Parbold

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Parbold is a large commuter village and civil parish in the county of Lancashire.

[edit] Local Government

According to the 2001 Census, the 83 hectares of the 'urban settlement' of Parbold has a population of 2,700. This settlement forms part of the larger Parbold ward (pop. 3,890 - 2001 Census), one of twenty five wards that make up West Lancashire District Council.

West Lancashire is also divided into nineteen Parish Councils, the first tier of local government. Parbold's Parish Council is bordered by the Hilldale Parish in the north, Wrightington in the east, Dalton in the south and Newburgh in the west.

Until the late 19th century, Parbold was part of the Parish of Eccleston, Lancashire and the Leyland (hundred), or Leylandshire, an ancient subdivision of Lancashire. (For the record, Brindle, Chorley, Croston, Penwortham and Standish were also part of Leylandshire). From 1894 to 1974 Parbold was part of the Wigan Rural District, along with Dalton, Haigh, Shevington, Worthington and Wrightington.

[edit] Parbold in brief

It is at the bottom of Parbold Hill, in the valley of the River Douglas. Parbold is about three miles west of junction 27 of the M6 motorway, on the A5209; the Leeds-Liverpool Canal passes very close to the village centre. The village can also be reached by rail on the line from Manchester to Southport. The nearest sizable towns are Skelmersdale which is situated around 3 miles away 'as the crow flies', Burscough (3.5 miles), Ormskirk (6 miles), and Chorley (7 miles).

The village contains a windmill, built in 1794 but which has not actually milled since about 1850 (it is now a gallery for James Bartholomew). Parbold has a canal with pleasant country walks, and the Railway, Stocks, and Windmill pubs.

Sign at the top of Parbold Hill showing which landmarks can be seen in different directions

It is dominated by Parbold Hill, on which lies the Famous Parbold Bottle, now restored. This is a stone monument about 2 metres high, so called because it vaguely resembles a giant bottle. Built in 1832 to commemorate the Reform Act, the Bottle is visible from the canal.

The earliest known reference to Parbold is in the late 12th Century, where grants of land were made to nearby Burscough Priory (pronounced Bursk-owe). After the Norman Conquest, Parbold was part of the Barony of Manchester. Little development occurred from this time to the mid 18th century. Parbold became a civil parish in 1894.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, a number of coal mines worked nearby, rather meagre, seams; hard sandstone was also quarried. Both coal and sandstone could be exported over the waterways; boat-building was a minor economic activity in Parbold around this time.

Parbold railway station, built in the mid 19th century by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, radically altered the village; it allowed middle class workers to live in Parbold and commute to urban areas throughout the north-west. The rail station also provided a natural centre for the village which it still is today. The railway station was originally named Newburgh after the nearest large village but this became 'Newburgh for Parbold' and then 'Parbold for Newburgh'. At this point Dalton wanted to also to be mentioned in the official name so the railway company decided to just call the station Parbold (this happened before 1910 as the station was called Parbold in the Bradshaw of that date). In 2005 the railway station underwent a £250,000 restoration project which saw the ticket office restored to its former glory and new fences and CCTV installed.

Parbold's war memorial is in the Church of England Church, Christchurch which is near the top of Parbold Hill.

Parbold has two churches, two primary schools, a library, a purpose-built community hall, a telephone exchange, a doctor's surgery[[1]], a bank, a sub post-office, and a number of other shops including a chemist, a newsagent, two hairdressers and both a Chinese and Indian Takeaway. There are four pubs along the main road through the centre of the village - The Railway, The Windmill, The Stocks Tavern and The Wayfarer.

Parbold has a local amateur football team, Parbold FC who play in the South Lancashire Counties league mainly on Sundays during the winter.

The nearest (as the 'crow flies') professional football clubs are Wigan Athletic (7 miles), Preston N.E. (12 miles), Bolton Wanderers (14 miles), Everton and Liverpool (15 miles), and Blackburn Rovers (16 miles). The nearest professional rugby league clubs are Wigan (7 miles), St Helens (10 miles), Leigh (10 miles), Warrington (16 miles), and Widnes (16 miles).

Two semi pro fotball clubs are significantly closer than the nearest pro club: Skelmersdale United F.C. (Northern Premier League First Division) and Burscough F.C. (Northern Premier League Premier Division).