87-642: Lowton is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan , in Greater Manchester , England. It is around 2 miles (3 km) from Leigh , 7 miles (11 km) south of Wigan and 12 miles (19 km) west of Manchester city centre . The settlement lies across the A580 East Lancashire Road . Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire , Lowton's history is closely connected with Byrom Manor,
174-550: A sleep-deprived driver, swerved off the M62 onto the East Coast Main Line near Selby . While he was calling the emergency services , a GNER southbound train collided with his Land Rover and derailed into the path of an oncoming freight train . Ten people were killed, including the drivers of both trains, and 82 others were injured. Hart was later convicted of ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving , and
261-470: A yeoman of Lowton. Although the Deed of Consecration allowed for all the regular church services and sacraments, the chapel was not yet a Parish Church and thus no burials were permitted. The parish registers were stored at Winwick. Today many of the chapel pews still bear metal plates showing the names of their original owners. The oldest, pew No. 1, has a plate for Edward Byrom dated 1732. Other plates bear
348-559: A partial collapse of the framework caused by bolts joining a cross-beam to a trestle shearing. Problems with the bridge delayed the opening of the section east of Goole to May 1976. In 1987, the Department of Transport proposed a parallel relief road to combat congestion around Manchester. It would have been restricted to long-distance traffic, and the current route, part of the Manchester Outer Ring Road (later
435-553: A population of 4584. On 1 October 1933 the parish was abolished and merged with Golborne. Between 1894 and 1974, Lowton was part of the Golborne Urban District , in the administrative county of Lancashire . In 1974 as part of the local government reorganisation enacted in the Local Government Act 1972 it became part of Greater Manchester with the boundary at Newton-le-Willows marking the edge of
522-569: A project to install hard shoulder running and a smart motorway system between junctions 25 and 30. Work started in 2014 to install the system around the M62 – M60 section. The section between junctions 18 (with the M60) and 29 (with the M1) through Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire has been identified as one of the most congested roads in Britain. The motorway provides a direct link between three of
609-676: 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',
696-572: A short distance. The next junction 33 serves the A162 and A1 roads, and Ferrybridge service station. After Ferrybridge, the motorway becomes relatively flat. At junction 35, the motorway meets with the northern terminus of the M18 at a triangle (semi-directioinal-T) interchange. Soon after, there is a 1-mile (1.6 km) bridge that crosses the River Ouse . For approximately 10 miles (16 km) after this,
783-533: Is a 107-mile-long (172 km) west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England , connecting Liverpool and Hull via Manchester , Bradford , Leeds and Wakefield ; 7 miles (11 km) of the route is shared with the M60 orbital motorway around Manchester. The road is part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 ( Shannon to Saint Petersburg ) and E22 ( Holyhead to Ishim ). The motorway, which
870-648: 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
957-490: 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
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#17327805279351044-471: 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
1131-808: 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
1218-519: Is the highest hill in the area, and Lowton is the highest point locally.) A record of the name as Liewetune in 1176 suggests Old English hleowe " lee ", although this is not a certain etymology. Lowton was one of the berewicks of the Royal Manor of Newton , later being one of the members of the Barony of Makerfield. Byrom Manor, later to feature the ancestral home of the poet John Byrom which
1305-656: 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
1392-571: 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
1479-643: The A574 and the Omega Development Site , while in January 2006, junction 32a was opened to link to the upgraded A1(M) . The UK's first motorway high-occupancy vehicle lane was opened at junction 26 in 2008 for eastbound traffic from the M606 with more than one occupant. Pre-2009 proposals to widen the motorway between junctions 25 and 28 to four lanes were withdrawn in January 2009 and replaced by
1566-797: 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
1653-555: 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
1740-769: The Lowton Churches Romania Appeal , formed after the collapse of the Communist regime in Romania in 1990. It supported an orphanage in Lugoj but its remit has since expanded to include several projects in the country. A date of 1732 on the church door suggests that the building was completed that year. The Chapel was consecrated on 18 October 1733, St Luke's Day , by the Bishop of Chester . The chapel and chapel yard were built on land given by Hugh Stirrup,
1827-558: The M602 motorway in 1971. The Eccles–Pole Moor section of the M62 opened in 1971. Between Eccles and Pole Moor, 67 motorway crossings were required, including seven viaducts and eight junctions. Much of the Worsley Braided Interchange was built on undeveloped mossland where deep peat deposits had been covered with waste. Between Worsley and Milnrow , some underlying coal seams were still actively worked when
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#17327805279351914-1054: 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
2001-692: The Ministry of Transport , but the scheme was added to the Road Plan in 1963. Formal planning began on Wednesday 12 July 1961, when Ernest Marples authorised the two surveyors of Lancashire and the West Riding - Sir James Drake of Lancashire and Stuart Maynard Lovell of the West Riding, to plan a 50-mile (80 km) motorway from Worsley, in Lancashire, to Ledsham (now the Selby Fork) in
2088-545: The cut-and-cover method, are for traffic travelling between the M1 south-bound and the M62 west. The tunnel under the M62 is 147 m (482 ft) in length. Two contracts were awarded for the section between Lofthouse and Ferrybridge in 1972, and both were completed in 1974. On the first contract, care was needed at the River Calder crossing due to the alluvial bedrock. On the second contract precautions were taken as
2175-463: The rock strata and deposited on adjacent hillsides. The geology of the moors resulted in the engineers splitting the carriageways for 3 ⁄ 4 mile (1.2 km) in the middle of this section, sparing Stott Hall Farm from demolition. The farm, which was built in the 18th century, remains the only one situated in the middle of a UK motorway. The motorway crosses Scammonden Dam on an embankment between junctions 22 and 23. Preparatory work in
2262-601: The A1 through Bawtry and Retford , to Markham Moor where it rejoins the A1. The next junction also serves a spur route: the M621 motorway, before bypassing Leeds to the south to the interchange with the M1 motorway, Lofthouse Interchange, at junction 29. East of Leeds, the motorway serves Wakefield at junction 30 and crosses by the River Calder . At junction 32a, the road is crossed by the A1(M) motorway , which also runs parallel to it for
2349-649: The A644 road at junction 25. Between junctions 22 and 25, the road is used as a border between the metropolitan boroughs of Calderdale and Kirklees . At junction 26, Chain Bar, the motorway interchanges with several roads: the M606, a spur into Bradford, the A58 road , which runs between Prescot and Wetherby , and the A638 road , which runs to Doncaster , then follows the old route of
2436-468: 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
2523-631: The Deanhead Valley began in August 1964 and the dam in 1966. The motorway's opening on 20 December 1970 was dependent on completion of the dam. Two other notable constructions on the Pennine section are the pedestrian bridge carrying the Pennine Way , which is curved downwards with 85-foot (26 m) long cantilevers , and Scammonden Bridge , the longest single-span non-suspension bridge in
2610-630: 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
2697-718: 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
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2784-530: The M60 motorway. Junction 13, signposted Leigh , is situated 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) from junction 12, leaving exiting motorists the hazard of crossing the still-merging M62 traffic. Worsley Braided Interchange serves Junctions 14 and 15 and Junctions 1 to 3 of the M61 which terminates to Preston . Between junction 21 and junction 22, the motorway has four lanes eastbound to climb Windy Hill, before crossing
2871-623: The M60 section around Eccles. The M62 coach bombing of 1974 and the Great Heck rail crash of 2001 are the largest incidents to have occurred on the motorway. Stott Hall Farm , situated between the carriageways on the Pennine section, has become one of the best-known sights on the motorway. The M62 has no junctions numbered 1, 2 or 3, or even an officially numbered 4, because it was intended to start in Liverpool proper, not in its outskirts. Between Liverpool and Manchester, and east of Leeds,
2958-479: The M60), used for local traffic. The proposal suggested the closure of junction 13. The proposal was designated a "long term" improvement in 1994, and cancelled on 23 November 1995. In 1998, the section between Eccles Interchange and Simister Interchange (junctions 12 to 18) was designated the M60. Since then, two junctions were opened—in December 2002, the missing junction 8 was opened to allow access to
3045-550: 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
3132-506: The Pennines (junction 22) in 2006 and 78,000 cars west of the Pennines. The figures were increases from 90,000 and 70,000 respectively in 1999. By way of comparison, the UK's busiest motorway, the M25 carried 144,000 cars between junctions 7 and 23 in 2006. On 4 February 1974, a bomb was detonated on a coach travelling between Chain Bar (junction 26) and Gildersome (junction 27). The coach
3219-570: The Stretford–Eccles Bypass. The first part of the M62 to be built was the Stretford–Eccles Bypass, which is now the section between Junctions 7 to 13 of the M60 . Construction started in 1957, and the motorway opened in 1960. It was originally built as a two-lane motorway only. It was later re-numbered M63. The section of the planned M52 between the interchange with the Stretford-Eccles Bypass and Salford opened as
3306-774: The United States in 1962, his experience of the Interstate Highway System led him to conclude that the Merseyside Expressway, planned to run between Liverpool and the M6 , would need to be extended to the Stretford-Eccles Bypass and beyond, to create a continuous motorway between Liverpool and Ferrybridge (a link between Ferrybridge and Hull was not considered until 1964). Initially the plans were unpopular and not supported by
3393-401: The West Riding. From either end, the plan was that there would be 'improved roads' from the eastern end, at the Selby Fork , eastwards to Hull, and 'improved roads' from the western end, at Worsley (now the Worsley Braided Interchange ), westwards to Liverpool. It was the intention to build an urban motorway in Liverpool. The M62 was intended to terminate at Liverpool's Inner Motorway, which
3480-408: The ancestral home of the Byroms, a family which included poet John Byrom , the inventor of a system of shorthand . During the Industrial Revolution Lowton was associated with coal mining and manufacturing: it was close to several collieries and factories. At the 2011 census, the population of Lowton was split between two wards: Lowton East, and Golborne and Lowton West. The latter partially counted
3567-459: The border into Yorkshire and interchanging with the rural A672 road, reaching the highest point of any motorway in England 1,221 feet (372 m). There is then a 7-mile (11 km) travel through the Pennines to the next junction, passing Scammonden Reservoir and Stott Hall Farm. The next junction is 23, which is accessible only for westbound traffic. After this, the road dips through a valley to junction 24 and drops slowly before interchanging with
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3654-482: 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
3741-454: 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
3828-447: 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
3915-467: 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
4002-429: 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
4089-449: 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
4176-426: The circulation areas of these newspapers and websites: 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
4263-403: The construction of a link between the M57 and M6 motorways. Simultaneously, a contract to link the M6 with Manchester was underway, which required land drainage and the removal of unsuitable earth. This section was completed in August 1974, creating a continuous link between Ferrybridge and Tarbock. Two motorways were planned, the M52 from Liverpool to Salford and the M62 to link Pole Moor with
4350-493: 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
4437-416: 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
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#17327805279354524-435: The east and west have spans of 21 m (69 ft). The M62 overbridge has a reinforced concrete multi-cellular deck of four spans. Two other pre-stressed reinforced concrete bridges carry slip roads over Longthorpe Lane, the B6135. Another bridge with no motorway access carries Longthorpe Lane over the M1. Two skew tunnels were constructed beneath the original junction between 1996 and 1999. The tunnels, constructed using
4611-440: The entire population of Golborne , and partially the population of Lowton's western half, with the boundary between them roughly being at Scott Road to the north and Windsor Road to the south. Lowton has an unclear toponymy : the second element is from Old English tun "farm, village" with an uncertain first element. (It is suggested that the first element is from hlāw , an old English word for hill: Wornoth Low near Stockport
4698-452: The eponymous interchange. Lofthouse Interchange was built between 1965 and 1967. Owen Williams and the Babtie Group were the engineers. Located where the M62 crosses above the M1 motorway , it is a complex three-level junction with eight bridges including a roundabout supported by four long curved bridges on 12-metre (39 ft) piers above both motorways. The roundabout's north and south bridges have spans of 28 m (92 ft) and
4785-415: The five largest metro areas in England, and is the most practical route for HGVs and other commercial traffic between Manchester and Leeds. There are a significant number of warehouses in these urban areas, which require commercial delivery to the ports at Merseyside and around the Humber , all of which are transported via the M62. Annual average daily traffic flows of 100,000 cars were recorded east of
4872-452: 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,
4959-522: 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
5046-443: 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,
5133-415: The length was built on old coal mine workings. The section between Ferrybridge and North Cave was the last to be planned and built. The Ouse Bridge , across the River Ouse west of Goole , commenced in January 1973 and is nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) long and rises to 98.4 feet (30.0 m) above ground level. Completion of the bridge was delayed due to "steel supplies [being] a chronic headache" and
5220-425: 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
5307-409: The motorway downgrades near North Cave, 16 miles (26 km) to the west. The western end of the motorway is at Queen's Drive, on Liverpool's middle ring road from where it runs eastward to the outer ring road, the M57. The route has four exits for Warrington: junction 7, an interchange with the A57 road , junction 8, which also houses IKEA , junction 9, which interchanges with the A49 road , which
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#17327805279355394-403: The motorway was constructed and allowances had to be made to counteract possible future subsidence. The motorway crosses the Irwell Valley and the Pendleton Fault on a 200-foot (61 m) single-span bridge 65 feet (20 m) above the river . Surveying for the Pennine section began in November 1961 and its route was determined in July 1963. Construction between Windy Hill and Pole Moor
5481-409: The new county of Merseyside . Lowton is within the constituency of Leigh and is represented in parliament by the Labour MP Jo Platt . Locally, the area is represented on Wigan Council by three Labour Party members, Jenny Gregory, Garry Lloyd, and Mike Smith. Situated on the A580 East Lancashire Road, the village has direct access to the cities of Manchester to the east and Liverpool to
5568-457: The night to ensure people's safety. Members of the public who lived in Milnrow and Newhey climbed up onto the motorway with food and drinks for the trapped people in their cars and trucks. A barrier between the carriageways was removed to facilitate moving most of the vehicles. The road remained closed the next day due to the weather conditions. In addition to passing Warrington , Manchester, Huddersfield, Halifax , Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield,
5655-478: The route for a trans-Pennine motorway, the Lancashire–Yorkshire Motorway, was laid down, with Ferrybridge at the eastern terminus rather than Selby. By the 1960s, the proposed A580 upgrade to dual carriageway was considered inadequate, and there was an urgent need to link Liverpool to the motorway network. The route of the Lancashire-Yorkshire motorway was considered inadequate as it failed to cater for several industrial towns in Yorkshire. When James Drake visited
5742-507: The same time, it was envisaged that a route between Liverpool and Hull was needed to connect the ports to industrial Yorkshire. After the Second World War , the Minister of Transport appointed engineers to inspect road standards between the A580 East Lancashire Road in Swinton and the A1 road near Selby . The 1949 Road Plan for South Lancashire identified the need to upgrade the A580 to dual carriageway with grade separation and provide bypasses at Huyton and Cadishead . In 1952,
5829-457: The south of Lowton is Highfield Moss, part of which has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest . The 52.6 acres (21.3 ha) site was designated in 1986 for its biological interest. It is predominantly notable as a mire community and it is the best example in Greater Manchester. In 1635 the Puritan clergyman, Richard Mather , and his family left for New England as a result of religious intolerance. Lowton's churches include
5916-425: The structural integrity of the surrounding residential areas. The motorway was constructed only as far as the Queens Drive inner ring road , which is junction 4. The section west of Manchester was intended to be a separate motorway, the M52 to link Liverpool and Salford, but a continuous motorway between Leeds and Liverpool was deemed more feasible, Construction between Liverpool and Manchester started in 1971, with
6003-520: The surnames Green, Kenyon, Leigh, Lowe, Mather, Pierpoint, Tyler, and Worsley. Lowton is well known for lowton community darts as seen on tiktok. A darts league that's been established for a number of years and currently plays it's matches at lowton social club. Lowton is also the location for Golborne Sports and Social Club which participates in local football, hockey, bowls and cricket leagues. Other nearby sports teams include Golborne Parkside RLFC , Leigh RUFC and Leigh United FC. Lowton falls inside
6090-492: The terrain along which the road passes is relatively flat. Between Manchester and Leeds it traverses the Pennines and its foothills, rising to 1,221 feet (372 m) above sea level slightly east of junction 22 in Calderdale , not far from the boundary between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. The motorway's origins are found in the 1930s, when the need for a route between Lancashire and Yorkshire had been agreed after discussion by their county highway authorities. At
6177-402: The towns of Huyton , St Helens , Widnes , Bury , Rochdale , Oldham , Pontefract , Selby and Goole are designated primary destinations along the road. Many of the professional and semi-professional teams playing rugby league in England are connected by the M62 motorway and so the term M62 corridor is sometimes used to refer to the area where rugby league is most popular. The motorway
6264-664: The two Church of England churches of St Mary's and St Luke's; Lowton Independent Methodist, a member of the Independent Methodist Connexion ; and Lowton Community Church. Lane Head Methodist church closed in 2010. The Roman Catholic church of St Catherine of Siena closed in 2011 after a safety inspection revealed problems with the electrical system, and the building was demolished in 2017. The churches in Lowton organise some joint activities including ecumenical services. Their charity work has included
6351-666: The uphill section towards Windy Hill is the Rakewood Viaduct which carries the road over the Longden End Brook . The first section of the motorway in Yorkshire was completed between the county boundary at Windy Hill and Outlane in 1970. To build this section, 12,000,000 cubic yards (9,200,000 m ) of material was moved, 8,000,000 cubic yards (6,100,000 m ) of which was solid rock and 650,000 cubic yards (500,000 m ) of peat which had to be cut from
6438-416: 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
6525-791: The west. From this road, the M6 motorway runs north and south, and the M60 connects with the M62 across the Pennines . Also, the M61 can be reached via the A579. The nearest railway station is Newton-le-Willows on the Chester to Manchester Line and Liverpool to Manchester Line . Public transport in Lowton is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester and is served by buses to Manchester, Wigan, Leigh, Newton-le-Willows and St Helens. Buses: 34 Bryn/Leigh-Manchester (Bee Network), 34 St Helens-Leigh (Arriva Merseyside), 10 Leigh-Wigan (Bee Network). To
6612-410: The world when it was built. It carries a B road 120 feet (37 m) above the motorway. The 1-mile (1.6 km) section between Pole Moor and Outlane suffered fewer problems as the summer weather was satisfactory. The section of the motorway between Gildersome and Lofthouse was built at the same time, resulting in the demolition of a significant proportion of the village of Tingley to build
6699-429: Was built in the 18th century, is recorded as early as 1212; the family prospered there for centuries. Byrom Hall at one time featured a moat. The Hare and Hounds public house , built in the 17th century, was once used as a place to hold trials of local criminals, including murders. The Lowton stocks can still be found today nearby at St Luke’s Parish Church and are Grade II listed . The former Lowton railway station
6786-674: Was depicted in a BBC trailer for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in England. The M62 is a terminus to two motorways: the M57 near Prescot and the M18 near Rawcliffe ; and has four spur routes: the M602 , which serves Manchester, the A627(M) , which serves Oldham and Rochdale, the M606 , which serves Bradford, and the M621 , which serves Leeds. Despite Hull being listed as a primary destination,
6873-441: Was difficult through inhospitable hilly terrain, peat bog, and in undesirable weather conditions. The motorway's highest point, 1,221 feet (372 m) above sea level at Windy Hill near Denshaw ( 53°37′47″N 2°01′07″W / 53.62982°N 2.018561°W / 53.62982; -2.018561 ( Windy Hill ) ) is the highest point of any motorway in England. A notable structure between junctions 21 and 22 on
6960-749: Was established in 1988. The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Wigan. M62 motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] J10 → M6 motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] / [REDACTED] J12 → M60 motorway / M602 motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] / [REDACTED] J18 → M60 motorway / M66 motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] J20 → A627(M) motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] J26 → M606 motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] J27 → M621 motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] J29 → M1 motorway [REDACTED] [REDACTED] J32a → A1(M) motorway The M62
7047-817: Was first proposed in the 1930s, and conceived as two separate routes, was opened in stages between 1971 and 1976, with construction beginning at Pole Moor near Huddersfield and finishing at that time in Tarbock on the outskirts of Liverpool. The motorway absorbed the northern end of the Stretford - Eccles bypass, which was built between 1957 and 1960. Adjusted for inflation to 2007, its construction cost approximately £765 million. The motorway has an average daily traffic flow of 144,000 vehicles in West Yorkshire , and has several sections prone to traffic congestion , in particular, between Leeds and Huddersfield and
7134-434: Was intended to be a motorway, and junction 11. Between these is junction 10, which is a cloverstack interchange with the M6. The M62 crosses Chat Moss before interchanging with the M60 motorway . Owing to the original plan to extend this section of the motorway into Manchester, motorists must turn off to stay on (a TOTSO ) the route into Yorkshire. In Greater Manchester, the motorway shares seven junctions, 12 to 18, with
7221-543: Was not built. The proposed route would have followed the railway into Liverpool as far as Edge Hill , with junctions at Rathbone Road and Durning Road where it would drop to two lanes before terminating at the Islington Radial. Difficulties arose building the Liverpool urban motorway resulting in delays, with the section between Tarbock and Liverpool the last to be completed in 1976. In total, two viaducts , ten bridges and seven underpasses were constructed to secure
7308-460: Was sentenced to five years in prison. On 1 March 2018, a Highways England car fire in severe weather conditions ( the beast from the East ) caused up to 3,500 vehicles to become trapped on the eastbound Pennine section between junctions 20 and 24. Up to 200 people spent the night in their vehicles. The military, mountain rescue , fire services and Highways England worked alongside the police through
7395-426: Was transporting off-duty army personnel and their family members. Twelve people were killed and 38 were injured. Hartshead Moor services was used as a makeshift hospital and base for investigations. The Provisional Irish Republican Army was deemed responsible. A memorial to the victims was erected at Hartshead Moor services in 2009. The Selby rail crash happened on 28 February 2001, at 06:13 after Gary Hart,
7482-419: Was used as a resting point for the royal train . Lowton had a second station – Lowton St Mary's – which closed in 1964. Lowton had a toffee factory, along with other sites of heavy industry. Many of these factories have now closed and have been replaced with light industry. Lowton's Sandy Lane is reputedly haunted by the ghost of Joshua Rigby, a local farmer who died in 1883. In 1931 the civil parish had
7569-449: 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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