Tonge, Bolton - Izeria

Tonge is an outlying area of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. The name is supposed to be derived from the Old English "tang" or "twang" meaning a fork in a river. Tonge comprises two areas, namely Tonge Fold and Tonge Moor. Tonge Fold sits upon the River Tonge, a region of whose banks are a geological site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

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Leverhulme Park

Leverhulme Park is the largest park in the town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It was donated to the people of Bolton by, and named after, the late Lord Leverhulme. The park is bounded by the Breightmet, Darcy Lever, the Haulgh, and Tonge Fold. Since its earlier days as simply a park, Leverhulme Park has diversified. It is now home to a community centre, an athletics stadium and five-a-side football pitches. It was also the home to the Bolton Show which ran intermittently for more than fifty years.

Community Centre Landmark

Fred Dibnah

Frederick Travis Dibnah, (28 April 1938 – 6 November 2004), was an English steeplejack and television personality. Having a keen interest in mechanical engineering, he described himself as a "backstreet mechanic." When Dibnah was born, Britain relied heavily upon coal to fuel its industry. As a child, he was fascinated by the steam engines which powered the many textile mills in Bolton, but he paid particular attention to chimneys and the men who worked on them. He began his working life as a joiner, before becoming a steeplejack. From age 22, he served for two years in the Army Catering Corps of the British Army, undertaking his National Service. Once demobilized, he returned to steeplejacking but met with limited success until he was asked to repair Bolton's parish church tower. The resulting publicity provided a boost to his business, ensuring he was almost never out of work. In 1978, while making repairs to Bolton Town Hall, Dibnah was filmed by a regional BBC news crew. The BBC then commissioned a documentary, which followed the rough-hewn steeplejack as he worked on chimneys, interacted with his family and talked about his favourite hobby – steam. His Lanky manner and gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook proved popular with viewers and he featured in a number of television programmes. Towards the end of his life, the decline of Britain's industry was mirrored by a decline in his steeplejacking business and Dibnah increasingly came to rely on public appearances and after-dinner speaking to support his income. In 1998, he presented a programme on Britain's industrial history and went on to present a number of series, largely concerned with the Industrial Revolution and its mechanical and architectural legacy. Dibnah died from bladder cancer in November 2004, aged 66.

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702 m

Seven Acres Country Park, Bolton

Seven Acres Country Park is a country park and Local Nature Reserve in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It lies between the areas of Tonge and Breightmet, and is dissected by Bradshaw Brook. Seven Acres Country Park is more than 300 years old, and is depicted on maps dating back to at least 1764.

National Park Park

Bradshaw Brook

Bradshaw Brook is a river draining parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in Northern England. Starting life as Cadshaw Brook draining a valley named Green Lowe Clough on Turton Moor, the brook feeds the Turton and Entwistle Reservoir and Wayoh Reservoir (the latter also fed by Blackstone Brook and Whittlestone Head Brook). From there, the river traverses Turton Bottoms and passes Chapeltown before feeding Jumbles Reservoir (along with Hazelhurst Brook). Bradshaw Brook then passes Bromley Cross and Bradshaw on its way to meet the River Tonge at Leverhulme Park east of Bolton.

Hiking Landmark