Horwich homes get mayoral seal of approval - 15 times over!

Tue, Apr 15th 2008, 14:15

Award winning housebuilder Redrow Homes rolled out the red carpet to welcome the VIP guests to its unique Arcon Village project.

The civic leaders were touring the area as guests of the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Barbara Ronson, who was showing the group around her home town. Other places they visited included the Reebok Stadium and the Middlebrook retail park.

It’s part of an annual event that sees all of the Mayors from areas such as Manchester, Salford and Rochdale visiting each other’s boroughs to sample some of the highlights.

Cllr Barbara Ronson, Mayor of Bolton, said: “The various Civic Tours look at the heritage and regeneration of the boroughs.  I wanted to show how the two had been brought together in our town.  When we talk about regeneration, we are not only considering the huge developments in the town centre, but other schemes which bring our older listed buildings back into use.  I believe that Bolton Council has shown an imaginative approach in encouraging this type of development”

Arcon Village was originally an 18th century bleach works, owned by the Ridgeway Family.  The family were pioneers of their time, being one of the first to use chemical bleaching during the late 18th century and also the first Bolton firm to install a Boulton and Watt steam engine, in 1798.

At its peak, the Ridgeway family’s bleach works was the second largest in the Bolton area, employing a 461-strong workforce. But in 1933, against a backdrop of mounting difficulties in the textile industry, the factory closed, bringing to an end more than 150 years of bleaching on the site. Prior to Redrow’s acquisition, the site belonged to Arcon Engineering, which was based there from 1950. 

Redrow is now revitalising the Grade II listed buildings to create bespoke stone-built homes steeped in character. In doing so, the company has worked closely with the local authority, as well as English Heritage and the University of Manchester’s Archaeological unit. 

There are 140 homes in total, including apartments, townhouses, bungalows and mews style cottages and, as part of the development, a clock tower and bell tower have been sensitively restored to their previous splendour.

Lesley Myers, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (Lancashire) says: “We were delighted that the Mayor of Bolton decided to include Arcon Village on the itinerary for the civic tour. It is one of Redrow’s most treasured ventures and an important part of the history of Horwich. We have succeeded in creating a new community whilst sill retaining the feel of past times.”

A selection of homes are currently available including two-bedroom ground floor apartments with parking, priced from £159,995, as well as mews-style three-bedroom homes priced from £195,995 and stunning four-bedroom cottages priced from £249,995.

A beautifully designed, fully furnished show home shows off the development and its lifestyle potential to the full and is open 10am-5.30pm. Alternatively call 01204 693524 or log on to www.arconvillage.co.uk to find out more about the project.