Our walk starts at the New Inn junction where Wigan Road (A49) meets the road into Leyland, namely Heald House Road (B5248). The walk takes a short excursion south along Wigan Road before we return to head into Leyland along Heald House Road.

Wigan Road

This was the Wigan and Preston (North of the Yarrow) Trust (Lower Road) turnpike now known as the A49, the higher road being the A6 route from Chorley to Bamber Bridge. This road from Wigan to Preston was known, through the journals of many early travellers along the old turnpike roads, as one of the worst stretches of road in the country.

The 1844 Map shows the New Inn Farm with Rose Whittle's Inn and adjacent bowling green at the junction with Back Lane. To the north, the only building between New Inn Farm and Moss Lane was Lancaster House at the bottom of Lancaster Lane. By the time of the 1896 Survey, Holland’s Farm and the adjoining Holland’s Cottage had been built.

New Inn Road Junction

The New Inn Farm, a fine three-storey eighteenth century house at the junction of Heald House Road, Dawson Lane and Wigan Road, was built to replace Rose Whittles public house. Although called New Inn, it has not been established if it ever sold any beer. It was demolished when the R.O.F. was being built prior to the Second World War.

Whereas the present junction is staggered, the original crossroads with Wigan Road and Dawson Lane can still be defined to the left of the present road, though the new road junction with traffic lights will recreate the original.

R.O.F. Entrance

The Royal Ordnance Factory to the north of Wigan Road, hides within its boundaries two historic buildings, on the Chorley side of the site - Buckshaw Hall, while on the Leyland side of the site - Worden Old Hall.

The old portion of Worden Old Hall is said to have been erected in 1509 and was about 60 feet long and 20 feet wide, being extended at a later date. The Worden estate was part of the land granted to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem by Roger De Lacy. It was purchased by Sir Henry Farington in 1534, for William, his son by his second wife.

The present R.O.F. factory opened by Gracie Fields in 1938 to prepare for the Second World War is now much reduced, with the Runshaw College taking over one of the buildings at the Leyland side of the site.

This photograph was taken in November 2002 by a member of the Society of the Old Worden Hall, which is within the confines of the R.O.F. complex.

Rose Whittle's Inn

This inn was situated on the Preston to Wigan road opposite the end of Back Lane, being featured on the 1848 Map with a bowling green. The A49 was one of the main stage coach routes in the area, this wayside inn probably providing a much needed relief following a day on one of the worst stretches of road in the country before the advent of the turnpike. The name of the inn is said to be taken from a former landlady by the name of Rose Whittle, though research has resulted in the discovery that the inn was known by the Sign of the Rose, it is therefore unclear whether the inn was named after the lady or vice versa.

While research traced the will of William Whittle who resided at this address in 1732, there is no documentary evidence relating to Rose Whittle at this address. However, an entry in the registers of Leyland Parish Church shows the marriage of Henry Okenshaw of Euxton and a Rose Whittle of Leyland on August 24th 1708.

It would appear that the Inn was entirely demolished and rebuilt in the latter part of the 18th Century, the older buildings were probably outdated and cramped timber framed buildings of the tudor period or even medieval hovels. The later building which occupied this site had a 45 feet frontage together with an outbuilding, later being divided into flats before being demolished in October 1983.

Charnock Farm

The land on which this property now stands can trace its ownership back to the Order of Hospitallers or Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. They received the Chief Rents from this land which had been obtained from Roger de Lacy between 1205 - 1211. In 1540, the year of the suppression of the monasteries and chantries, the land known at that time as Burscow Place was tenanted to Nicholas Blakelege at a rent of 6 pence. The rent then became payable to the Crown, eventually passing on to the Farington rentals. The present site features the house and the adjacent barn, which still has the large barn doors, these being usually opened.

We now head back north passing the following sites on the left before we turn left into Heald House Road.

Back Lane Entrance

Though this now looks like a field entrance, it was once one of the main thoroughfares of Leyland through Worden Park to Leyland Lane, the road being closed with the construction of the motorway in 1962.

The tree line in the distance marks the route of the M6 Motorway, while the group of trees masks the Motorway Bridge over the railway. This is on the site of Rose Whittle's railway bridge when Back Lane used to go over the railway.

Wigan Road Smithy

This was known as Rose Whittle's Smithy, the whole area along this stretch of the A49 and for a distance down Back Lane being known as Rose Whittle or Rose Whittle's.

It has been established that the smithy in the period 1656 to 1662 was operated by a branch of the Heald family, the smithy moving from being adjacent to the Rose Whittle public house to the new smithy across the road. According to a directory of 1851, the smithy was operated by Robert Nelson, whose family also owned the smithy in Dunkirk Lane.

Heald House Road

This road being a short connection between Wigan Road at the New Inn road junction and Bent Lane and Church Road does not have many properties on its route, the only property of note being Heald House being featured on the 1844 Map.

The present road, however, does not follow the original route having being totally rebuilt in the early 1960's when the M6 Motorway was built. The road having previously made a crossroads with Wigan Road and Dawson Lane at one end and a " T " junction with Church Road and Bent Lane at the other.

Heald House

Heald House was built in the reign of Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts, when the stagecoach was still the main mode of transport. The House, a farm and cottage were for a long time the only properties on this road, replacing the previous house on the site. It would seem that the house gets its name from William Heald, who was a member of a very well-to-do yeoman family in Leyland whose name appears regularly in rentals and surveys in the 16th and 17th Century.

Over the porch there is the inscription " S.A.M. 1706 “, the S appears on top of the other two, then follows the date. This stands for Andrew and Mary Stone for whom the house was originally built. Mary Stone was a member of the Armetriding family of Euxton. The woodwork in the house was timber from broken up ships and contained a beautiful oak staircase. There is oak panelling in carved oak, one, which shows the letters " P.M 1703 ".

In the mid 19th Century, the house was used as a girl’s school. It was in charge of a Miss Newton, who lived in her retirement at " The Elms " in Church Road. Many of the girls were boarders who came to the school by trap from the railway station, many having travelled from Preston or Wigan.

In the early part of this century, the house was occupied by George Gregson, who rebuilt the house with a double storey of bay windows. Mr Gregson was land agent for the Derby estate for 35 years. His daughter, Miss Gregson, was a generous donor to the Old Age Pensioners Association, with donations to the pensioners hut and the gift of Prospect House.

Where Heald House Road meets Church Road and Bent Lane on " The Inner Walk “, the walk continues down Church Road and thence into Langdale Road by taking the first turning on the left.