Barton: Leisure Activities and Historic Buildings

Barton combines leisure activities at The Flower Bowl with several distinctive historical landmarks. These include Barton Cross, Lancaster Canal Hepgreave Bridge Number 39, and Barton Corn Mill. This gives you a clear choice when planning your trip: you can focus on activities or on buildings whose history and character are connected with Barton.

Leisure activities at The Flower Bowl

The Flower Bowl in Barton, Preston, brings together a range of activities. The Secret Garden is an outdoor 18-hole crazy golf course. The venue also has an Olympic-sized curling rink. The cinema screens event cinema productions featuring theatre, opera, concerts, musicals, and ballet.

The offerings take different forms: crazy golf and curling are activities, while the cinema brings performing arts and music to the screen. This gives you a practical guide when deciding which focus suits your stay. If you plan to visit the curling rink or attend a screening, it is advisable to check the latest operating information and programme.

Barton Cross and the canal bridge

Barton Cross stands at the junction of an old north–south route. In 1901, the cross was re-erected on the base of an earlier cross. This earlier cross may date from the late Middle Ages.

Another historic landmark is Lancaster Canal Hepgreave Bridge Number 39. It is a Grade II listed structure in the Parish of Barton. Along with Barton Cross, it offers another way to explore the village’s architectural history: here, a listed bridge stands alongside a cross whose re-erection and possible medieval origins reveal different historical layers.

Barton Corn Mill and its surroundings

Barton Corn Mill is a rare surviving water-powered corn mill in Lancashire. Parts of the present building date back at least to 1671. Its connection with the water is also part of the mill’s history: its mill leat ran parallel to Barton Brook. These details help place the mill in the context of local milling, rather than seeing it simply as a building.

The converted Barton Corn Mill and Barton Mill House are private residences; both buildings are clearly visible. The large waterwheel axle and the information board are on the opposite side of Barton Village Car Park, across from the village hall. The buildings, axle, and board are distinct points of reference that can help you explore the history of milling.

Choosing Barton for your stay

If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Barton, you can start by considering the subjects that interest you locally: the activities at The Flower Bowl, the historic buildings, or the history of the Corn Mill. Leisure activities and architectural history are clearly distinct sides of the village; together, they give you a concrete basis for deciding whether Barton suits your travel interests.

For a cultural focus, there is Barton Cross, the listed canal bridge, and the Corn Mill with its milling history. For an activity-focused stay, The Secret Garden’s 18 holes, the curling rink, and event cinema offer different options. This makes it possible to plan the character of your trip without confusing the historic sights with the leisure activities.

Discover more destinations: Hornby, Leck, Charnock Richard, Salterforth, Accrington, Colne, Worsthorne, Over Kellet.

For the broader travel guide: Lancashire.