‘one on its own’
supposedly vengeful spirit of the deceased highwayman.
Other hidden gems of Up Holland’s past include the former Catholic college of St Joseph’s which trained generations of priests since the late 19th century, complete with lush gardens and gorgeous grounds.
It closed in the 90s and has since fallen into disrepair and became a favoured haunt of urban explorers.
Boasting no less than 97 listed buildings, Up Holland’s unusual name is said to hail from the old English for ‘land on or by a slope of a hill,’ while and some say it was the historical counterpart of the West Lancashire village of Downholland, near Ormskirk, since both places were owned by the Holland family until 1534.
Up Holland’s latter day hall of fame includes singer Richard Ashcroft, of 90s band ‘The Verve,’ actor Alan Bleasdale and Baroness Catherine Ashton, a Labour politician who was First Vice President of the European Commission from 2009 to 2014.
Described as ‘sandy, clayey in places’ and nestled close to mining territory in Skelmersdale and Wigan, Up Holland had a local workforce in times gone by including ‘coalers’, nailers, linen weavers and watch makers.
Today, the average house price will set you back £227,527 there, according to property website Right Move and crime rates are relatively low, with 39 crimes recorded there in April this year.
Yet with increasingly picturesque scenes as you go through the village, Up Holland takes on a pastoral feel along College Road, bordered by modern and Edwardian homes, St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School and St Teresa’s Church.
Said to be a favoured haunt of rare wildlife, the area and the adjoining, idyllic village of Roby Mill boast farms, a valley and woodland, while breath taking views across the Lancashire Plain and West Pennine Moors can be seen at nearby Beacon Country Park.
Long standing Up Holland resident Diane paints a vivid picture of the village’s stunning wildlife.
She said: “We have had deer in our back garden - we watched as one was here last week and it was stunning.
“We’re in a semi-rural position, aren’t we?
“Yesterday, we were watching a barn owl, the squirrels, and a pheasant. We’ve got the whole gamut of wild life - I believe there are hares across the valley, and there are buzzards, kestrels and sparrow hawks.
“The deer came in and started eating some of the garden, and they jump.
“Last year we saw half a dozen come into the garden.
“The space behind is now a big, green space and it’s rewilding itself...
“The deer come out of the woods, where a brook runs, and down by the canal and they’re also across the fields, so they’re basically everywhere, but they do like coming in and nibbling the bushes.
“We moved here in 1976 - when I first came here, the lady down the road still delivered milk in a handcart. In some ways, I’m still regarded as an incomer here.”