughts on the coloured lights. I like them and was wondering if you'd thought of selling your photos. I'm sure people would buy them (not just from here [your channel) but in shops - you could even have an exhibition. I'm sure there are small galleries that would be happy to organise this and host you. They are atmospheric and those with some old architecture in the frame are a good way to represent the past - just sayin'.
Brilliant!!! Loved all of it. Never seen those places so it was super to see them. Our industrial heritage is nothing short of awesome. Cheers for knee saving tip from James.
@@MartinZero I remember being given this same tip back in the 1980's by a man who had visited Bhutan in the Himalayas [it was hard to get permission to go there back then} he noticed that the Bhutanese ascended and descended the steep long tracks in their country in this way and noticed they did not tire as quickly as Europeans going up the hills the "normal" way.
Martin, Maybe it's the wine talking but my heart soars watching your videos of my heritage. Now living in Devon, there's no way I would come back, but I am nevertheless moved by the stories you tell; they resonate so strongly. Thank you for reminding me of what I have left behind.
You've reminded me of a school trip down Bersham Colliery about 72 or 73. I think it was 1200 ft deep. The trip in the cage, going to the coal face was amazing. I can't imagine kids today having such an experience. Once again thank you Martin and James for a thoroughly entertaining video.
@@MartinZero When I went, the colliery was still working. We even jumped on the moving conveyor belt carrying coal so we didn't have to walk back from the coal face to the cage to take us back up. Health & Safety would never allow such a school trip today Martin.
Hi Martin, just wanted to say thank you for the fantastic videos, we only discovered you few weeks ago and spend many an afternoon watching them. My husband was born in Worsley but moved away in his 20’s, he owned an historic narrowboat for 54 years, unfortunately he now has Alzheimer’s and watching your stories is just fantastic for him, keep them coming xx
Hi Martin, wow that bridge was stunning, I had to do a double take as it really looks like the top of a castle, the house too was beautiful. That tower was really cool, as kids back in the 70's we had a tower similar to that in Buckinghamshire and we called it the witches tower lol. Wow how amazing and beautiful is the 7 arch bridge, a stunning piece of architecture. The pit head winding gear was really stark against the skyline but also very beautiful to look at. Thank you Martin & James for taking us around to see these wonderful locations, much love. xx💖
Hi , Martin. The concrete pillbox was one of thousands built all over Britain, and would have been manned by the Home Guard. Wartime ROC posts were open topped, and often had a removable wind shield around the post. In the centre of the open space was a mount for the "Post Instrument", or Micklethwaite Height Finder, which enabled the operator to measure the height and bearing of an aircraft.
@@MartinZero When I served in the ROC in the late eighties, one of my crew had served on 7 Baker 2 post in Prestwich during the war. The old post was abandoned when the role of the Corps was changed from aircraft reporting to nuclear monitoring in the 1950s, but apparently survived until the area was landscaped in the 1970s. The new post was in Heaton Park, but was demolished after the Corps was stood down in 1991.
Yes, the standedge tunnel ventilation shafts at Redbrook Engine House were the scariest. The wind coming up through them...and the music you used was perfect spooky.
First visit to Rivi at five years old, still going now at 62, my late father is always with me when i walk those paths, it's a lovely calm place with so many happy memories of childhood. Cheers for that Martin 👍
Born in Lancashire, (St. Helens), we went out on Sundays to places of interest. But I only ever remember going to Rivington Pike, not the other places, but it was in the 50's, and I was rather young ! More power to your elbow for making me remember my heritage ! Keep the videos coming ! xxx
@@MartinZero There is a similar one in Wales in a village called Rhiwabon (Welsh spelling!!) next to a pub called the "Vaults" . Used for the same purpose I believe.
Love your videos being born in 1951 I have seen a lot of of industry disappear and as a farmer seen all the old ways and machinery disappear get quite sad really so would like to thank you for letting people know about our past and keeping things alive. I live near Warrington and as a kid would explore the disused WW2 ordnance factory by the side of the Manchester to Liverpool rail line at Birchwood,great days, sadly now very little left to see and on either side of the M62 motorway until just a few years ago were hangers and control tower from WW2s Burtonwood air base now completely flattened to make way for an industrial estate,what a crime so keep doing your videos don't ever stop.
We are lucky to have you guys document what's often ignored and forgotten. We have the world at our fingertips through a screen but the real world outside our back yards is where the adventure is. I've not been up rivvy pike since school. Dungeons for drunks and a fairy tale haven for sweethearts. Outstanding 🌻
Your channel is keeping me sane in lockdown, can't get out to these places but revisiting you videos is just giving me more places to go to when I can get out.
Wow absolutely stunning. Just when I thought I was falling of this Earth , you've brought me back, I forgot all your amazing. Work and History ive been missing, thanks Martin.
I believe that it may have been left to the Liverpool City Corporation (Leverhulme having strong links to Liverpool and his Port Sunlight). Liverpool Corporation Act 1902 mentions it being used to ensure the quality of Liverpools water supply, the resvoirs having being built in 1857. I guess with the nationalisation and then privatisation of water supply this has been handed to North West Water and eventually United Utilities (who in my view have been very lazy, until recently, in maintaining this exceptional park).
Bloody hell Martin it’s like you made this one just for me , absolutely stunning , all of it . I’m ashamed to say I live 25 minutes from rivy pike but never visited the pigeon tower , I need to put that right next year . Lord Lever spend a lot of time and money on The Isle of Lewis in the outer Hebrides . He built what is now the college in Stornaway and started to build a railway but was thwarted by the locals . It’s a fascinating story , google it and have a look . Or you could nip up there it only 450 miles then a 3 1/2 hour ferry crossing . Lewis is a stunning island though with history that pre dates a lot of stuff down here . They even have the Callanish standing stones that pre date Stone henge 🤩🤩🤩👍🏼🧱👍🏼 Great video pal thanks
"The Soap Man" by Roger Hutchinson is a very engaging account of his Hebrides involvement. He owned most of the island of Lewis and Harris for a while, making him one of the country's largest landowners. The idea was that the island was to become a major fishing centre. The Mac Fisheries chain of shops that many of us of a certain age will remember as a staple of every high street was set up to distribute his Hebridean fish. It all fell apart. It's a great story.
Congratulations on the Sponsor Martin. We have quite a few of those small prisons down in our neck of the woods. Referred to as "Blind Houses" exactly for the purpose you describe.
So pleased you actually go out and visit these places, for us all to enjoy, especially those of us that a 2 mile trek would give a heart attack to. . . Well done on being recognised for sponsorship.
Glad to see you got a sponsor to help pay for petrol and camera batteries! What a plethora of golden nuggets! That dungeon was great and I am glad they did not move it! That railway bridge was like you said , probably the nicest one I have ever seen! (Tell the Whitwicks about that one! ) The Pidgeon tower did look older, but probably built that way! I like how its been kept up even with the chimney intact, like it could be used at any time! The 7 arches bridge was unique and amazing! James climbing all the way in what looked like a pair of Doc Martin's, incredible lol The Lancashire mine museum looks interesting!
lever = UNI-LEVER, he was the founder, he made sunlight soap, he built "port sunlight" the estate was developed to provide work during an economic downturn. he was a true philanphropist. rags to riches and still respected 100 yrs after his death. the gardens were influenced by the Japanesque movement and still contain oriental species
@@MartinZero you sure would, theres even a full scale rebuild of the ruins of liverpool castle, the gardens are a wonder with vistas opening up everywhere a wonderful place to explore.
I remember going to Turton Tower with my parents when I was in my early teens and vaguely remember the bridge. That small tree could do with being removed from the other tower before it gets into the stonework proper. A lot of bikers go to Rivington Tower but I've never been. The dungeon was interesting, that's worth a visit to the pub for a day out. I've recently heard of the Pigeon Tower and looked where it is. All that garden area would be nice to see. Mining museum, maybe one day I'll get to it. There's so much to see, thank you Martin for showing us.
Wonderful subjects to cover Martin especially on the buildings around Rivington Pike . a great place for a walk and explore the gardens . These are real professional films that you make and they keep you gripped from start to finish , thank you so much for sharing this with me .
It’s not a Royal Observation Corps post but a standard defensive pill box. I am sure some of your local viewers will know why it was built or what it was defend.
Awsome as always! In Sweden the Lancashire process was an important milestone in the iron processing and steel manufactoring developement in the late 1800.
@@MartinZero It was an early process that reminds a bit of making "bloom iron" the idea was to burn out excessive carbon and other organic impurities by mecanically creating wrought iron from half melted raw iron lumps made from unprocessed cast iron pigs from the blast forge. The process was that labour intense that the puddling bar was often driven by a stem engine or water turbine in order to make it impossible to increse the size of the piece, but still in the wrought iron process they had to reduce the size of each piece so it was reasonably possible to moving it around and getting a good result so the processing ovens was made as a chain of small ovens that was operated by one or two men in a 4 houer shift, then the white glowing lump of raw steel was processed further from the bloom stage into raw bars by pounding it with a giant waterpowered hammer (probably steam if direct waterpower was not available, but since coal was expensvie here they tried to avoid that if there was any other option to power the macinery in the forge). Later the Bessemer process had developed (later it was, at least in Sweden, improved to the moden OB process wich used pure oxygen and much higher temperatures and made it possible to use ore that had been concidred as inferiour with older processes) that much as it was possible to produce higher quality steel directly and the wrought iron processes died out since they was too labour intense and consumed a lot of fuel in the process. That's why old wrought iron looks like damascener steel, it's because of those methods wich fued the iron instead of actualy melting it as later metods developed in the late 1800. The Lancashire preocess steel was concidered to be of higher quality so it was in fact still in production here for the export market in the 1940s and the Valoon method still lived on until 1953 for the US ecport marked, the last batches was that hig valued that it was even flown in by an airplane as i was tould. My grandfather (he was a construction engineer) worked on the preservation of the last Lancashire forge (in Strömbacka, northern Sweden) in the late 1950s in order to preserve the site for the future genration as a museum when most of the old equipment was still left (except for some minor parts that a man sould as scrap in order to buy him self boose shortly after, but it was replaced by wooden mockups so it still today look as it did in 1953).
Ok I'm now wanting to move to the Manchester area. Not only Lord of the Rings landscape (as per a previous comment) but proper history and I really want to believe in the history of the area but come on Disney has built those old houses and bridges. They have right??? haha Seriously beautiful n amazing places you visit.
Great video Martin. That ROC post was the Bain of my life for many years. Living close by and asking my dad as a young boy he told me it was where the sheep went to sleep and how they all squeezed in at night. Of course I was corrected many years later after making an arse of myself. Thanks dad. Keep up the good work Martin.
Everythings Latin on the old buildings crazy really saying he was just a green grocer from Bolton who made soap and became rich. On all government buildings is Latin. Why would England in the ye olde days be using Latin when where English. And worshipping all the phoenician statues same in every city all over the world.
From the time of the Romans Latin was the official language of the ruling classes and all church and legal institutions. Even now some legal documents are in Latin. This was the case across the whole of Europe, from Russia in the East to Ireland in the West. English wasn't a language like it is now until the 14th Century, from the time of the Norman invasion the ruling classes spoke only French and Latin, the first English King to speak English more than French was Henry the Fourth, in 1399
I actually read a completely different story about the Lever Brothers. That they acquired a small salt lake in the village of Lymm, which they gave to Imperial Chemical Industrie (ICI) in exchange for ICI building them a soap making plant, where they could make soap out of palm oil. That proved a huge success to they invested in Port Sunlight, then one of the brothers died, the remaining brother then became an MP. His legacy is the terraced gardens, a full scholarship granted to one Bolton resident every year, and his company Lever Bros, merged with a Dutch company, UniChem, to form UniLever.
There are commonly used words in the English language that a lot of people don't realize are latin (me included). The word video for instance is latin for I see.
I almost hate to wade in here, but the real reason for Latin is that it would last. In the 18th century people translated the works of important English poets and historians into Latin so that people in the future would be able to read them when English had moved on and was as comprehensible as Chaucer or Beowulf. Because we don't care about grammar or reading old stuff any more. English is moving on, and we won't be able to read even the translation of that Latin.
I was born and bred in Astley Village, my Grandfather worked in the pit, my dad still lives down there....lovely little village. If you continue through Astley Village you reach Chat Moss and the railway that was built as a "floating" railway line (totally innovative in the day) - The Rocket being the first train to use it. A skull of a Romano-British Celt was also discovered there (The Worsley Man) - determined to be from 120AD. You could have also visited Liverpool Castle at Rivington. There is just too much history in the area for one man to cover.
Great video Martin and James. Thank goodness for people like the Victorians who built these wonderful structures, because they could. Terrific. Looking forward to the mining museum visit. And well done with the sponsorship Martin. Greatly deserved.
The Rivington Gardens were built around Lord Leverhulme's weekend cottage. This was burned down by Preston suffragette Edith Rigby in 1913 in response to Leverhulme's opposition to women's suffrage. Astley Green Colliery Headgear, and its adjacent engine house are individually Grade II listed, but are also a Scheduled Monument, which is a far higher level of statutory protection. The engine house still has both engines intact and is a remarkable building, well worth featuring.
Poor "oppressed" Edith was driven by her Chauffeur to Rivington to commit her act of terrorism. The irony being that Leverhulme was a firm supporter of women getting the vote.
The pigeon tower and it's grounds are fabulous, never knew about it. Wow! Also, the pit heads actually brought a tear to my eye as my dad worked in the mines for 40 years, although not in this area. It still needs preserving though.
Great stuff as ever Martin. The restored Leverhulme estate is certainly worth a look . When I first visited it with a mate from work it was covered in what seemed like a forest of rhododendrons so coming across the various structures, lakes and remains of the house and gardens was like finding lost cities in the Amazon jungle. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.,
hiya martin, when you showed the railway bridge, i couldn't help but point out the fact its the first rail bridge you have shown on your channel with actual track still running under it, it did make me quite happy as i love our railways. great video mate, keep well.
Really enjoyed the video Martin what a luckybag of places been to the garden some many times plus the massive barn. Regular trips when I was a biker at times to the barn 1000 plus.bikers from all over England cheers to your great team work. John Rooney st.annes Lancashire UK
I went to Rivington a lot in the late 90's doing a lot of photography for uni, I can't believe the difference, I went there last year. Everything back then was totally overgrown and it was difficult to visualise anything. Rivington was the place to be when there was heavy snow, something we don't see very much of nowadays.
wonderful trip martin and James some beautiful sites you shared with us thank you both so much and walk downhill zig zag cheers from trev and Christine down south
Brilliant Martin. I live in Chorley and every Good Friday we would walk up the Pike. You are lucky because back in my day there were no steps and that grass slope was very steep. Back then the gardens were overgrown and the pigeon tower was shut. It is open now on certain days. Visitor numbers are limited. There is a story to be told about the bungalow that Leverhulme had built. I will leave you to research that.
not been up there for 20 years, they have definitely made great improvements to the area, and even rebuilt the "pike" as I used to climb up inside it as a boy.
Stunning architecture, I live in Texas, but I would love to visit and see the sights in England. Everything that was historic where I live was torn down long ago.
Every on of the five curiosities are brilliant, reminds me of the happy time when I worked in Horwich and explored Winter Hill and Rivington. Thanks for another great video !
Not been up the gardens for years. We worked up there in late 80s doing basic maintenance. There was always a bit of debate whether to leave partly romantically overgrown or have it in the state lever envisaged. We loved the romance of it and was our playground on misty low cloud type days,when strictly we couldn't work. You should have gone to Liverpool castle while you where there. Cheers Martin. Reminds me of great times.
Back in the fifties while attending Bolton Tech, the guys from ITV asked for guys to help dig part of the trench to the ITV tower over Christmas holiday. I remember looking over at Rivington Pike while we dug. I also went down a coal mine while attending Salford Grammar School as part of a recruitment drive by the NCB. Life has sure changed in my 81 year lifetime 😊
Great Martin, Ever thought of doing video on the remains of Pretoria Pit, scene of Britain's third worst mining disaster? The site is located on the Atherton/Westhoughton boundary just west of Bolton.
Hi Martin and James,, the pigeon tower was beautiful, quote of the video was "where she did her darnin and had a cup of tea 😂, Love the treasures you visited. Thanks for sharing Martin and have a lovely week 🔴🟡🟢
