Three new statues that celebrate famous moments in the history of Westhoughton have been officially unveiled.
The ceremony on Monday, June 8, was attended by the mayors of Westhoughton and Bolton, Westhoughton councillors and local cricketers.
The large bronze statues on Cricketers Way feature a cow, dog and set of cricket equipment, each one immortalising a different story from the area’s past.
The cow captures a local legend familiar to many in Westhoughton that helps to explain why residents are known by the nickname “Keawyeds”, meaning cow head.
According to the story, a farmer discovered one of his herd trapped by its head in a five-bar gate.
Reasoning that the gate cost more than the cow, rather than damage the gate he chose to free the cow by cutting off the poor animal’s head.
Another statue presents a still life of a cricket bat, ball and stumps in celebration of Westhoughton’s strong links to the game and the famous players who hailed from the area.
They include bowler Dick Tyldesley, wicketkeeper Bill Farrimond, bowler Dick Pollard and all-rounder Michael Watkinson, all of whom took to the field for Lancashire and England.
The third statue has a large greyhound dog lying atop a white marble plinth, commemorating the area’s links to greyhound racing.
Between 1951 and 2013, thousands of the dogs raced at Westhoughton Greyhound track, an independent venue with an unusual five-lane layout.
First opened in 1947 as a training facility, it developed into a greyhound stadium that hosted well known races like the Westhoughton Derby and St Leger.
But in the face of falling attendances and animal rights campaigns against greyhound racing, the land was sold and 38 new homes built on the site.
All three statues were paid for by Section 106 funding, through which the developers of the new homes and the nearby Sainsburys contribute towards projects for the local area.
The Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Mohammed Iqbal, said:
“It is an honour to help unveil these three wonderful statues for the people of Westhoughton.
“Not only do they look wonderful, but more importantly they also celebrate the area’s distinctive history, now and for future generations.”