Heywood, Greater Manchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heywood | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Population: | 28,024 | |
| Ordnance Survey | ||
| OS grid reference: | SD8510 | |
| Administration | ||
| Metropolitan Borough: | Rochdale | |
| Metropolitan county: | Greater Manchester | |
| Region: | North West England | |
| Constituent country: | England | |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom | |
| Other | ||
| Ceremonial county: | Greater Manchester | |
| Historic county: | Lancashire | |
| Services | ||
| Police force: | Greater Manchester Police | |
| Fire and rescue: | {{{Fire}}} | |
| Ambulance: | North West | |
| Post office and telephone | ||
| Post town: | HEYWOOD | |
| Postal district: | OL10 | |
| Dialling code: | ||
| Politics | ||
| UK Parliament: | Heywood and Middleton | |
| European Parliament: | North West England | |
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Heywood is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is close to Middleton, and Bury, and played a part during the Industrial Revolution as a Lancashire mill town.
Heywood can be reached via junction 19 of the M62 motorway and is also served by the East Lancashire Railway (primarily a tourist attraction). Its main industry in the past has been cotton milling, although this has long since declined. Heywood is now home to one of the largest distribution parks in the North-West, thanks to its excellent motorway links with Manchester and Liverpool.
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[edit] History
Heywood is an archetypal mill town, and during the Industrial Revolution its main industry was cotton. Many of the cotton mills have now been demolished, mainly for housing. One of the last mills remaining, though not in production since 1986, has recently been offered for redevelopment as apartments. The "Mutual Mills", a complex of four, are grade II listed buildings.
The town was originally served by railway, with a station to the south of the town. There were services to Bury Knowsley Street Station and Rochdale, but this line was closed in the 1970s. However, the line has recently been re-opened to Bury, as an extension to the East Lancashire Railway preservation project.
[edit] Present day
[edit] Industry and commerce
The main employer in the town is the distribution park with many of the country's major retailers having warehouse units there.
The town centre of Heywood has declined in recent years.[citation needed] The shops along Market Street have suffered at the hands of retail parks and supermarket developments. The centre of the town includes Morrisons supermarket and Dunnes Stores, and some smaller shops.
The whole town is currently undergoing a major regeneration as part of the Government's New Deal for Communities, and New Heart for Heywood are investing over £52m.[1] This bid was initially won in 2000 and work to regenerate this town is still ongoing. Some of the planned works for 2006-2008 include a new Health Connections Centre, a new family Surestart Centre, a new Primary School (although several are being knocked down as a result) and a multi-million pound sports and leisure village. There are controversial plans to build a second landfill site in the area.
[edit] Places of interest
- Heywood is home to some of the finest countryside in the North West of England. Ashworth Valley is a renowned local beauty spot, a delightful place for a Sunday stroll, whilst Knowl Hill is a landmark recognisable for miles around.
- The Corgi Heritage Centre attracts visitors from all around the world, who come to marvel at its unprecedented range of collectible models.
- Queens Park in Heywood has recently undergone a multi-million pound facelift with many of its Victorian attractions restored such as the old fountain and many of the statues. It was officially 're-opened' in June 2006.
[edit] Notable residents
- Coronation Street Actress Julie Goodyear was born in Heywood and still lives in the town.
- Football player David Cross is from Heywood.
- TV Star Les Dennis maintains a holiday caravanette in the scenic Ashworth Valley area, and is a frequent visitor to the town.
- Pop band The Mock Turtles were formed in Heywood.
- Roger Fenton, pioneering British photographer, was born in Heywood.
- Former Everton and Oldham Athletic goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was born and raised in Heywood.
- Cricketer Steve Kirby is from Heywood. He currently plies his trade for Gloucestershire county cricket club.
- Business entrepreneurs David Bargh and Antony Clough investors of youtube.com which recently sold for £800m.
- Games journalist Nathan Irvine who currently works for PSM3.
[edit] Trivia
Heywood is well known for its density of pubs,[citation needed] reputedly at one point, the highest per head of population in the country. Highlights include the Queen Anne pub (also known as the 'Style Bar') in the town centre; in years gone by this pub reputedly staged public hangings in its back yard.[citation needed]
The only CAMRA rated pub in Heywood is the "Wishing Well" [2], which is, unusually for a public house, owned by an ordained Baptist minister, the Reverend Mike Huck.
Heywood is still often referred to as "Monkey Town" - which legend has it was attributed to the local penchant for bar stools with holes in the seat, ostensibly for tails. [3] A more likely etymology is derived from a now much reduced part of the town called Heap Bridge, or in local patois, "'Ape Bridge", hence "Monkey Town".
