Hindley, Greater Manchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hindley | |
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  Hindley shown within Greater Manchester |
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| Population | 23,457 (2001 census) [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Wigan |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Wigan |
| Postcode district | WN2 |
| Dial code | 01942 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | Makerfield |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England | |
Hindley is a town and district of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Laying three miles east of Wigan it covers and area of 1044 hectares and is within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. Hindley borders the towns of Ince-in-Makerfield, Leigh and Westhoughton, and has an approximate population of 23,457, estimated from Metropolitan Borough of Wigan 2001 census results. [[2]]
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[edit] Geography and administration
Hindley town centre is located on the historic route between Wigan and Bolton, approximately three miles to the east of Wigan centre and four miles to the north-west of Leigh centre. The town forms part of the greater south Lancashire conurbation set to the east of the M6 motorway between Wigan, St Helens, Bolton and Manchester. The town is set close to the north of an important junction of the A577 (Wigan-Atherton road) and the A58 (Westhoughton - Ashton-in-Makerfield road).
The Local Government Act of 1858 was adopted by the township in 1867 and under the Act of 1894 an Urban District council of fifteen members was constituted. New council offices were opened in 1904 and Hindley Urban District Council ran until local government reorganisation in 1974 when Hindley became part of Wigan Metropolitan Borough.
[edit] History
[edit] Early History
The town is first recorded as Hindele in 1212 and again as Hindelegh in 1260. By 1292 it was commonly being referred to as Hindeley. It is believed that the name originally meant the Hind near the Lea - or the deer near the stream.
Hindley was one of the fifteen berewicks of the royal manor of Newton before the Norman Conquest in 1066. After the Conquest it continued to form part of the Barony of Makerfield. The area was held by various free tenants until 1330 when Robert Langton, Baron Makerfield, gave the lordship of the whole manor to his younger son. His descendants were lords of the manor until 1765 when it was sold to the Duke of Bridgewater.
[edit] Middle Ages
For much of the Middle Ages the land was a mixture of pastoral, farming and woodland with the local farmers being tenants of a variety of lords. Some of this ancient woodland still remains today in Borsdane Wood. This is a fine example of an ancient British woodland and consequently Borsdane Wood is protected as a local nature reserve; the richness of the wildlife, the age of the trees and the beautiful glades making an excellent setting for a visit.
[edit] 17th century
Parish registers from the end of the 17th century reveal that residents described themselves as Yeomen, independent farmers who supplemented their income by spinning and weaving. There are also many references to Blacksmiths, whitesmiths, nailers and wheelwrights demonstrating the essentially rural basis of the local economy.
[edit] Industry and commerce
However, Hindley is built on the Lancashire coalfield and the two great business of the town for over three centuries were coal-mining and cotton manufacture. The first recorded coal mine was in 1528 and by the end of the 19th century there were over 20 pits in the area. At the start of the 20th century profitable coal seams were nearly exhausted and concerns were raised regarding the need to diversify and develop the cotton mills. Peak production of coal was achieved just prior to World War I. The period between the first and second world wars was marked by the closure of most of the collieries and mills including Hindley Field and Swan Lane collieries in 1927, Hindley Green Colliery in 1928; Lowe Hall Colliery in 1931; Lowe Mill closing in 1934 and Worthington Mill was demolished.
The economic depression of the 1920s and 1930s hit Hindley hard and by the time of the Second World War the population had declined to 19,000.
Cotton manufacturing was carried on extensively from the 17th century until the middle part of the 20th century. By the end of the 18th century the majority of men described themselves as weavers in the parish registers.
The first cotton factory was erected in 1785 by Richard Battersby at Lowe Mill, formerly a water corn-mill. Later hand-loom weaving was one of the chief industries, each cottage having a weaving shop attached and as the Industrial Revolution grew, larger cotton mills were built. Nevertheless, Hindley retained a rural character throughout the century. In 1790 Market Street, known then as Mill Lane, remained unmetalled and predominantly undeveloped.
[edit] Demographics
The population of Hindley increased during the 19th century from 2,300 in 1811 to 23,000 in 1911 reflecting the transformation of the town from a country village to small, dense industrial town whose wealth was based on cotton mills and coal mining. In 1822, John Pennington constructed his first power-driven mill. He was previously a significant employer of hand-loom weavers in the late 18th and early 19th century.
In 1835 John Leyland provided an insight into the growth of the town when he wrote, “Mr Pennington is extending his works, and a new mill is being built by Mr Walker. When these get completed a large increase in inhabitants must follow. In a small time it will doubtless rank as a small town.”
Like many other local towns, the coal mining and cotton spinning have all disappeared and most residents of Hindley work in neighbouring Wigan and Bolton or commute to Manchester or Liverpool.
[edit] Landmarks
Hindley and Abram Grammar School was established in 1632 and survived as a school until the 1980s when it was closed by Wigan Metropolitan Borough. The building still survives as a teachers' centre.
All Saints' Church was built by public subscription in 1641 and was a daughter church of Wigan Parish, becoming a parish in its own right in 1650. All Saints' Church was rebuilt in 1766 with modifications made in 1863 and remains to this day much the same as then. An attractive, bright church with an upper balcony and wide nave. All Saints' Church is not in the town centre but can be found on Chapel Green Road.
Other churches were built as the town grew in the 19th century. St Peter's, near the crossroads in the town centre, was built in 1866 and contains a rare example of an organ by Edmund Schulze. St John's Methodist Church at the top of Market Street and St Benedict's RC Church, in the middle of the main street, were both built in 1868.
The war memorial, outside St Peter's Church at the town's main crossroad, was unveiled on 4th November, 1922; other memorials exist in individual churches. The cemetery on Castle Hill Road is divided into denominational sections and of note is the amount of masonic gravestones to be found throughout. Hindley has a long and proud masonic tradition that still survives today.
[edit] Today
Hindley's proximity to the modern motorway network and train lines to Manchester and Wigan (where connections to the West Coast Mainline can be made) and affordable housing make it increasingly attractive for commuters.
However, Hindley has suffered under Wigan Metropolitan Borough's regeneration policy as regeneration initiatives and funds have all gone to other parts of the borough.[citation needed] Like many towns in a similar situation, the main street needs regeneration and this hasn't been helped by the creation of a large superstore which has only served to hasten the demise of local shops.
[edit] Notable residents
Among the noted past or current residents of Hindley are:
- George Formby, the writer and singer, who lived on Atherton Road as a boy
- John Crank, famous mathematician.[3]
- Arthur Farrimond, 1924 Olympic runner
- Lily Brayton, Shakespearean actress [4]
- John Leyland, local businessman and philanthropist donated local park and library to the town
- John Lowe, headmaster of the local secondary school and prominent local historian
- Tom Brown, who was the local MP from 1942 to 1964 and nicknamed "the Miners' Champion"; he sat on the Urban District Council for 25 years
- Lauren Waterworth, singer
- Neil Meadows, organisational change expert
- Neil Shepherd, organist, conductor and broadcaster. Concert appearances at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool and Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, amongst others
- Numerous rugby league players, including Shaun Briscoe of Hull FC and Anthony Stewart of St Helens and Salford
