was advertised for sale and the parishioners at St John's Chapel in Atherton begged it as a gift but Lord Lilford gave it to his sister in law and it was installed at St Oswald's Church, Winwick where her husband was rector. However, some outbuildings were left standing and are private property still known as Atherton Hall, the estate is now known as Lilford Park. Lilford Park In 1914 part of the landscaped Atherton estate and surrounding woodland was presented to the town of Leigh by Lord Lilford and is known as Lilford Park. In the Victorian era its crescent-shaped lake, about in length spanned by a three-arch stone bridge constructed in 1724, was popular with visitors. The bridge was known as Lions Bridge from the carved stone lions on pedestals at intervals on its length. The lake dried up in the 19th century and the bridge collapsed in 1905. Two stone lions were moved to Bank Hall until the 1970s when they were moved to the estate office in Tarleton. References Notes Bibliography Country houses in Greater Manchester Former country houses in England Demolished buildings and structures in Greater Manchester History of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan Buildings and structures in Leigh, Greater Manchester Atherton, Greater Manchester Buildings and structures demolished in 1824