Mawdesley

Mawdesley
St. Peter's Church, Mawdesley
Mawdesley  Mawdesley shown within Lancashire
Population	1,702 (2101)
OS grid reference	SD491145
Civil parish	Mawdesley
District	Chorley
Shire county	Lancashire
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ORMSKIRK
Postcode district	L40
Dialling code	01704
Police	Lancashire
Fire	Lancashire
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Chorley
List of places UK England Lancashire

Coordinates: 53°37′26″N 2°46′12″W / 53.624°N 2.770°W / 53.624; -2.770

Mawdesley is a small commuter/retirement village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,787,^[1] reducing to 1,702 at the 2011 Census.^[2]

History

The name Mawdesley is thought to have originated in the reign of Edward I (1272–1308). The suffix 'ley' denotes a field, meadow or clearing. Records show that a manor existed in 1250 AD on the site of the present Mawdesley Hall.

Mawdesley Hall

Mawdesley Hall is a small country hall, (now a private house), situated in a secluded position at the north end of the village. It was thought to have been built by William Mawdesley in 1625, but altered towards the end of the 18th century .^[3]

Transport

The village is isolated from public transport links as it lies some distance off the main roads and railways that connect nearby towns and other local villages. An infrequent day time bus service runs from the centre of the village to Chorley and Southport. The nearest railway station is three miles away at Rufford

The local roads are generally narrow, unlit and poorly maintained and not suitable for the high volume of large 4x4 commuter vehicles and heavy farm traffic they now take. For those unfamiliar with this maze of isolated back roads it can be easy to get lost. Walking is often dangerous along the village roads because there are few pavements.

Religion

St Peter and St Paul's Catholic Church is located at OS grid reference SD508146, Salt Pit Lane, and was founded in 1830. The Wesleyan Methodist church, New Street, was founded before 1893 from religious societies founded by John Wesley and his preachers and was located at OS grid reference SD493150. St Peter's CE Church, High Street, Mawdesley with Bispham, was founded in 1839 and is located at OS grid reference SD489143.

Education

The village has two small primary schools, Mawdesley St Peter's C of E School, and St Peter and Paul's Catholic School. Little Acorns Pre-school operates from within Mawdesley St Peter's C of E School and serves Mawdesley and the surrounding villages, providing play-based learning for 3 to 5 year olds.

Community

Mawdesley today is a small dormitory/retirement village, more akin to a wealthy suburb, mostly inhabited by wealthy retirees and older affluent commuters. House prices are well above the national average.^[4] Mawdesley lacks many basic amenities and facilities, as such many residents choose (or are forced by necessity) to drive in to towns and the surrounding villages for many of their needs.

Gentrification, lack of affordable housing, lack of local employment, lack of public transport, lack of local amenities and facilities, a location that requires complete reliance on the car, and a predominantly older population has made the village out of reach and unsuitable for many younger generations and people on average wages.

Local landmarks in Mawdesley are limited to, the village hall, Millennium Green (a small public green space), and Cedar Farm (a small craft centre in a converted pig farm on the edge of the village). The village also comprises a small convenience store and the Red Lion pub. The Black Bull pub on Hall Lane closed in 2013 and has remained shut very since. Other pubs fairly nearby are; The Robin Hood, two miles north-east on the parish boundary with Eccleston, and the Eagle and Child, two miles south in the neighbouring hamlet of Bispham Green.

Mawdesley Village Hall is run by a group of volunteers called the Mawdesley Village Hall Management Committee. The village hall serves the local community; offering a variety of events, activities and services for small children and elderly people. There is a function room which is hired out for private events and to a variety of clubs. The groups using the hall include; playgroup, mums and toddlers, Mawdesley Amateur Dramatics, Cubs, Beavers, Scouts, Guides, W.I., Mothers' Union. The facilities are also used by a branch of the University of the Third Age who provide art classes, historical lectures etc. for Mawdesley's predominantly older aged/retired community.

Geography

	Sollom	Croston	Eccleston
	Rufford		Heskin
		Mawdesley
	Burscough	Bispham Green	Wrightington Bar

Historically Mawdesley was contained within the parish of Croston and not regarded as a village but rather "a hamlet of Croston." ^[5] and "an extensive and flat township, between Croston and Wrightington." ^[6] Development in to a village was gradual and piecemeal, which is still reflected today in the rather disparate, fragmented nature of the area. Mawdesley with Bispham only became a separate parish in 1843.

Mawdesley is a straggling village, with fragmented areas of residential ribbon development along the various back roads in the parish. As such Mawdesley lacks the clearly defined centre, and sense of place found in neighbouring villages like Croston and Parbold.

The village sits on a low rise from the surrounding flat mossland of Mawdesley Moss. Mawdesley Moss is an extremely flat, industrially farmed, isolated area of mossland. The nearest hill, Harrock Hill (515 ft) belongs to the neighbouing parishes of Hilldale and Wrightington. This low, rolling hill is visible in some areas of Mawdesley and serves as a landmark from the otherwise flat, monotonous landscape.

Google Maps map of Mawdesley, includes a reference to a place called "Mawdeskey" which does not exist.

Notable residents

• Former England and Wales and Lancashire cricketer Jack Iddon was born in Mawdesley in 1902.

See also

• Listed buildings in Mawdesley

References

Sources

• A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6 William Farrer & J. Brownbill (editors)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mawdesley.

• Mawdesley Community Website Mawdesley-village.org.uk.