architecture, belvedere, eyecatcher, Folly, garden, Lancashire, landscape, Observatory, Summerhouse

The Observatory, Haigh Hall, Wigan, Lancashire

On the edge of the town of Wigan stands Haigh Hall, described in 1745 as a ‘good old house and wood in a very pretty situation’. On rising ground above Haigh Hall (pronounced Hay) there once stood a substantial landscape feature which housed an observatory. A pair of paintings with an interesting history help tell the tale.