VOLUNTEERS have been praised after the refurbishment of stocks in Horwich was completed.

The display in Chorley Old Road has been re-painted and repaired after members of Horwich Town Council decided to get them done.

The stocks are a key historical feature of the town and the council has records about two men escaping from them in 1622.

Cllr Peter Wright, town mayor of Horwich, said: “It has been completely done by volunteers.

“The work they have done is excellent and I think we should do something thank them.

“Volunteers do so much for Horwich in many aspects. They have done this and events like the community litter picks.

“I think we would be lost without them so I think it would be great to do something to say thank you to them for all the work they do for us.”

The stocks, which were originally situated near the Fleet Street junction, were last used in 1805.

They were removed in about 1981 after they deteriorated to the point where just two posts remained.

The English oak structure, backed by a public seat, was reconstructed by members of Bolton Training Workshops back in October 1984.

They helped to reconstruct the stocks for Horwich Town Council at a cost of around £100.

Some of the original timber was used in the reconstruction of the stocks.

They were officially unveiled by the then town mayor Cllr Kevin Kilcoyne, who revealed the plaque.

The stocks dated back to the 17th century, but were moved from the original location near the Fleet Street.

They are now situated close to the junction with Stocks Park Drive.

They were last refurbished in 1999.

The recent refurbishment, which was completed towards the end of May, was done by Roy Davies.

Mr Davies, a member of Horwich Heritage Centre, previously said of the project: "“The stocks hadn’t been repainted since 1999. The process started with a full power wash, followed by the removal of the old stain and a completely new paint job to preserve it for years to come.

“The old plaques were removed for a clean up and replaced.”

The heritage group has appealed for help to fund work on two polished granite pillars, erected in 1938 by Lord Leverhulme’s son.

Work would involve cleaning them with acid and paying for a stonemason to re-do the inscription.