Rivington Terraced Gardens, near Bolton

This is a partial restoration of Rivington Terraced Gardens one of the most spectacular  'lost gardens' of the 20th century. 
The Gardens were originally created for Sunlight Soap creator, Lord Leverhulme as a spectacular holiday home for him to relax and entertain in. They were conceptualised for him by noted landscape designer Thomas Mawson between 1905-1922. Still remaining are well known structures such as the Pigeon Tower, the Seven Arch Bridge and the Summer Houses. There's also Pulham rock faces around the pathways and the Italian Lake is where Leverhulme used to swim whereas the beautiful Japanese Lake once housed impressive oriental stone lanterns and pagoda-style tea houses. 

The Rivington Terrace Garden was one of Thomas Mawsons favourites where he says 'Of all the gardens which I have ministered to my professional enjoyment, none comes into competition with Roynton.The very reason is a human one.​ Everyone prophesied failure."

Following Leverhulme's death in 1925, the property was sold to a local brewer named John Magee, but the Gardens began to fall into disrepair from here. After being passed to the Council and then subsequently the local water corporation, several structures were demolished post-World War II, and the Gardens were left to the gradual reclamation of nature. United Utilities still now own the land at present and in 2016, a £3.4Million grant was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of a £4.2Million restoration project. The ambitious project aimed to repair and conserve the Gardens for generations to come. It was overseen by Groundwork CLM in partnership with Rivington Heritage Trust and came to completion in 2019. Now, through ongoing maintenance and fundraising with the help of a great staff team and invaluable volunteers, it aims to become sustainable.

The Gardens are open to the public 24/7, every day of the year and sit on layers of terraces on the western side of the steep Winter Hill, with numerous stairways and uneven paths connecting them. They unfortunately are not accessible to wheelchairs, and even the most ruggedly built pram would struggle. Sensible clothing and footwear is advised at all times.

The Visitor Centre sits just above the Village's public toilets – w3w ///sideburns.excellent.punctual – and as well as finding maps, walking guides and books, visitors will also find exhibits and information about the local area and its history. 

MORE OLD IMAGES AND MAP  OF RIVINGTON GARDENS - CLICK HERE