Red Moss

Red Moss is a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Horwich, Pollen analysis dating back to 8000 BC has shown Red Moss to be 10000 years old. Red Moss is a great example of lowland mire and wetland moss spanning almost 50 hectares. It is an haven for wildlife and plant life including peat-forming vegetation. There are several species of sphagnum moss, cotton grasses and even sundews. Most of the surface is made up of purple moor grass heather with some trees and shrubs. Examples of some of the wildlife found on Red Moss can be seen here :

Landscape Britain

Sometime during the past a local peat cutter working from nearby Gibb farm discovered the remains of a human skull dating back to the Bronze age or Iron age. The skull belonged to a girl or young woman and could well have been part of a sacrifice as the head was severed. I believe that the Red Moss skull is now back in storage at the Bolton Museum. Peat cutting dominated a large area of Red Moss and it is still possible to walk along the old tramways that they used. You can still find sections of the track scattered around and evidence of peat cutting has shaped the landscape and topography.

Close to Park Hall farm is a small wooded area which hides the remains of Park Hall colliery. The railway bridge nearby is named Colliery bridge and you can still see the site of where the old weighing machine used to be in the next field. There are still signs of other old collieries and coal workings but all are sealed. The coal workings below are severely flooded since the huge pumping station at Aspull closed which used to serve the local Blackrod collieries. Some of these collieries were rail served and the old railways and mineral lines can still be traced.

Some old local glass on Red Moss >>>>>

One ambitious project for the Horwich Loco works was to produce its own gas supply. Work began with the excavation of a reservoir to hold one million gallons of water. The gas works was located close to Blackrod near the fork line and was sufficient at first to light all of the workshops in Horwich and Blackrod. Eventually most of the works was lit by electricity the L&Y Railway Company later contracted with Bolton Corporation to supply the gas. Sadly there is nothing to see of the gas works but the reservoir is still there.