Rivington Moor was the site of a mass trespass of 10,000 people who descended on the area toward Winter Hill in 1896 after the Smithills Hall land owner blocked off the route from Halliwell to Winter Hill and onto Rivington Moor.
The demonstration is commemorated by a memorial stone on Coal Pit Lane, below Smithills Moor.
Leverhulme was also concerned that access to the fields and moorland of Rivington was becoming more restricted.

On the land Leverhulme donated to create Lever Park it is protected under statutory powers within the Liverpool Corporation Act 1902 ensuring "free and uninterrupted enjoyment".
The area is popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders with footpaths , bridleways and roads providing access to the park, hillside and surrounding moorland.
Rivington moor, Winter Hill, Rivington Pike, Brown Hill and the former Japanese and Kitchen Gardens within the Bungalow Grounds are part of an extensive area of open access land recorded at Lancashire County Council and has a right to roam protected by the statutory powers in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Lever Park came under threat after water supplies and land forming the catchment area had been moved out of public ownership and were transferred to private corporations in the Water privatisation in England and Wales, this was followed by a significant increase in use of gates and fences with stiles on footpaths and bridleways appearing from 1989, in response at Rivington 3000 local campaigners demonstrated and took a pledge to protect the area from then on after attending a meeting of opponents to the bill, organised as a rally at Rivington, led by the Ramblers Association in association with the Open Spaces Society and attended by Ann Taylor MP; mountaineer Chris Bonington; Ramblers’ chairman Chris Hall; the leader of Lancashire County Council, Louise Ellman, and Kinder Scout trespass veteran Benny Rothman,
Lever Park was again under threat in a further attempt by the water company supported by Horwich Town Council who attempted to remove statutory protection through a parliamentary act in 1997, they were met with considerable local opposition and the act of parliament was blocked a cross party group of six regional Conservative and Labour MPs Terry Lewis, Tom Sackville, Peter Thurnham, Andrew Bennett and Gerald Kaufman and was opposed by the local MP, Den Dover.
Rivington Moor was the site of a mass trespass of 10,000 people who descended on the area toward Winter Hill in 1896 after the Smithills Hall land owner blocked off the route from Halliwell to Winter Hill and onto Rivington Moor. The demonstration is commemorated by a memorial stone on Coal Pit Lane, below Smithills Moor. Leverhulme was also concerned that access to the fields and moorland of Rivington was becoming more restricted.
On the land Leverhulme donated to create Lever Park it is protected under statutory powers within the Liverpool Corporation Act 1902 ensuring "free and uninterrupted enjoyment". The area is popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders with footpaths , bridleways and roads providing access to the park, hillside and surrounding moorland. Rivington moor, Winter Hill, Rivington Pike, Brown Hill and the former Japanese and Kitchen Gardens within the Bungalow Grounds are part of an extensive area of open access land recorded at Lancashire County Council and has a right to roam protected by the statutory powers in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
Lever Park came under threat after water supplies and land forming the catchment area had been moved out of public ownership and were transferred to private corporations in the Water privatisation in England and Wales, this was followed by a significant increase in use of gates and fences with stiles on footpaths and bridleways appearing from 1989, in response at Rivington 3000 local campaigners demonstrated and took a pledge to protect the area from then on after attending a meeting of opponents to the bill, organised as a rally at Rivington, led by the Ramblers Association in association with the Open Spaces Society and attended by Ann Taylor MP; mountaineer Chris Bonington; Ramblers’ chairman Chris Hall; the leader of Lancashire County Council, Louise Ellman, and Kinder Scout trespass veteran Benny Rothman,
Lever Park was again under threat in a further attempt by the water company supported by Horwich Town Council who attempted to remove statutory protection through a parliamentary act in 1997, they were met with considerable local opposition and the act of parliament was blocked a cross party group of six regional Conservative and Labour MPs Terry Lewis, Tom Sackville, Peter Thurnham, Andrew Bennett and Gerald Kaufman and was opposed by the local MP, Den Dover.
Rivington