St Aidan's Church, Billinge

St Aidan's Church is in Main Street, Billinge, St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Liverpool. It was built in 1716–18 to replace a chapel of ease on the site, and was remodelled and extended in 1907–08. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

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Billinge, Merseyside

Billinge is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. It forms the larger part of the civil parish of Billinge Chapel End. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, it had a population of 6,554. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, Billinge is located by road approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwest of Wigan (town centre) and 3.7 miles (5.9 km) northeast of St Helens (town centre).

Landmark Neighbourhood

Billinge Hill

Billinge Hill is in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in North West England. With a maximum elevation of 179 m (587 ft), it is the highest point of Merseyside. It lies in Billinge, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, and it is one of the 176 hills graded as a Marilyn in England. A beacon tower is at the summit. Built as a summerhouse to Winstanley Hall in the 18th century, it was used for the Year 2000 celebrations. Most fireworks displays for miles around can be seen from the summit and people often gather there in small numbers to watch displays over the towns of Wigan and St Helens and the local village of Rainford. Over the years it has been covered in graffiti which was recently cleaned off and the metal panels restricting access to the inside of the beacon have been painted black. Nearby to the north-west are several large transmitter masts which take advantage of the height and relative isolation of the land. The views are fairly extensive, notably to the southwest where, when clear, the mountains of Snowdonia, in Wales, can be seen and to the northeast Winter Hill can be seen. Looking east one sees Manchester and the Derbyshire Peak District. On a clear day, it is possible to see Blackpool Tower just over 25 miles (40 kilometres) away, the town of St. Helens and the Widnes–Runcorn bridge. Depending on the conditions and direction it is facing, the telescope at Jodrell Bank can be seen to the southeast, also just over 25 miles (40 kilometres) away. Billinge Hill was also used by the Royal Observer Corps, and there was a bunker at the site, 60 yards (55 metres) west of and below the beacon. The beacon itself was used for aircraft observation during and after the war. The bunker would have been used to monitor the location of nuclear blasts and the resulting fallout over Lancashire in the event of nuclear war. The post opened in January 1960 and closed in October 1968.

Hiking Landmark

Birchley Hall

Birchley Hall is a Grade II* listed Elizabethan house built in about 1594, in Billinge, Merseyside, England. Birchley Hall was bought by Christopher Anderton of Lostock, Bolton in about 1581. The present building was built by one son, James and extended by another son, Thurston in 1594. There is an inscription stone carved with 'TA 1594' on the front of the house, TA being attributed to Thurston. Thurston died in 1598 or 1599 and another brother, Christopher, lived at the hall with his wife Anne Scarisbrick until 1613, when James died, and he inherited Lostock Hall. Another brother, Roger, lived at Birchley Hall until his death in 1640.

Historic Site Landmark

Wish FM

Wish FM was an Independent Local Radio station serving Wigan in Greater Manchester and the St Helens area of Merseyside from studios in the Orrell area of Wigan. Following its sale to Bauer Radio, the station was closed and merged with the Greatest Hits Radio network in September 2020.

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