Alance Bridge

Alance Bridge is in Anglezarke

The “modern” Alance Bridge was built to replace the old bridge that was lost to the waters of Yarrow Reservoir, along with the hamlet of Alance.

The bridge today is interesting as it has quite tall arches but the water of the reservoir is so variable that often, much of the bridge is submerged. Local kids like to use the bridge for tombstoning or jumping off into the water. This is frowned upon by the water authority but is quite good fun - until someone gets hurt or killed, then it will be tragic. Make up your own mind but that’s what people do here in the summer months.

The stream leading into the reservoir is also very variable and can be seen on some days to appear as a small lake, and at other times there is hardly any water at all. We can see then how the wide, slow water forms the silt deposits into broad, smooth curves; while the low-water, narrow stream cuts deeply through the silt. We can imagine the shape of the bedrock below, and the silt deposits building up over time. Perhaps some fossils are starting to be formed there right now, like a fossil old bike or car wheel - for example :)

During the 1990’s scrap vehicles where often dumped over the side of the bridge here when the water was high, only to be revealed as the water level dropped.

The old Alance was situated to the Southwest, near the corner of land that protrudes out into the water on the nearby shoreline. I don’t think there’s anything to be seen today, the water is so low in the reservoir at times that it’s possible to have a good mooch around. There are natural block formations of rock on the lower shores but this is natural and just the way a few layers in the country rock erode. Sometimes looks like old kerbs or sets of stone steps, or block-paved areas.

Maybe we can see a small rubble of a wall and maybe part of the property on the East side of the old Bridge, just near the water level in the photos here.

Many interesting things can be found deposited in the water though as there are carved stones and a large stone head - last seen in the Rivington tourist office. I have found many interesting fossils.

I imagine everything washes down off the higher ground and ends up here in the big sieve or Yarrow Reservoir, many exotic or perhaps erratic rocks can be found that must have been washed out of the glacial till as they are not found in the strata round here.

Chisnall Hole etc.

There is a text on the old 1st edition OS map (sheet 78) titled “Chisnall Hole”, which looks interesting but it seems just to be the name given to the large quarry on the Southeastern bank of the Yarrow - as seen on our right if we look upstream (away from the reservoir) when standing on Alance Bridge.

There is evidence of further quarrying a little way upstream and on the opposite bank by the path. Note that these quarries are described but not shown on the early map and pre-date the construction of the reservoir.

A friend-of-a-friend once found an old iron axe head of uncertain age, perhaps it was a tool of the old quarry workers.