Hartshead Pike

Hartshead Pike
Hartshead Pike
Highest point
Elevation	267 m (876 ft) [1]
Coordinates	53°31′5.88″N 2°3′39.24″W / 53.5183000°N 2.0609000°WCoordinates: 53°31′5.88″N 2°3′39.24″W / 53.5183000°N 2.0609000°W
Geography
Hartshead Pike Location of Hartshead Pike in Greater Manchester
Location	Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England
Parent range	South Pennines
Geology
Mountain type	Pike

Hartshead Pike is a hill in Tameside in Greater Manchester, England,^[2] and its name is associated with the monument on its summit. It overlooks Ashton-under-Lyne, Mossley and Oldham. Hartshead Pike Tower has been a Grade II Listed building since 1967.

History

The tower on Hartshead Pike

During the Roman occupation of Britain, a warning beacon for local garrisons, possibly lit during times of unrest, may have been sited on Hartshead Pike. Local trackways were routes for the Romans to access the Roman road at Limeside.

The name refers to the hill and the tower. The tower is not on the highest part of the hill but its prominent position,^[3] 940 feet (290 m) above sea level, has been the site of a beacon or signalling station^[2] from early times and may have been the site of a beacon in the late 16th century.^[4]

Tower

The circular, grade-II-listed tower is constructed of hammer-dressed stone with a door on the west side and cusped lancet windows. It has a steeply pitched conical roof above corbelled eaves and dormer roof lights.^[5]

The tower was rebuilt in 1863 by John Eaton to commemorate the marriage of HRH Albert Edward to Princess Alexandra, replacing a building that had been there since 1751.^[4] An inscription stone reused in the tower states "This Pike Was Rebuilt By Publick Contributions Anno Domini 1751".^[4] In the 1930s the tower was open to the public and contained a sweet shop; it closed at the outbreak of the Second World War and the tower entrance was bricked up after the war in about 1950. There is a well on the summit enclosed by a stone slab. The inscription above the tower's entrance reads "Look well at me Before you go And See You nothing at me throw".

References

1. "Medlock Valley: Hartshead Pike". Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
2. "Hartshead Pike". Ashton-under-Lyne.com. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
3. From Harthead Pike four ancient counties may be seen: Cheshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Hartshead Pike- Ashton
4. Burke, Tom; Nevell, Mike (1996). Buildings of Tameside. Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. ISBN 1-871324-14-9.
5. Historic England. "Hartshead Pike Tower (1067991)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 May 2013.