The Parish of Rivington in the County of -- Lancashire --

	Rivington Church drawing by Annie Dodworth, ©Paul DIxon

The charming village of Rivington dates from an early settlement around 620-650 AD. The name Rivington means "the tun", or "town", by the rough hill. This, most likely, refers to the nearby windswept Winter Hill.

Rivington Village is located at the junction of the Anglezarke Lower and the Yarrow Upper Rivington Reservoirs. The landscape is dominated by Rivington Pike which stands high on Rivington Moor. Rivington Pike is the site of an ancient defence possibly dating back to the twelfth century. The Pike tower was built for John Andrews in 1733. Andrews became the sole owner of the Rivington Hall Estate in 1729 and some sources suggest that he may have had the Tower built to demonstrate his ownership of the surroundind land. (This comes from the official guide for Rivington).

The Parish Church, with its Saxon font, is mentioned in a land deed in 1280 and again in 1476, by which time it was in lands owned by the Pilkington family. The nearby present Vicarage was not built until 1884 on the site of an older building. It is near to the village Stocks which are still in their original position over the vicarage wall.

There is also a Noncomformist Unitarian Chapel in the village. It is one of the earliest to be built in Lancashire. This historic congregation separated from the Parish Church in 1667, although the Chapel was'nt built till 1703. It is built of local stone and has a small bell-cote. It is of great historical importance and its interior was restored in 1990 by English Heritage.