Discover Whittingham through two distinct interests: architectural and local history, and walking routes in the parish. Chingle Hall offers a striking historical landmark; for planning a walk, there are named paths and specific route details. This lets you decide before your trip whether to focus on historic architecture or a walking route.
Historic Places and Architectural Features
The moated site at Chingle Hall comprises a slightly raised rectangular island measuring about 44 by 40 metres. A tree-lined, water-filled moat, seven to nine metres wide, borders the western side and most of the southern side. Chingle Hall is first mentioned by name in 1354; the site is protected as a Scheduled Monument. Its form, moat and protected status give the place a distinct character for exploring Whittingham’s cultural history.
Dun Cow Rib Farmhouse also offers a specific historical detail: the building bears the date 1616 on its lintel. An old local legend about a huge ghostly cow is also associated with the farmhouse. The date on the building and the legend passed down through the years represent different facets of local history. The parish of Whittingham itself is already mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.
St John's Church also has a historical connection with Whittingham Mental Hospital. The church was built for the hospital in 1873. Its rectangular floor plan, apsidal east end and north-east tower are three distinctive features of its architectural form. At its peak, the large psychiatric hospital housed more than 3,000 patients. Since its closure in 1995, St John's Church has no longer been in use. Include the church in your orientation as a historic building, but do not assume that you can visit inside.
Walking Routes and Countryside
A notice from Whittingham Parish Council dated 4 February 2025 names two walks along public rights of way: the Pudding Pie Fire Walk and the Cumeragh Canter. The Cumeragh Canter starts at the Grapes Inn, next to St Mary the Virgin Church. This gives the route a specific starting point. Route conditions and diversions may change, so check the route before setting out.
The walking brochure gives the length of a route in Whittingham as five miles and its approximate duration as two and a half hours. The distance and time provide a guide when planning your day’s walk; the duration is an estimate. The brochure also describes distant views of the Bleasdale Fells and Beacon Fell. These viewpoints add a landscape perspective to the architectural history, without assuming that they are part of either of the two named routes.
When planning your trip, you can therefore choose between different focuses: Chingle Hall, Dun Cow Rib Farmhouse and St John's Church offer historical and architectural points of interest; the routes turn your attention to walking and the countryside. If you would like to include both, check the route details and current conditions in advance, and do not assume that you can visit inside the disused church.
Discover more destinations: Oswaldtwistle, Burscough, Heysham, Langho, Accrington, Hoghton, Clitheroe, Foulridge
For the broader travel overview: Lancashire.
