HORWICH Heritage will be marking the life of Lord Leverhulme in a special open day and exhibition.

It is an opportunity to learn more about the great man and his legacy.

Did you know that at one time Bolton had its own "open air" zoo complete with wild animals?

For someone visiting the Horwich Heritage Centre in Beaumont Road, Horwich the sight of a bar of Sunlight Soap or a picture of the Rivington Terraced Gardens will immediately trigger a connection with the area's greatest benefactor, Lord Leverhulme.

Even today, almost 90 years after his death in 1925 at the age of 74, we are still astonished at the lifetime achievements of this grocer's son from Bolton, says society chairman Stuart Whittle.

Most people are familiar with his remarkable rise to prominence as a soap magnate, setting up his factory and model village in Port Sunlight and exporting goods to the world.

This incredible man, who is reported to have taken a cold bath every morning at 5am, had a wonderful energy that meant he achieved a great deal in his life.

He was born in Wood Street in Bolton on September 19, 1851.

At the age of 15 he started in his father's grocery business, quickly extending the trade and range of goods and soon opened new premises in Wigan.

In 1885 he decided to buy a factory in Warrington where he concentrated on marketing soap.

he then set up Port Sunlight "and the rest, as they say, is history," says Stuart.

Today the company he founded as Lever Brothers is known as Unilever.

But Lord Leverhulme (as he later became) never forgot his Bolton roots and his generosity to the Bolton area included building Blackburn Road Congregational Church, extending New Chapel in Bottom o'th' Moor, rebuilding a number of farms including Ivy Model Farm and Nevy Fold Farm (both in Bottom o'th' Moor), creating Leverhulme Park, restoring Hall i'th' Wood and the Upper and Lower Barns in Rivington, bequeathing Lever Park to the people of the area and paying for the building of Bolton School.

"He would have done even more if Bolton Council had adopted his ambitious plans for the town centre," reveals Stuart.

In 1898 he took the opportunity to buy the Manor of Rivington for £60,000 and decided to build a residence high on the hillside with panoramic views over the surrounding area.

He is said to have chosen the spot because it was in that area that he spent many happy times during his teenage courtship years with his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth Hulme, whom he married in 1874.

This large wooden bungalow was named Roynton Cottage after the ancient name for Rivington and was surrounded by beautifully laid out oriental terraced gardens, designed by Lever — he has always wanted to be an architect) and landscape architect Thomas Mawson.

In an astonishing and unprovoked attack the bungalow was burned down by Edith Rigby, a suffragette from Preston in 1913.

However Leverhulme was undaunted and built a much more expensive and robust structure of stone, glass and concrete at a cost of £30,000.

There were 4,000 visitors at an open day in 1919 where one journalist remarked that local people had never dreamed there would be such paradise existing so close to Rivington Pike.

In 1901, shortly after purchasing the Rivington Hall, barns and estate, William Lever announced his next intention which was to open a large part of his estate "for the free and uninterrupted enjoyment by the public".

This brought him into conflict with Liverpool Corporation, who owned the Rivington Reservoirs and were anxious to protect their catchment.

A bitter and protracted legal battle ensued by Lever emerged victorious with compensation and costs amounting to almost £150,000.

While the case was proceeding, he started work on the new park, improving roads and building new ones.

He also renovated the hall and barns, established a museum, built a replica of the ruins of Liverpool Castle and set about creating Britain's first "open air" zoo with exotic animals from all over the world.

By 1911 the work was completed and a great celebration was organised at Rivington Hall.

When Viscount Leverhulme (as he ultimately became) died in 1925 none of his family wanted to live at Rivington or continue with the zoo venture and the property and animals were sold.

Lever Park though was the Leverhulme bequest to the people of the area and that lives on and is enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors every year who come from far and wide to sample its delights.

Sadly the bungalow and grounds have not fared so well.

In 1947, after years of neglect and vandalism during World War Two, the decision was taken to demolish Leverhulme's creation.

Only the gardens remain and these have been badly neglected over the years.

Today visitors are still free to wander around what is left of Leverhulme's masterpiece and to wonder what it must have looked like in its heyday.

There are plans to see the gardens restored to their former glory, explains Stuart.

The open day and exhibition is on Saturday March 14 from 10am to 1pm in the Heritage Centre.

Admission is free and as well as an exhibition and photographic display the group will launch its latest dvd on the Life of Lord Leverhulme and Groundwork North West will be talking about the latest plans and Heritage Lottery bid for Leverhulme's gardens.

Look out in next week's Looking Back supplement for more on Lord Leverhulme and his legacy.