A MONTE Carlo gambling dream is no nearer reality nearly 120 years on.

But housing society efforts are revitalising one of the area's best-known landmarks.

Queen Victoria was only part-way through her reign and the dust had scarcely settled over Rorke's Drift mission station in Zulu-land when towering Martland's Buildings was built.

Robert Martland's four-storey complex has dominated the centre of Tyldesley since 1880 - but the upper floors have lain empty for decades.

Now Leigh-based County Palatine Housing Society has stepped in, moved the feral pigeons out and refurbished some of the wasted space to provide 14 flats for rent in the Market Square.

County Palatine chief executive Paul Lees explained: "We agreed with the owners of the building, 'Evans of Leeds plc', to take a 15-year lease and improve the building with half the money coming from a grant and half from Evans."

Deputy Mayor and housing champion Cllr Sam Little, who lives a stone's throw from the Market Square, was delighted to declare the project open on Tuesday.

Cllr Little has supported the scheme from the beginning, backing aims to provide accommodation for local people and improve the town centre outlook.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.