THE gates of the old East Lancashire Paper Mill have been installed on Festival Gardens in Radcliffe.

Last week, Bury Council moved the gate pillars to the site. The additions are part of a wider project to create a landscape feature in the gardens.

Ian Holt, chair of Radcliffe Rotary Community Service Committee, is one of those who has been calling for the move since the mill shut its doors in 2001.

He said: “The council has bitten the bullet and done it. We didn’t think it was ever going to happen.

“I feel a sense of pride about this monument going up in the gardens. Thousands of people passed through those gates over the decades.

“I have heard it said that the East Lancashire Paper Mill was one of the rocks that Radcliffe was built on.”

Others described is as the "first decision in a long time that has been right for Radcliffe."

Carol Jenkins, a member of the Radcliffe Heritage Society, said: "We are very happy to see this recognition of the rich industrial heritage of our town."

The gates have been installed as part of a renovation of Festival Gardens being carried out by the Radcliffe Heritage Society, Radcliffe Rotary Club and Bury Council.

Works include replanting the flower beds, landscaping, planting around the paper mill gates and improving the benches and bins.

Funding for the project was secured from developers through Section 106 monies.

[https://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/16217077.East_Lancashire_Paper_Mill_gates_preserved_and_installed_at_park/]