Rivington Village
Out looking for a pub for lunch on this bright and sunny day. But the one we had planned was closed. so we headed back to Rivington village for a pasty in the Village Tea Rooms.
Although I have been in Rivington Park many times, I rarely looked at the village. It’s clear that this settlement was around long before the reservoirs were built in the 1850’s. The village and its green are reputedly the remnant of the Anglo-Saxon Common. Houses were built around common land. Rivington is said to be one of the “ington” settlements from 650AD. Chad was Bishop of York at that time and his diocese covered the whole of Northumbria, down to the Mersey and Humber. Rivington was on the southern edge of his mission. He is recorded as baptising the Saxon inhabitants of Rivington into the Christian faith.
A stone water trough dated to 1860 used to be on the green. An ancient stocks now take centre place on the green. This small but busy village had an old Grammar School, dating back to 1566, rebuilt in 1744 and now used as the primary school. Two churches are still there, an Anglican Church and Unitarian Chapel. The busy Village green tea room is in the interesting Unitarian Chapel School House a welcome stop for walkers and cyclists, getting away from the motorbikes in the main cafes in Rivington Park. The area surrounding the village is now a conservation zone.
We parked the car and set off around Yarrow reservoir for a pleasant afternoon walk. The curlews were out in the fields and the yellow spring gorse added a colour of spring.
Antondotreks 