Rivington Moor Bell Pits (ruin)

A group of possibly quite ancient ‘bell pits’ on Rivington Moor together with an old, stone sheep pen.

Bell pits are one of the ealiest known forms of mining where a relatively narrow, verical pit was dug and expanded outwards once the sought deposits were reached. These bell pits are probably medieval but there are examples dating back to prehistoric times that were dug with antler picks. There is at least one more bell pit nearby, beside the track that leads round Rivington Pike.

The nearby sheep pen is probably quite old, although probably not old enough to be associated with the supposed Roman remains on Crooked Edge Hill above, as was reckoned by local archaeologist J. Winstanley in the 1950s.

Leverhulme’s bungalow that once stood below, on the other side of Rivington Pike was built on the site of a similar, old sheep pen.