Darcy Lever
Lancashire, United Kingdom
Welcome
It been a long time since we have done any updates. So we have decided to start again.
Darcy Lever is a small village/suburb of Bolton,
formerly in Lancashire now part of Greater Manchester. The
main village is along the Radcliffe Road, which links Bolton to
Little Lever. There is a church, primary school, four pubs. There are also two cricket pitches. The village also
borders Moses Gate Country Park and Leverhulme Park. Through the village
and park are the remains of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
and the Bolton-Bury/Radcliffe railway line.
Darcy Lever was at one time a township or civil parish in Lancashire, in
the Bolton (then called Bolton le Moors) Ecclesiastical Parish and in
Bolton Poor Law Union. In 1898 it became part of Bolton Borough. The
notable Darcy Lever Viaduct is one of its distinctive features,
comprising a wrought iron structure of eight spans, standing on stone
piers and abutments and dating from 1848. Carrying the Bolton to Bury
line over the River Tonge and Radcliffe Road at a height of over 80
feet, the structure was finally designated non-operational in 1983, some
thirteen years after the line closed. This magnificent structure has
needed only minimal maintenance work due to the high quality of its
materials and construction. It must surely be one of the most dramatic
and spectacular viaducts in this country, towering over the surrounding
area, crossing over a dramatic river valley and immortalizing the "mill
town" character of Darcy Lever.
