Rainford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rainford is a village in North West England, five miles north of the town of St Helens in Merseyside. Lately managed by an independent Urban District Council, it has a population of approx. 10,000. It now forms a Civil Parish and ward within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens. No-one really knows how old Rainford is, but the name of the village is in the Domesday book, thus making Rainford older than the important maritime city of Liverpool. It is known as the largest village in Merseyside.
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[edit] History and transport
Rainford lies in the fertile South Lancashire agricultural plain and is effectively an 'urban island' surrounded by large scale farming, mainly arable, but with some livestock herds.
It is well known for its industrial past when it was a major manufacturer of clay smoking pipes. The nearby coal mines became worked out and closed pre World War Two. It was also a location for sand mining, for use in the glass factories of St Helens.
It sits alongside the A570 (Rainford Bypass), a dual carriageway constructed in the late 1930's, which connects at one end to the East Lancashire Road and, at the other end, the M58 motorway. This results in excellent road links, and the village is therefore mainly inhabited by people who commute to the nearby cities of Liverpool and Manchester, and to St Helens.
Rainford's one remaining railway station is at Rainford Junction. This is on the Kirkby - Wigan line. Passengers wishing to travel to Liverpool must change at Kirkby onto the Merseyrail electrified line.
[edit] Culture and recreation
Rainford has many noted public houses, including the Bottle And Glass, Star Inn, Derby Arms, Golden Lion (reported to be haunted and features in numerous paranormal books)[citation needed], Eagle And Child and The Bridge Inn. It is also home to the George Wright Brewery.
Rainford's Silver Band is highly regarded, and has won many contests. A 'walking day' takes place every year in June and a fairground is set up behind the Golden Lion public house, in which the Silver Band participate.[1]
There is currently a golf-course under construction alongside the A570 dual carriageway. It is known that the golf course will contain 27 holes, a golf academy, restaurant and conference centre.[2]
[edit] Education
Rainford is also noted for its schools. It currently has three primary schools, a secondary school and a sixth form college. The primary schools are Rainford Brook Lodge County Primary School, Rainford C of E Primary School and Rainford Corpus Christi Primary School. The high school and sixth form operate jointly as Rainford High Technology College, and serve to educate students not just from Rainford, but from throughout St. Helens and beyond.
[edit] External links
[edit] General
[edit] Schools
- Rainford Brook Lodge County Primary School
- Rainford C of E Primary School
- Rainford Corpus Christi Primary School
- Rainford High Technology College
