Kirkham, Lancashire

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Map sources for Kirkham, Lancashire at grid reference SD426321

Kirkham, or as it once was known, Kirkam-in-Amounderness is a town in the Fylde district of Lancashire, United Kingdom, midway between Blackpool and Preston (11 miles west of Preston).

The town is pre-Roman in its origin. The name originates in the Danish word kirk (church) and -ham (Saxon for settlement): it appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name of Chicheham, lies on the Roman road between Ribchester and the River Wyre. The town's market has one of the oldest charters in the United Kingdom, having been granted in 1269-70 by King Henry III. The parish church is dedicated to St Michael.

Kirkham lies in the centre of an agricultural area. By the mid 18th century however the manufacture of sail-cloth, and the flax-weaving industry had been established here; and by the end of the century the town had grown in importance. By the 1876 there were several factories employing almost 1000 workers in the cotton and other industries.

Kirkham station was opened in 1844, four years after the Preston and Wyre Railway and Harbour Company had opened its line to Fleetwood. It now also serves the nearby village of Wesham.

The town's football team Kirkham & Wesham FC play in the West Lancashire League, and were Premier Division Champions in the 2005-06 season.

South of the town is Kirkham open prison, built on part of the site of the Royal Air Force base, closed in 1957.

The two main schools in the town are Carr Hill and Kirkham Grammar.