Withnell Fold conservation village & nature reserve
If you want a pleasant walk on a summers afternoon you can stroll along the canal to Withnell Fold, and take a visit to the nature reserve and Cricket Field. Withnell Fold is a peaceful little village and features original mill houses, impressive old mill chimney, Methodist Chapel, cobbled road and village square, with its medieval village stocks and original school. Near the stocks is a sunken garden, formally a lodge for the paper mill, now a memorial for the two World Wars. The village was built entirely by the Parke Family in the mid nineteenth century to house the workforce for the paper mill, the remains of which can still be seen, although much of the mill has now been demolished or converted to homes.
The nature reserve can be found over the canal bridge and beyond the towpath. This area was originally a series of filter beds for the paper mill, which stood on the eastern side of the canal. Today the site supports a wide variety of plants and wildlife and was acquired by Lancashire County Council to be managed as a Local Nature Reserve, and contains a hide to view the wildlife.