My husband ‘graffiti ‘ his love for me in 1962 on billinge lump, taking a ladder on his motor bike and climbing up to try and get to the tallest bit. He did the same in our garden here in Melbourne Australia a few years ago in a concrete step. He says he still loves me!!!! I am so sorry he disfigured a lovely monument but he was young,stupid and in love. Thanks for a lovely walk down memory lane.
that music while we where looking at the roof took me back to when i was a kid... my mother would listen to that type of music when she would clean the house and cook...
Lol. Unfortunately Mr H's Hot Pot channel won't stretch to a 'Camera Drone' Northern Monkey, as I refuse to monetise the channel out of principle but we still managed to get some good clear close up shots of the roof. Was very windy up there which is why I dubbed some suitably apt music over that part of the video. Glad to hear that you enjoyed this one.👍
The engraved stone is a benchmark. It would of had a value issued which is above/below sea level in Newlyn. The values are around, but the ordinance survey no longer maintains these points. With the trig point, the bit to the side is also a benchmark, and its simply for a tape measure to get a difference in distance to the theodolite, total station, or later, GPS/GNSS system being placed atop the pillar. Without the brass insert atop it though, the pillar can only be used for elevation.
Its amazing how you make a lump of old stones so interesting Roy ,,,, but of course it's not just a lump of stones now we know some of its past. I googled it images etc,, , ( paste time ) "Billinge Hill was also used by the Royal Observer Corps, and there was a bunker at the site, 60 yards (55 m) West of and below Beacon. The Beacon itself was used for aircraft observation during and after the war. The bunker would have been used to monitor the location of nuclear blasts and the resulting fallout over Lancashire in the event of nuclear war" And i can just make it out from my neck of the woods from certain places. Fascinating. Nice camera work Mrs H
Thanks Al, glad that you found this video interesting. Apparently a number of prominent hills stretching from Everton Brow in Liverpool and across Lancashire would have had beacons on them to form a chain to warn against invaders when lit. Many of the 'beacon hills' later had quirky structures like this one built on them for varying purposes. The remains of the ROC Post can be seen between 9:53 and 12:02 on the video. Sadly I wrongly term this as an 'ROF Post' and a 'Royal Ordnance Post' at a couple of points due to an unexpected audience who's voices can just be heard in the background which was putting me off a little bit!
Cheers Bamboozle83, and glad that you enjoyed the video. I was also expecting to see something like that or an old beer bottle or some other random object thrown up there just for the fun of it. But it appears to be relatively clean up there which was a surprise bearing in mind both the location and age of the tower.
Yes, we've been drawing on walls since we were cavemen/people xD I would love to see this opened up and the windows unbricked. It would be nice to have some seating inside and made use of, but also secured at sundown.
if you dont mind i would like to mention your channel on my channel.. i am a history fan and i just love old sites like the ones you are showing on this channel..
Yes it would be nice to see it restored to it's pre 1935 glory Urbexy. It's interesting to note that there appears to be a smaller concrete slab added over the top of the main roof slab in one corner suggesting that there has been a hole in the roof at some point. I have heard that this tower was used as a lookout post during WW2 so maybe the second slab was later added to cover the hole that would have allowed access up onto the roof from the inside when it was no longer needed? The type of concrete finish on the roof would date from that era and this theory would also answer why the roof is so thick! I also wonder if the fire place is still present inside the tower or if it was removed after the fire that gutted it in 1935?
The Royal Observer Corps would generally build their cold war monitoring posts near WWII posts. The WWII posts were used to spot and identify aircraft. You may find that during WWII there would have been an aircraft monitoring post up there (orlit post). Could be an interesting discovery! Some were built on concrete towers and some seemed to make use of existing structures.
i have a question for you? can you just walk anywhere in england?? it seems like when i was over to visit there where pathways bridal ways and such all over the countryside.. i wanted to walk on them but i was afraid i would get shot for trespassing here in the united states bullets would fly if there would be people just wandering around my fields and buildings....
Hi Duffy, for more info such as origins and the purposes of 'trig points' both in the UK and around the world see this wiki entry here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation_station
Cheers for that Joshua Martland, I had heard that locals refer to it as 'Billinge Lump' or sometimes simply as 'The Lump' but didn't know how true that was so I didn't include it in my video but thanks for letting me know. 👍
Thanks Nonroadusr, I'd uploaded this late last night and just let it do it's thing with it being 14 minutes long and a large file. Due to being at work I've only just got back this evening to tweak the editing and add links etc.
Hi Sloth Gaming, yes there is a former ROC Post there although unfortunately there isn't much to see now only the capped entrance shaft, the BPI pipe, ventilation shaft and the concrete corner posts from the chain link fence which would have once surrounded the post. You can see the remains of these structures between 9:53 and 12:02 on the video. Sadly I wrongly term this as an 'ROF Post' and a 'Royal Ordnance Post' at a couple of points due to an unexpected audience who's voices can just be heard in the background which was putting me off a little bit. Anyway hope that you enjoyed the video.
Mr H's Hot Pot in this video you mention how you can finned for certain trespass places 11:50 does that me roc posts? Also a good roc post you can access near there is burscough roc post it's easy to get in and out its on the former rnas burscough site
No, all the remaining ROC Posts were decommissioned at the end of the Cold War in 1991 and sold off by the MOD Estate privately so unless one of them is on a still active MOD site then the usual rules regarding 'Trespassing' apply. I.e. provided that you haven't broken in, taken anything or done any damage and leave when asked via the shortest practical route then it is unlikely that you will be prosecuted for visiting former ROC Posts. Thanks for the tip regarding the Burscough ROC Post I knew there was one round there somewhere but not the exact location. 👍
Many a Billinger has been down into the ROC bunker in the early 80s. Toilet and a bunk bed, not much else. Usual idiots set fires down in it and it got capped off. Fun while it lasted.
Lol. I may start marketing them Mr Sooty, as they are a lot cheaper than a Camera Drone and can also double up as an upstairs window cleaning pole/gutter cleaning pole. 😉
Why do people have to spray paint graffiti everywhere? Was dismayed to see the spray paint on the front doorway where it has been blocked up at the start, however I thought at least it isnt on the stonework. Then when you were round the back, yes I might have guessed someone had sprayed red paint on the stone. Council should be cleaning it off as a matter of duty. I mean they dont even bother to empty the bins weekly anymore, yet I am sure I am not alone in saying I haven't seen one penny reduction in my council tax bill as a result. So yes they have the money to do some graffiti removal and should be without question for such an old and prominent building
Hi James, unfortunately 'Tagging' on public property and monuments such as this one is a major problem that most Councils face these days especially with the cheapness and availability of spray paint and the vandals can spray it on a lot faster than the Council can clean it off. Although I agree that at least some attempt should have been made to remove it since 2016! Sadly vandalism has always gone on, even during eras that we wouldn't expect to see it in. Are the names carved into the stone work from the late 19th/early 20th century really any better than their modern equivalent? As it's still deliberate and wilful damage when all's said and done and sadly can't just simply be washed off.
Mr H's Hot Pot Yes you have a point in that vandalism has always gone on. The carvings are still vandalism but are a lot less unsightly (at least till you get up to the building anyway) than the paint. I just have a real issue with the paint as its so tacky and what you expect to see in run down inner city areas. Anyway great video and what a great device for filming on top of the building.
I agree that carvings are at least better than paint and ones such as the 'T TELFORD' carving are worthy of a stone mason as whoever T TELFORD is they managed to get all the letters the same size and correctly spaced apart the same. I'm hoping to visit one or two other beacons on various hills across Lancashire that formed part of this ancient early warning system against invaders as part of this series in the near future so keep an eye out for those if you enjoyed this one. Thanks for your comments and all the best. 👍
Mr H's Hot Pot maybe T Telford was a stonemason in his 9-5 and visited monuments on a weekend to 'leave his mark'. Anyway be good to see some more hilltop ones. Rivington/Winter Hill always interests me up on the West Pennine Moors. It always seems to have a bit of feeling about it whenever I've been up there or maybe its just cos its so wind swept and exposed when you are up there that it has an atmosphere of its own.
My husband ‘graffiti ‘ his love for me in 1962 on billinge lump, taking a ladder on his motor bike and climbing up to try and get to the tallest bit. He did the same in our garden here in Melbourne Australia a few years ago in a concrete step. He says he still loves me!!!! I am so sorry he disfigured a lovely monument but he was young,stupid and in love. Thanks for a lovely walk down memory lane.
We used to get inside the lump and also the ordinance area was opened up and we got inside down the ladder smelled of wee , happy days Ian form Nz
that music while we where looking at the roof took me back to when i was a kid... my mother would listen to that type of music when she would clean the house and cook...
Great video well explained. Is there still a beacon at Upholland - Ashurst Beacon?
Such a pity the tower got damaged. Interesting facts and a super photograph. 👍
Half expected you to break out a Camera Drone there Mr H! Just shows, ingenuity is on par with technology. Great vid as always guys.
Lol. Unfortunately Mr H's Hot Pot channel won't stretch to a 'Camera Drone' Northern Monkey, as I refuse to monetise the channel out of principle but we still managed to get some good clear close up shots of the roof. Was very windy up there which is why I dubbed some suitably apt music over that part of the video. Glad to hear that you enjoyed this one.👍
So relaxing to hear a genuine Wigan accent the BBC are missing out !
The engraved stone is a benchmark. It would of had a value issued which is above/below sea level in Newlyn. The values are around, but the ordinance survey no longer maintains these points. With the trig point, the bit to the side is also a benchmark, and its simply for a tape measure to get a difference in distance to the theodolite, total station, or later, GPS/GNSS system being placed atop the pillar. Without the brass insert atop it though, the pillar can only be used for elevation.
Its amazing how you make a lump of old stones so interesting Roy ,,,, but of course it's not just a lump of stones now we know some of its past.
I googled it images etc,, , ( paste time )
"Billinge Hill was also used by the Royal Observer Corps, and there was a bunker at the site, 60 yards (55 m) West of and below Beacon. The Beacon itself was used for aircraft observation during and after the war. The bunker would have been used to monitor the location of nuclear blasts and the resulting fallout over Lancashire in the event of nuclear war"
And i can just make it out from my neck of the woods from certain places.
Fascinating.
Nice camera work Mrs H
Thanks Al, glad that you found this video interesting. Apparently a number of prominent hills stretching from Everton Brow in Liverpool and across Lancashire would have had beacons on them to form a chain to warn against invaders when lit. Many of the 'beacon hills' later had quirky structures like this one built on them for varying purposes. The remains of the ROC Post can be seen between 9:53 and 12:02 on the video. Sadly I wrongly term this as an 'ROF Post' and a 'Royal Ordnance Post' at a couple of points due to an unexpected audience who's voices can just be heard in the background which was putting me off a little bit!
I was expecting to see a frisby and perhaps a soccer ball up there!?Very good presentation. .thumbs up.
Cheers Bamboozle83, and glad that you enjoyed the video. I was also expecting to see something like that or an old beer bottle or some other random object thrown up there just for the fun of it. But it appears to be relatively clean up there which was a surprise bearing in mind both the location and age of the tower.
Yes, we've been drawing on walls since we were cavemen/people xD I would love to see this opened up and the windows unbricked. It would be nice to have some seating inside and made use of, but also secured at sundown.
Like your “Up on the roof” music. 😁
Brilliant video
Thanks Franny1232, glad that you enjoyed the video. 👍
if you dont mind i would like to mention your channel on my channel.. i am a history fan and i just love old sites like the ones you are showing on this channel..
I bet there is some weight in that concrete roof! Seems a bit overkill. Would be nice to see it restored.
Yes it would be nice to see it restored to it's pre 1935 glory Urbexy. It's interesting to note that there appears to be a smaller concrete slab added over the top of the main roof slab in one corner suggesting that there has been a hole in the roof at some point. I have heard that this tower was used as a lookout post during WW2 so maybe the second slab was later added to cover the hole that would have allowed access up onto the roof from the inside when it was no longer needed? The type of concrete finish on the roof would date from that era and this theory would also answer why the roof is so thick! I also wonder if the fire place is still present inside the tower or if it was removed after the fire that gutted it in 1935?
The Royal Observer Corps would generally build their cold war monitoring posts near WWII posts. The WWII posts were used to spot and identify aircraft. You may find that during WWII there would have been an aircraft monitoring post up there (orlit post). Could be an interesting discovery! Some were built on concrete towers and some seemed to make use of existing structures.
Thanks again Mr H - clendennan
No problem Clendennan/MidwestPrepper good to hear as always that you enjoyed the video. 👍
i have a question for you? can you just walk anywhere in england?? it seems like when i was over to visit there where pathways bridal ways and such all over the countryside.. i wanted to walk on them but i was afraid i would get shot for trespassing here in the united states bullets would fly if there would be people just wandering around my fields and buildings....
Never heard of a trigger point does anyone have more info on these as I can't seem to find anything online (or looking at the wrong things)?
Hi Duffy, for more info such as origins and the purposes of 'trig points' both in the UK and around the world see this wiki entry here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangulation_station
This place is usual called billinge lump by the locals as I am one and also the wood behind the hill so called billinge wood.
Cheers for that Joshua Martland, I had heard that locals refer to it as 'Billinge Lump' or sometimes simply as 'The Lump' but didn't know how true that was so I didn't include it in my video but thanks for letting me know. 👍
the lump is a term used by people who have moved to billinge or live in the surrounding villages. us born and bred billingers just call it "th'hill
At 2:52 there is no link to the other video ;-)
Thanks Nonroadusr, I'd uploaded this late last night and just let it do it's thing with it being 14 minutes long and a large file. Due to being at work I've only just got back this evening to tweak the editing and add links etc.
There's is a roc post there isn't there?
Hi Sloth Gaming, yes there is a former ROC Post there although unfortunately there isn't much to see now only the capped entrance shaft, the BPI pipe, ventilation shaft and the concrete corner posts from the chain link fence which would have once surrounded the post. You can see the remains of these structures between 9:53 and 12:02 on the video. Sadly I wrongly term this as an 'ROF Post' and a 'Royal Ordnance Post' at a couple of points due to an unexpected audience who's voices can just be heard in the background which was putting me off a little bit. Anyway hope that you enjoyed the video.
Mr H's Hot Pot in this video you mention how you can finned for certain trespass places 11:50 does that me roc posts? Also a good roc post you can access near there is burscough roc post it's easy to get in and out its on the former rnas burscough site
No, all the remaining ROC Posts were decommissioned at the end of the Cold War in 1991 and sold off by the MOD Estate privately so unless one of them is on a still active MOD site then the usual rules regarding 'Trespassing' apply. I.e. provided that you haven't broken in, taken anything or done any damage and leave when asked via the shortest practical route then it is unlikely that you will be prosecuted for visiting former ROC Posts. Thanks for the tip regarding the Burscough ROC Post I knew there was one round there somewhere but not the exact location. 👍
Many a Billinger has been down into the ROC bunker in the early 80s.
Toilet and a bunk bed, not much else.
Usual idiots set fires down in it and it got capped off.
Fun while it lasted.
It was briefly open again in the late 90s. I went down and had a look but it was grim and full of litter.
Looks like something from royston vasey.
I could do with borrowing that mr h extending pole mk2...to clean my gutters out lad.
Lol. I may start marketing them Mr Sooty, as they are a lot cheaper than a Camera Drone and can also double up as an upstairs window cleaning pole/gutter cleaning pole. 😉
On a clear day you can see all way to Snowdonia
Why do people have to spray paint graffiti everywhere? Was dismayed to see the spray paint on the front doorway where it has been blocked up at the start, however I thought at least it isnt on the stonework. Then when you were round the back, yes I might have guessed someone had sprayed red paint on the stone. Council should be cleaning it off as a matter of duty. I mean they dont even bother to empty the bins weekly anymore, yet I am sure I am not alone in saying I haven't seen one penny reduction in my council tax bill as a result. So yes they have the money to do some graffiti removal and should be without question for such an old and prominent building
Hi James, unfortunately 'Tagging' on public property and monuments such as this one is a major problem that most Councils face these days especially with the cheapness and availability of spray paint and the vandals can spray it on a lot faster than the Council can clean it off. Although I agree that at least some attempt should have been made to remove it since 2016! Sadly vandalism has always gone on, even during eras that we wouldn't expect to see it in. Are the names carved into the stone work from the late 19th/early 20th century really any better than their modern equivalent? As it's still deliberate and wilful damage when all's said and done and sadly can't just simply be washed off.
Mr H's Hot Pot Yes you have a point in that vandalism has always gone on. The carvings are still vandalism but are a lot less unsightly (at least till you get up to the building anyway) than the paint. I just have a real issue with the paint as its so tacky and what you expect to see in run down inner city areas. Anyway great video and what a great device for filming on top of the building.
I agree that carvings are at least better than paint and ones such as the 'T TELFORD' carving are worthy of a stone mason as whoever T TELFORD is they managed to get all the letters the same size and correctly spaced apart the same. I'm hoping to visit one or two other beacons on various hills across Lancashire that formed part of this ancient early warning system against invaders as part of this series in the near future so keep an eye out for those if you enjoyed this one. Thanks for your comments and all the best. 👍
Mr H's Hot Pot maybe T Telford was a stonemason in his 9-5 and visited monuments on a weekend to 'leave his mark'. Anyway be good to see some more hilltop ones. Rivington/Winter Hill always interests me up on the West Pennine Moors. It always seems to have a bit of feeling about it whenever I've been up there or maybe its just cos its so wind swept and exposed when you are up there that it has an atmosphere of its own.