Rivington

Rivington is a small village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, occupying 2,538 acres (10.27 km2). It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Chorley and about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) northwest of Bolton. Rivington is situated on the fringe of the West Pennine Moors, at the foot of Rivington Pike. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 it had a population of 144.

Life in the Middle Ages centred on the families who owned the manor in what was then an isolated rural community. Agriculture, hand loom weaving, quarrying and mining occupied the few inhabitants until the middle of the 19th century. A chapel built before 1541 was replaced by the present church in 1666 and by 1703 Nonconformism led to the building of a Presbyterian church, now a Unitarian Chapel. A grammar school was founded by charter of Queen Elizabeth I in 1556.

Construction of reservoirs for Liverpool Corporation in the mid-19th century led to a decrease in the population when farms were cleared, the valley flooded and property in the western part of the village demolished. William Lever bought the Rivington Hall estate at the turn of the 20th century and used his wealth to renovate the old barns and create a large public park.