A RAMSBOTTOM supermarket will pay homage to the past when it unveils its new store refit today.

Joseph Strang Foundry was based in Ramsbottom town centre, on the site now occupied by Morrisons.

Founded in 1882, at one time, many of the street lights across the town were manufactured by the company. Of the few that remain today, one was an original which has taken pride of place in Castle Grove, Holcombe Brook, since homes were built there in the late 1920s.

However, after Bury Council threatened to replace the cast iron street light with a more modern one, a resident of the street resolved to get it saved from the scrapheap.

They made contact with Ramsbottom Heritage Society, who turned to Morrisons to ask whether they were able to accommodate it on the site where it was first made. And supermarket bosses duly accepted, deciding to make the striking swan’s neck-style structure the centrepiece of their new store refit, which will launch today.

Renovated in its original green livery, the light now stands in the middle of the supermarket’s car park for all to see.

However, the council say it will not be switched on as there is no electricity feed to where it is sited.

Ben Clayton, the refit manager at the Morrisons store, said: “It has been quite hard to do, but we are having a re-fit in the shop so we thought we would get it erected in the car park at the same time.

“It has created quite a bit of positivity. Lots of people have been asking about it.

“It was in a right mess before, but now it looks really good.

“We just thought it would be a really good thing to do for the community and it seems to have had a really positive effect.”

A spokesman for the council added “We’re delighted to help preserve the heritage of the area and we’re sure that many local people will enjoy seeing the old lamp post back on the site where it was made nearly a century ago.”

Joseph Strang was regarded as Ramsbottom’s main foundry until it was knocked down in the late 1990s to make way for a Co-op store, which eventually became Morrisons.

The supermarket’s car park already houses a plaque commemorating the fact that the foundry stood there, however, Ramsbottom Heritage Society are in the process of preparing another plaque to accompany the street light.