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 UA-cam 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!
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.
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!
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!
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, you are a fantastic documentary maker. Could watch you all day, you have a real talent for explaining things which keeps viewers interested. Thanks
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.
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!
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💖
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 🌻
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. 😉
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
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 .
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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 👍
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.
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.
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
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'.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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 .
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!
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.
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).
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.,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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 !
Hi again Martin. Can't really think of anything to say about this video, apart from!!!!! AMAZING, BRILLIANT, WONDERFUL, AND FANTASTIC. thanks for taking us all on such a lovely video. You are blessed with a lot of industrial history in your area!!! One of my favourite videos too. I'm so jealous lol 😂 From Devon Boy (Mike)
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.
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 🔴🟡🟢
The most impressive railway bridge I've seen around. Wow, Seven Arch Bridge is like nothing I've ever seen. Incredible! The pit head is a reminder of a world that's virtually disappeared and has been forgotten. The shaft is that deep? Yes, exactly what I thought - five Blackpool Towers. Must go to Turton Tower. Very nice feel to this video, the next best thing to an enjoyable day out! The incidental music works nicely. Many thanks (from Aidan)
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
Martin! Great video . I love tower houses!The Irish ones that are all over Ireland I thought were the best ,until I saw the pigeon tower. It's fantastic. When I retire I'll build one here in Washington state. So , another kind of strange thing is my daughter is moving to Blighty. She got her PhD and is going to work in Oxford so I have been sending her lots of Zero videos so she know where to explore on the weekends. Anyway TKS for the vid. Best of luck.
Nice to see my village Astley on here again Martin, I'm sure I've mentioned the pit before, glad you dropped by to feature it mate, great video as always.
The Camera I used on this video amzn.to/2HnGQni The microphone system amzn.to/2T7rnKm
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.
What model drone do you use please?
Hi, it’s a DJI Mavic 2 pro
Hi it’s a DJI Mavic 2 pro
Just came across ur channel I love history in general so this was very interesting .... thank you ! 🙏❤️🙏 xxxx
The drone footage adds a unique and astonishing perspective that even the builders and owners never got to see. Thank you for bringing this to us!
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 UA-cam 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!
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.
Thanks Joe. Yes I agree that pit head needs saving
@@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.
Lancashire mining museum.
Just not as good as the Yorkshire mining museum.
Obviously!
@@fromthetaperoom6325 Yeah..LOL.
Some people don't know they're born today.
Glad to see your channel is getting recognised! Well done.
Thanks very much really appreciate that
Deserves far more views. More people should be interested in the world's history.
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!
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!
The Carnaby tower, hmm never heard that Brian
I've not be around the gardens area for a few years and it looks totally different- looks like they got a bit of lottery money!
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.
Thanks Valerie, I will pass it on
@@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, you are a fantastic documentary maker. Could watch you all day, you have a real talent for explaining things which keeps viewers interested. Thanks
Thank you Jane
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.
Thanks Simon, great places arent they
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!
Yeah they left a legacy of wonderful places
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💖
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 🌻
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. 😉
You should have your own show on the telly. Really well researched and presented, so interesting to watch.
Thank you Dave
Genuinely appreciate the work you do and the quality of all parts of your videos. Hope you are staying safe in your neck of the woods. 👍
Thank you, yeah all good here
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
Was this one 'The doll's Hospital' or near to it, at the top of Liverpool Road ?
That is the only repair place that I remember !
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...
I bet the old shafts were dangerous Mark
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 .
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.
Thanks for your support. I have never seen one of those little dungeons before
I love that little lock up never seen anything like it brilliant that is
I know, me niether, cool isnt it
@@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.
A few in the SE - one in Lingfield, Surrey.
There is a lockup close to a pub in Lingfield, Surrey.
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.
Thank you David. Its nice they mean something to you 👍
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.
Thanks Martin, I would have loved to do that
@@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.
Have a look at the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield in Yorkshire where you go down in the cage to the coal face - well worth a visit.
@@rjmun580 There's definitely a video there for Martin and the gang.
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.
Love your Adventures always very interesting thanks for taking us along take care
Thank you Mary
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 👍
Thanks Mark, yes its a beautiful place with its own charm
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.
Thank you, one of the scariest things Ive seen
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.
That was brilliant Martin, you just bring the whole area to life.
I’m having a right good old binge tonight on your channel. Just what I need after a hard days graft 👍🏻
Hi Martin!
Looking forward to this!
Thanks very much to you both
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
Ahh thats Brilliant Ann. Send your husband my regards
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 :)
Hmm sounds interesting I will have a think on that Thanks
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'.
@@MartinZero Have a look on the website of Troy Paiva, lostamerica.com. He ist the master of lightpainting and night photography.
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.
Thanks John I really appreciate that
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
I will have to pop up there
"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.
@@timwilkins7900 🧱👍🏽
Love your video adventures , keep having fun times at interesting locations…
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 ;)
@@PaulaXism thanks, I'll be interested to take a look, appreciated.
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)
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.
As a proud Yorkshireman it pains me to say that you've got some grand stuff over there on the dark side!
God bless ya Yorkie 😀
Same. I live round corner from Adventure me bloke.
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 .
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!
Thanks Miles for your comment. Yes few local gems here
@@MartinZero Can you go underground at Astley Martin?
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.
Good old Dad eh Simon 😆
Those dungeons were typically built on bridges with a hole in the floor to prevent them filling with err effluent so that they stayed usable :)
Ook!
Oh dear
Thanks Martin. As always, very interesting and well produced. Music totally in keeping with the video too.
Lord Leverhulme left the entire Rivington pike area to the public to enjoy, how did it end up being owned by United utilities?
Give away like everything else we once owned..
I would like to know Norman
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).
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.,
Thanks Andrew. and yes I remember it being like that a few years ago
What an awesome show . Right on .👍🏻👍🏻❣❣
Thanks very much Patty
Tremendous Martin, that's the best 26 minutes I've put in today mate...Allen.
Thanks very much Allen, glad you enjoyed it
Brilliant collection of "curios" and great presentation. Also liked the aerial shots too. Many thanks Pete
Cheers Peter
Welcome back
Cheers Captain
Cheers 😀
Enjoyable outing with beautiful views and buildings - thanks for sharing!
Thank you
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
Yes, I was going to say more but it would need to be a full video Martin
@@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.
Another wonderful film. Thanks.
What no Liverpool Castle, an interesting Victorian Folly.
I think liverpool castle deserves it's own show. Went to school up rivi and love the whole area
Excellent spot and beautifully filmed, with an excellent spot for a brew.
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.
Cheers Paul, well worth a visit
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.
18:13 Should have John Cleese pitching it
LOL! The ministry of silly walks? :-)
Wow! Love these architectural gems. My kind of places 😍
Thankfully this wasn’t about that other Gollum,Cummings! That’s all the curiosities in one.
Ha 😃
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.
Thanks Mike thats very kind of you
I almost gave this a thumbs down when you didn't say "lets crack on" at the beginning of that climb. ;-)
Love it. Takes me back to my childhood around Bolton and Manchester. Cheers chaps.
Thanks very much, its a great place
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
@@malcolmcog
Thanks Malcolm you seem like you know your stuff.
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.
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.
Thanks Alan, I must admit I dont know much about them. Thanks for the info
@@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.
I really enjoyed this one. So many curiosities that people pass each day without much thought.
Excellent as always thanks Martin 👍
Thanks very much Mark
Thankyou for filming these interesting things & sharing them with us. I would not have known anything about them without this video.
Thanks very much Sarah
So glad you explained that the diagram of the shaft depth was illustrating Blackpool Towers.!! - great stuff Martin loving your content.
Nicely produced and presented with enthusiasm
Awsome as always!
In Sweden the Lancashire process was an important milestone in the iron processing and steel manufactoring developement in the late 1800.
Thank you, Lancashire process ill look at that
@@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).
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.
Keeping it fresh. Great variety...a very interesting half hour. Thank you.
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
Thanks John, I saw all the bikers once
We love watching, we are way down south over 4 hours away, so appreciate you sharing lovely lovely historical places from up north 🖖👌👍♥️😁
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 !
Thanks very much Malcolm
i live in ASTLEY have been in the pit hundreds of times, great place.
Fantastic. You find all these wonderful places, I watch them all, Thankyou
Thanks very much Judy
Hi again Martin.
Can't really think of anything to say about this video, apart from!!!!!
AMAZING, BRILLIANT, WONDERFUL, AND FANTASTIC.
thanks for taking us all on such a lovely video.
You are blessed with a lot of industrial history in your area!!!
One of my favourite videos too.
I'm so jealous lol 😂
From Devon Boy (Mike)
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.
Thanks Martin. I visited Rivington recently. I didn’t realise how much I missed. so I will have to go back.
Cheers David, yeah there is a heck of a lot there
Thanks for that Martin. Absolutely brilliant, again!
Thanks very much David
Thank you for this mini vacation!! It sucks having to stay inside but this is like premium tourism on the sofa.
Thank you glad you enjoyed
An eclectic mix of locations. Thanks!
Thanks Philip
Martin, you dominate this platform with such great and informative content.
You truly deserve a slot on mainstream TV.
Totally brilliant 👍👍
Thank you Danny 👍
@@MartinZero Credit where credit is due, my friend 👍
I love all your videos, but one like this are right up my street. Thanks Martin and James, take care.
Love that dungeon! 🍺😎👍
Yeah good wasnt it
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 🔴🟡🟢
Martin, excellent as usual. One day I might get there. I have always wanted to visit England and Normandie. Meriden, Kansas
Excellent insights into history again martin, thank you. That 7 arch bridge was ace. Never new these features are so close. 👌🇬🇧
Thanks yeah if you havent been go take a look
The most impressive railway bridge I've seen around. Wow, Seven Arch Bridge is like nothing I've ever seen. Incredible! The pit head is a reminder of a world that's virtually disappeared and has been forgotten. The shaft is that deep? Yes, exactly what I thought - five Blackpool Towers. Must go to Turton Tower. Very nice feel to this video, the next best thing to an enjoyable day out! The incidental music works nicely. Many thanks (from Aidan)
Another brilliant video! Thanks!
This is another amazing video mate! Only halfway through but currently watching while camping!
Cheers Dean, hope its not too cold for you
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
Thanks - fascinating historical remnants- you make them stimulating and humorous. Cheers PS
Thanks very much Peter
Martin!
Great video . I love tower houses!The Irish ones that are all over Ireland I thought were the best ,until I saw the pigeon tower. It's fantastic. When I retire I'll build one here in Washington state.
So , another kind of strange thing is my daughter is moving to Blighty. She got her PhD and is going to work in Oxford so I have been sending her lots of Zero videos so she know where to explore on the weekends. Anyway TKS for the vid. Best of luck.
Thank you, Build that Tower. Oxford is beautiful
Wonderful video.Really enjoyed it.Thank you.
Nice to see my village Astley on here again Martin, I'm sure I've mentioned the pit before, glad you dropped by to feature it mate, great video as always.
Yes you probably have mentioned it and am glad you did 👍
Really enjoyed this, thank you Martin and James
Thanks very much
Great video! Love the ‘pigeon house’.
Yeah its a gem isnt it, and thanks
Some great structures once again.