48-522: Ashton-in-Makerfield is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan , Greater Manchester , England, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Wigan . As of the 2021 census, there was a population of 26,380. Historically part of Lancashire , Ashton-in-Makerfield was a township in the parish of Newton-in-Makerfield (as Newton-le-Willows was once known), Winwick and hundred of West Derby . With neighbouring Haydock , Ashton-in-Makerfield
96-676: A review by the Boundary Commission, the previous review took place in 2003. Prior to 2003 the borough was divided in 24 wards. From the 2003 Boundary Review until the 2020s, Wigan Council divided the borough into ten areas by the name of townships , each with a Township Manager (council liaison) and a regularly scheduled Township Forum meeting. However with Austerity cuts This has been replaced with an ad hoc community consultation structure without regularly scheduled community forums or permanent council liaisons consisting of 16 communities or 'Places' divided into 3 unnamed 'Localities',
144-615: Is also nearby. The town is the inspiration of the fictional town of Ashton in the TV series and popular children’s books Horrid Henry . Crompton's, the hinge and fasteners making factory in Ashton-in-Makerfield, has closed and is now demolished. A shopping centre called the Gerard Centre now stands in its place. The Hingemaker's Arms public house , on Heath Road, is the only one in the world known to carry that name. It
192-399: Is an update that has been long awaited, as the school is believed to have stayed almost identical to when it first opened in 1978, after moving from the grounds of Ashton Grammar School, which was founded in 1588, over 4 centuries ago. In 2007, the school was announced to be a specialist Maths and Computing College, increasing student admissions and increasing the population of the school, hence
240-719: Is bordered by the Greater Manchester boroughs of City of Salford and Bolton to the east, the Cheshire borough of Warrington to the south, the Merseyside borough of St Helens to the south west, and the Lancashire boroughs of West Lancashire to the west and Chorley to the north. Wigan metropolitan borough was created on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 . It was formed from
288-490: Is managed by TfGM and serves the far north-western part of the borough. There is a campaign for Golborne railway station and Kenyon Junction station to be re-opened. The Liverpool-Manchester line ( Chat Moss route) crosses the far south of the borough but has no railway station since the 60's after Kenyon Junction railway station , Astley railway station , Lamb's Cottage railway station , Flow Moss railway station and Glazebury and Bury Lane railway station closed. Leigh
336-471: Is on the West Coast Main Line served by Northern and Avanti West Coast . There are services to Liverpool Lime Street , Blackpool North , London Euston , Birmingham , Glasgow and Edinburgh . Other stations in the borough are Atherton , Hag Fold, Bryn , Gathurst , Hindley , Ince , Orrell , and Pemberton . Appley Bridge railway station just outside the border with West Lancashire
384-808: Is one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station. Westleigh station, on the Bolton and Leigh Railway , closed in 1954. Leigh and Tyldesley stations on the Tyldesley Loopline were closed in 1969. The Leeds and Liverpool and Bridgewater canals meet in Leigh town centre. The M6 motorway crosses the west of the borough, and serves Ashton-in-Makerfield at junctions 23 and 24 (north only) and 25 (south only), Wigan at junction 25 (south only), Wigan/Orrell at junction 26 and Standish junction 27. The M58 motorway , to Liverpool , terminates at junction 26 of
432-656: Is the only Wigan ward included in Bolton West, with the rest of the constituency made up of wards from Bolton Borough). New constituency boundaries recommended by the Boundary Commission for the 2010 general election saw the link to Salford broken by the removal of Wigan areas from the Worsley constituency. This resulted in the Worsley constituency wards of Tyldesley and Astley-Mosley Common being placed in
480-519: Is the resting place of many of the 189 victims of the Wood Pit explosion (at Haydock on Friday 7 June 1878), the worst coal-mining disaster in Lancashire at the time. Hope Church on Heath Road was founded by Protestants from St Thomas' opposed to the High Church ideals brought in by a new Vicar in the 1870s. His introduction of Anglo-Catholic worship caused riots on Gerard Street and he
528-571: The 2004 election following the re-warding - their councilors are for wards in the middle of the borough, between Wigan and Leigh. The Conservative Party had nine seats, and the Liberal Democrats eight. At the 2008 elections Labour was the largest party with 41 seats out of a total of 75; the Conservative Party had 14 seats, Community Action Party eight seats, Independent seven seats, Liberal Democrats four seats, and one
SECTION 10
#1732773312622576-797: The Higher End part of Billinge and Winstanley Urban District and the civil parishes of Haigh , Shevington and Worthington from the Wigan Rural District were included. Before its creation, the name Wigan-Leigh was used in the Redcliffe-Maud Report . It was also suggested that the new metropolitan borough be named Makerfield . However, both names were rejected by a vote of 12 to 2. According to an opinion poll in 2003, 26% of 299 residents surveyed felt they belonged "very strongly" or "fairly strongly" (4% very strongly) to Greater Manchester, 64% (28% very strongly) to
624-555: The Leigh Constituency with the Atherton ward becoming part of Bolton West. Makerfield is the only constituency to have returned Labour MPs continuously since 1906. Wigan council's new coat of arms is based on various elements from the arms of the councils of its predecessor districts. With a population of around 300,000, Wigan is the second most populous borough of Greater Manchester, after Manchester . It has one of
672-418: The Local Government Act 1972 , the district was abolished, with the area split administratively. The Seneley Green Parish, containing Garswood , Pewfall and Downall Green, falling now within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in the newly created Merseyside , and the rest now being administered by the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in the newly created Greater Manchester . Ashton-in-Makerfield Town Hall
720-1054: The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton to the north-east and east, and the City of Salford to the east. Outwith Greater Manchester, in the south it borders Warrington (a unitary authority in Cheshire ); to the south-west it borders the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in Merseyside . To the west it borders the West Lancashire borough, and to the north it borders the Chorley borough, both in Lancashire . Wigan borough has seven Local Nature Reserves : including Wigan Flashes LNR, Borsdane Wood LNR, between Hindley and Aspull, Greenslate Water Meadows LNR within Orrell Water Park in Orrell, Low Hall LNR between Hindley and Platt Bridge, Pennington Flash LNR, Kirkless LNR at Ince and Three Sisters LNR, Ashton-In-Makerfield. For 12 years from
768-971: The 1st Lancashire Fusiliers; and Joe Gormley , President of the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 19th century, the district was described by one observer as having "extensive collieries, cotton mills and potteries", and famed for the manufacture of "hinges, locks, files and nails". Mills such as the Record Mill (Spinning), situated in York Road, and the Makerfield Mill (the 'Weaving Shed'), in Windsor Road, took over from home-working. Similarly, Thomas Crompton & Sons in Gerard Street, which would eventually employ around 1,200 workers, superseded
816-468: The Council's political composition is: Labour 60, Conservatives 7, Independent 4, Independent Network 2, Shevington Independents 1, and Standish Independents 1. The council uses Wigan Town Hall as its main headquarters. Leigh Town Hall is used as a secondary base. The borough is divided into 25 electoral wards, each of which elect three councillors. The present wards were adopted in 2023, following
864-630: The Locality at the centre of the Borough consists of Ashton, Bryn, Abram, Platt Bridge, Hindley and Hindley Green with all areas to the northwest forming a locality centred on Wigan and all areas to the southwest forming one centred on Leigh. However two Town Centre Managers were appointed in Wigan and Leigh primarily to act as liaisons between the Council and local business. The borough has three civil parishes: Haigh, Shevington and Worthington. The rest of
912-718: The M6 near Orrell. The dual carriageway A580 East Lancashire Road linking Liverpool to Manchester crosses the south of the borough.The A579 runs from Bolton to the M6 via Atherleigh Way, which runs from the west of Atherton, bypassing Leigh town centre to reach the East Lancashire Road at the Warrington border. The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan has one twin town in France – Angers in the Pays de la Loire . The arrangement
960-550: The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan has existed since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that became constituent parts of the borough. The population of the borough has remained roughly static since the 1970s at around 300,000, second to Manchester within Greater Manchester. The ONS identify the Wigan Built-up Area as the western part of
1008-630: The border with St Helen’s. The entirety of the Wigan borough forms part of the Manchester Larger Urban Zone Public transport in Wigan MBC is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). The borough is served by an extensive bus network with most services operated by Stagecoach Manchester , Arriva North West First Greater Manchester and Diamond North West . There are two major bus stations in both Wigan and Leigh town centres. Services operate from
SECTION 20
#17327733126221056-503: The borough council were held on 10 May 1973. The Metropolitan Borough Council is divided into 25 wards, each of which elects three councillors. Elections are by thirds, with one councillor from each ward up for re-election in each election year. The borough council has a leader and cabinet system. The current leader is David Molyneux who took over from Peter Smith , who resigned in May 2018, having been leader since 1991. The council rejected
1104-501: The borough is an unparished area . Church of England ecclesiastical parishes in the west of the borough are part of the Diocese of Liverpool , those in the east of the Metropolitan Borough are part of the Diocese of Manchester and the northern section part of the Diocese of Blackburn . The Wigan Metropolitan Borough is currently covered by four parliamentary constituencies, Wigan , Makerfield , Leigh , and Bolton West . (Atherton
1152-593: The borough of Wigan, and 63% (31% very strongly) to Lancashire. The metropolitan borough was created from a highly industrialised area of Lancashire that was part of the Lancashire Coalfield and had an important textile industry. Wigan borough covers an area of 77 square miles (200 km ), and is the 9th-largest metropolitan borough (out of 36) in England. The borough is the most north western in Greater Manchester. Within Greater Manchester it borders
1200-488: The borough. Wigan Wallgate railway station is served by Northern trains on the Manchester to Southport and Kirkby lines. There are services to stations towards Manchester, serving all city centre stations including Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly via two routes: one through Bolton and one via Atherton , with connections to other local and national destinations. Wigan North Western railway station
1248-513: The bus stations to Bolton, Manchester, the Trafford Centre , St Helens and Chorley, as well as local inter-urban routes, with three high frequency services between Wigan and Leigh bus stations , operated by Stagecoach Manchester. Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley are also served by the high frequency Vantage services, via a guided busway, connecting the towns to Central Manchester in 30-40 minutes outside of peaks. Several railway lines cross
1296-675: The creation of Greater Manchester in 1974, the borough had a two-tier system of local government , and Wigan Council shared power with the Greater Manchester County Council . The county council was abolished in 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985 . Since April 2011, some of the borough's responsibilities have been pooled with neighbouring authorities and subsumed into the Greater Manchester Combined Authority , which covers ten boroughs including Wigan. The first elections to
1344-755: The decision to rebuild, as the current build is believed to be too small for purpose at this point in time. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada . Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter. The town is served by both BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Merseyside . Other radio stations including Heart North West , Smooth North West , Greatest Hits Radio Wigan & St Helens and Capital Manchester and Lancashire . Local newspapers are Wigan Evening Post and ' Manchester Evening News . People either born or brought up in Ashton-in-Makerfield, or have had some significant connection with
1392-480: The district of Ashton-in-Makerfield. Others followed including Bryn Hall Colliery , owned by Edward Frederick Crippin , the Mains and Park Lane Collieries. Park Colliery and some of those open in 1867 (e.g. Garswood Hall) remained productive until the 1950s. A number of Ashton's coal miners made a significant impact on modern British history, including: Stephen Walsh M.P.; William Kenealy , V.C. and Lance-Corporal in
1440-571: The district, as well as Skelmersdale and Upholland in West Lancashire , with a population of 166,840. It considers towns in the east of the borough, Hindley, Leigh, Golborne, Atherton and Tyldesley to be part of the Greater Manchester Built-up Area . Aspull and Shevington are identified as standalone urban areas and Ashton-in-Makerfield is considered to be part of the Liverpool Built-up area , sitting at
1488-594: The former county borough of Wigan along with other local government units from the administrative county of Lancashire . These were the Municipal Borough of Leigh , the urban districts of Abram, Aspull, Atherton , Hindley , Ince-in-Makerfield, Orrell , Standish and Tyldesley . Ashton-in-Makerfield except for the parish of Seneley Green , the Golborne Urban District except for the parish of Culcheth and Glazebury in Warrington,
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1536-522: The idea of a directly elected mayor following a consultation in 2001. The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is traditionally a Labour Party stronghold - the council has been Labour-controlled since its creation. The local elections in 1998 resulted in a council with only two non-Labour members. Labour had a majority with 43 seats at the 2006 election. The second-largest party was the local Community Action Party which had 15 seats. Community Action first contested Wigan elections in 2002, and won 18 seats in
1584-586: The largest party with 58 seats out of 75, the Independent Councillor group with 8 seats form the official opposition, the Conservative Party had 5 seats, the Liberal Democrats hold 2 seats, Community Action Party 1 seat and 1 Independent councillor. In May 2012 (post 2012 Local Elections) the composition of the council was Labour 63 (+5), Others 9 (-1), Liberal Democrats 2 (No change) and Conservatives 1 ( -4). Presently in May 2018,
1632-425: The lowest ethnic minority populations, with the 2001 census reporting 98.7% of the population as white. Unemployment is around the average for England and Wales. Approximately 9.5% of the population was recorded as being permanently sick or disabled compared to a national average of 5.5%. The table details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although
1680-649: The provision of municipal services. Ashton-in-Makerfield railway station , which was situated off Lodge Lane in neighbouring Haydock , opened in 1900 as part of the Great Central Railway and closed in 1952. Today the town is now served by stations in nearby Garswood and Bryn stations, both on the line between Wigan North Western and Liverpool Lime Street . A market is held on the market square off Garswood Street on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Ashton's local semi-pro football clubs are Ashton Athletic F.C. and Ashton Town A.F.C. . Garswood United F.C.
1728-399: The schools remain separate, with Cansfield situated near to Bryn and Byrchall near to Haydock, neighbouring St Edmund Arrowsmith. In 2021, it was announced that Byrchall had been selected to be 1 of 50 schools chosen across the UK to be rebuilt. The new build will be situated on the front field, and will feature facilities such as a performing arts wing, which the old school did not have. This
1776-403: The subcontracting system that sustained substantial numbers of locally based blacksmiths and other craftsmen . As recently as the 1970s the district of Ashton-in-Makerfield had one of the highest proportions of derelict land, mainly in the form of spoil tips , left over from coal mining. Major land reclamation schemes have since completely transformed the area. Before 1894 Ashton-in-Makerfield
1824-407: The town during their life, include: Metropolitan Borough of Wigan The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester , England. It is named after its largest town, Wigan but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Atherton , Ashton-in-Makerfield , Golborne , Hindley , Ince-in-Makerfield , Leigh and Tyldesley . The borough also covers
1872-416: The villages and suburbs of Abram , Aspull , Astley , Bryn , Hindley Green , Lowton , Mosley Common , Orrell , Pemberton , Shevington , Standish , Winstanley and Worsley Mesnes . The borough is also the second-most populous district in Greater Manchester. The borough was formed in 1974, replacing several former local government districts. It is the furthest west part of Greater Manchester, and it
1920-615: Was a chapelry , but the two were split in 1845. The place has long been a centre for the manufacture of locks and hinges, and it also sits on the Lancashire Coalfield , and was a coal mining district. The name Ashton derives from Old English and means the "farmstead where the ash-trees grow"; it is a common name and is found locally in Ashton-under-Lyne in Tameside and Ashton upon Mersey in Trafford . The town's name
1968-549: Was a township in the parish of Winwick , part of the West Derby Hundred of Lancashire. By an Act in 1845 and the division of the Parish of Winwick, Holy Trinity Church, Downall Green, was made the principal parish church and St. Thomas' made a parish church in the same Act, both being part of the Diocese of Liverpool . By the Local Government Act 1894 Ashton-in-Makerfield was made an urban district. In 1974, under
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2016-672: Was completed in 1930, replacing an earlier Catholic church on the site which was built in 1822. It houses the hand of St Edmund Arrowsmith (1585–1628). Ashton-in-Makerfield was part of the St. Helens Area of the South Lancashire Coalfield. The St Helens Area lay to the South West of the Wigan area and occupied around 60 square miles (160 km), skirting Wigan, Warrington, Widnes and to within eight miles (13 km) of Liverpool. In 1867 there were 13 collieries in
2064-463: Was demolished in 2017. The section of Ashton-in-Makerfield within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan creates the Bryn & Ashton Township, consisting of the six 'neighbourhoods' of Bryn, Ashton, Ashton Heath, Landgate, Stubshaw Cross and Town Green, and one of the ten areas into which Wigan Metropolitan Borough has been divided for consultation purposes. Each township has a forum, with some influence over
2112-495: Was founded in 1662. It is the oldest non-conformist chapel and congregation in the district. By the 19th century Park Lane was only one of nine non-conformist chapels in the area. There was a Baptist , Congregational church (Hilton Street), Evangelical (Heath Road), Independent, Independent Methodist (Downall Green Road), Primitive Methodist , Welsh Wesleyan Methodist and English Wesleyan Methodist chapel. The Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith , on Liverpool Road
2160-622: Was initially evicted from the town by a mob of miners. He returned backed by troops from Liverpool . Banned from worshipping in the form they had previously done, many left and continued a simpler form of worship in a barn off Ashton Heath. Word of their plight reached a Miss Catherine Cave-Browne in London who sent money for a Protestant Mission to be built. The church was built with the official title of Cave-Browne Protestant Institute (Christchurch). Park Lane Chapel (see Unitarianism ), Wigan Road, Bryn , dates back to 1697, although its congregation
2208-540: Was recorded as Eston in 1212. Later, the suffix "in-Makerfield" was added, which relates the name of the old district of Makerfield of which Ashton was a part; Makerfield derives from the Celtic for a wall or ruin and the Old English word feld , meaning "open land". St Thomas' Church of England parish church on Warrington Road has ancient origins although the present building was completed in 1893. The graveyard
2256-744: Was run by the Corless family for decades until Walter Corless' retirement in 2006, however Walter can still be seen pulling pints at the weekend. The Hinge, as it is known by its clientele, is now owned and operated by a consortium of local businessmen. The site now occupied by Byrchall and St Edmund Arrowsmith high schools was the location of a Second World War POW camp , Camp 50. Ashton-in-Makerfield has three secondary schools: Cansfield High School ; Byrchall High School and St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School . In November 2008, Wigan council released proposals to merge Cansfield High and Byrchall High into one school. These proposals were refused, and
2304-449: Was vacant. In November 2010 (after elections in May), Labour was the largest party with 51 seats out of a total of 75; the Conservative Party had eight seats, Independents seven seats, Community Action Party four seats, Liberal Democrats three seats (one member currently suspended) and two members were 'Independent Conservative'. As of June 2011 (after May elections), Labour continued to be
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