Horwich
Horwich | ||
---|---|---|
Metropolitan county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | BOLTON | |
Postcode district | BL6 | |
Dialling code | 01204 | |
Police | Greater Manchester | |
Fire | Greater Manchester | |
Ambulance | North West | |
UK Parliament | ||
Website | www.horwich.gov.uk | |
Horwich (
Horwich emerged in the
History
The name Horwich derives from the Old English har and wice, meaning the place at the grey wych-elm and in 1221 was recorded as Horewic.[6] The name was recorded as Harewych in 1277 and Horewyche in 1327.[7][8]
Horwich Forest
Ancient records are of Horwich Forest being overrun with wolves in the time of
Pre-industrial
By the 16th century, subsequent to the reformation land ownership had shifted from Church to the crown and was then sold to new owners, who transformed the town into an agricultural economy, and forests were cleared. Many of the farms from the period still existed until the housing boom of the 19th and 20th centuries, like many Lancashire towns the cotton industry was prominent as at least a secondary occupation in many households, weaving became a widespread occupation, and industries like bleaching, dying and paper making grew from the use of water power with the towns preindustrial plentiful access to flowing water. The town continued this path until the arrival of the railway workshops in the 19th century.[15]
In 1598 a number of men were presented at the court leet for tithing and in 1621 the court leet recorded "paid for hue and crye that came from Horwich after the man who made an escape forth of ye stocks for stealing certain lynen cloth 8d". The earliest map of Horwich is dated 1620 and is known as 'The Platt of Horwich', naming the landowner as Sir Thomas Barton, of the Barton family of Holme Hall in the manor of Holme Newark and Smithills Hall, Bolton. [7] A plague pit is noted on the map, with victims of a 1623 outbreak, interred in a mass grave under what is now Lever Park Avenue.[16] By the 17th century, the amount of woodland in the Horwich forest was reduced by house building and for fuel.[8] Horwich Moor was enclosed between 1815 and 1818. Race meetings were held between 1837 and 1847 at the 'Old Lords estate', an area next to the Rivington border, named after 11th Baron Willoughby. Four Barons Willoughby of Parham are interred at Horwich Parish Church.[7][17]
The manor became the property of the Andertons of Lostock Hall, Lostock, who purchased it in 1599 from Nicholas and Elizabeth Mosley. These lands were confiscated by The Crown in 1715 after the Battle of Preston. They were leased to the Blundells whose coat of arms is displayed above the door at the Blundell Arms on Chorley Old Road.
The
Industrial Revolution
In the 1770s brothers, John and Joseph Ridgway, land agents to the Blundells, moved their bleach works from Bolton to Wallsuches.[20][21] Their works was the oldest and one of the few stone-built mills in the Bolton borough.[22] The firm was one of the earliest users of chemical bleaching using chlorine.[23] In 1798 the firm installed a Boulton and Watt steam engine.[24]
Horwich Vale Printworks, founded in 1799 by the River Douglas, printed cloth using machines and handblocks.
Ridgways provided land for the early 19th century Club Houses, a grid pattern development of streets of stone built cottages south of Church Street. Some had basements for hand loom weaving. In 1851 the occupants were crofters, stovers and bleachers.[24]
Heavy Industry
In 1881 the population of 3,761 lived in 900 houses and had remained stable for fifty years, the arrival of the railway works and other industries including W.T. Taylor's cotton mill resulted in a considerable change to Horwich leading to a rapid increase in population, creating a boom in population by 1891 to 12,850 people, Horwich became a railway town in this period of the Industrial Revolution.
Coming with this increased population was a need for more houses, schools, and retail and service industries to provide for this new population. Large areas of former farmland was built on with the creation of vast numbers of brick terraced house streets of Victorian and Edwardian types of two-up two-down for the working class who had arrived from across Britain and Ireland, still used in the 21st century. Many new streets near Horwich Locomotive Works were named after famous engineers of the time. Local government in Horwich meets and is administered from a typical Victorian-style building which became known as Horwich Public Hall, a gift to the town by Peter Martin of The Street, Rivington in 1879 and still in use. The post-war years saw a boom in the builds of Council Houses. [28][24][29]
In 1937 the
Railway Town
In the period of the railway works from spring 1884 to 1983 Horwich changed drastically. The site first opened as the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) works, leading to a large complex for building and maintaining locomotives, the site replaced one at Miles Platting.
Horwich Works was built on 142 hectares of land bought for £36,000. The first workshop, Rivington House opened in February 1887. It is 106.7 metres long by 16.8 metres wide. The long brick built workshops had full-height arched windows and were separated by tram and rail tracks. Work to construct the three-bay, 463.3 metres long, 36 metres wide, erecting shop began in March 1885. Inside it were 20 overhead cranes.[33] By November 1886 the first locomotives arrived at the works for repair.
The first Horwich built locomotive, Number 1008, left the works in 1887 and is preserved at the National Railway Museum.[20][21][34][35]
In the
The L&YR amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway in 1922 becoming a constituent of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, (LMS) in 1923.
Horwich Works continued to build and repair locomotives for the LMS until the company was
Production changed and the last steam locomotive built at Horwich Works left on 27 November 1957, after which the works produced shunting diesel trains until 28 December 1962.[37] It was reduced to repairing engines and maintaining railway wagons. On 18 February 1983 BREL announced that the works would close at the end of the year. Protest marches and spirited trade union resistance failed to alter the decision and at 1 pm on Friday, 23 December 1983 Horwich Works closed after 97 years. The town went through a period of high unemployment afterward, [20][21][34][35] The freehold of the railway works site was transferred from British Rail to Bolton Council in the mid-1990s.
A proposal to demolish the works and build 1,700 homes and a school was submitted to Bolton Council in early 2010.[38] The initial phase of the development commenced in 2019.[39]
Asbestos used to insulate steam engines and railway carriages linked to mesothelioma has been a legacy affecting former workers and their families with asbestos dust also being carried in clothing. The redevelopment of the site required it to be cleared of contaminants before building commenced.[40][41] Part of the site is planned for demolition for the creation of a link road in 2019, linking the Middlebrook Retail Park, M61 and Horwich Railway Station.[42]
With the closure of Horwich Locomotive Works and other heavy industries, the town went through a period of hardship until the development of the Middlebrook Retail Park and the arrival in the town of Bolton Wanderers Football Club, which revived the service and retail sectors, alongside this the town is now known for sub-urban residential accommodation with the benefit of access to the motorway and other transport links. The economic area is centered around the Middlebrook area, this is planned to expand with new industrial areas being built toward Blackrod.
Governance
Horwich was within the county boundaries of Lancashire from the 12th century and was a
On 9 January 1974 Horwich was granted a Town Charter by the Earl Marshal, giving Horwich the status of a town, a town council and the ability to elect a Mayor. An official coat of arms was granted and assigned on 6 December 1974 by the Earl Marshal.[44]
Horwich is covered by two electoral Wards of the Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, the Horwich South and Blackrod, and Horwich North Wards. Each Ward elects three councillors to the Metropolitan Borough Council. Horwich Town Council, formed in 1974, has eight Wards; Vale, Bridge, Lever Park, Church, Claypool, Brazley, Central and Fall Birch which elect 14 representatives to the Town Council.
Horwich is part of the Bolton West Constituency. Its Member of Parliament is Chris Green who won the parliamentary seat at the 2015 General Election.
Geography
Suburban localities in Horwich include Wallsuches and Middlebrook.
Horwich extends to 3,230 acres (13.1 km2) and measures 3 miles (4.8 km) from north to south and 2 miles (3.2 km) west to east. The
Demography
Horwich Compared | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 Census
|
Horwich | Bolton (borough) | GM Urban Area
|
England |
Total population | 19,312 | 261,037 | 2,240,230 | 49,138,831 |
White | 97.9% | 89.0% | 90.3% | 90.9% |
Asian | 1.0% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 4.6% |
Black | 0.4% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 2.3% |
Sources:[47][48] |
At the 2001 UK census, Horwich had a population of 19,312 of which 9,370 were male and 9,942 were female. The 2001 population density is lower than Bolton at 12.5 people per hectare compared to 18.7 in Bolton. At the 2011 UK census, Horwich's population increased to 20,067 of which 9,777 were male and 10,290 were female. The 2011 census recorded a total of 9,013 households, of which were 1,979 detached houses, 2,642 semi-detached houses, 3,254 terraced houses, 971 purpose-built flats, 160 other flats (including bedsits), and 7 caravans (or other mobile or temporary structure).[49]
Population change
Until the late 18th century, Horwich was a small rural community. In 1774, it had a population of 305, comprising 156 females and 149 males.[50] After 1780 the population increased as the Industrial Revolution brought changes to the town but remained constant until 1885 when the locomotive works were built more than trebling the population in ten years.[20][21]
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sources: (a) Local Statistics.[51] (b) A vision of Britain through time.[52] (c) Neighbourhood Statistics.[53][5] |
Economy
Many of Horwich's traditional industries, Horwich Works and W.T. Taylor's cotton mill closed in the late 20th century. Regeneration was led by the construction of the Toughsheet Community Stadium for Bolton Wanderers at
There are Tesco and Asda stores on the outskirts of town and Aldi and Iceland stores closer to the town centre. The Horwich indoor market building was closed and demolished in 2009,[31][55] but the traditional town centre has many small, specialist shops and businesses, including a greengrocers, butchers, florist and gift shops. Free parking is available across the town and there is a post office and library in the town centre.
Transport
Public transport is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester. The nearest railway stations are at Blackrod and Horwich Parkway adjacent to the University of Bolton Stadium where there is a Park and Ride facility with trains to Bolton, Manchester and Preston.[56] Blackrod station is nearer the town centre. The original Horwich railway station was closed in the Beeching cuts to passenger traffic on 27 September 1965, goods traffic continued until 1966, the line was fully closed in 1967.[57][58]
Frequent buses operate between Horwich and Bolton. The 575 is operated by
Horwich is situated close to the motorway network with access at junction 6 of the M61 motorway. The A673 Bolton to Preston road passes through the town which is accessed by the B6226 and B5238.
Manchester Airport is 50 minutes by direct train from Horwich Parkway railway station.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the nearby Winter Hill TV transmitter situated north east of the town. [60]
Local radio stations are BBC Radio Manchester, Heart North West, Smooth North West, Greatest Hits Radio Bolton & Bury, XS Manchester, Capital Manchester and Lancashire and Bolton FM, a community-based radio station which broadcast from its studios in Bolton.[61][62]
Horwich Advertiser is the local newspaper [63] including other regional newspapers, The Bolton News, Manchester Evening News and North West Enquirer.
Education
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company built the Railway Mechanics Institute in 1888. It became the Technical College but has been demolished.[24]
Horwich secondary school students years attend either
Our Lady's school was built in 1886 on Chorley New Road and Holy Family Primary School on Victoria Road in 1894. Holy Family was the first Lancashire County Council school to be granted aided status under the 1944 Education Act. The schools merged on the Victoria Road site as St. Mary's RC Primary School.[69]
List of schools in Horwich | |||
---|---|---|---|
School | Type/Status | OfSTED | |
Chorley New Road Primary School | Primary | 105178 | |
Claypool Primary School | Primary | 105195 | |
Horwich Parish CE Primary School | Primary | 105233 | |
Lord Street Primary School | Primary | 105179 | |
St Catherine's CE Primary School | Primary | 132785 | |
St Mary's RC Primary School | Primary | 105250 | |
Lever Park School | Special
|
131692 | |
Rivington and Blackrod High School | Secondary & Sixth form | 105261 | |
St Joseph's RC High School
|
Secondary | 105262 | |
Alliance Learning | Work-based learning | 50387 |
Religion
Prior to the
After the
Lee Lane Congregational Church, founded in 1754, closed in 2005 and was converted into a flats. It was originally built in 1856 on the site of an earlier build known as Horwich Lee Chapel built in 1774 on the site of an earlier house, also owned by Thomas Willoughby and was used for meetings from 1682 by
The Independent Methodist chapel in Lee Lane was built in 1867, Methodism had been practised from 1810. Primitive Methodists had a chapel on Horwich Moor and where a Baptist church was built in 1890.[7]
Sport
Bolton Wanderers F.C. play at the Toughsheet Community Stadium having moved from Burnden Park near Bolton town centre in 1997. Indoor facilities for sports training and major racket sports tournaments are provided at Bolton Arena, which was used for badminton events in the 2002 Commonwealth Games.[72]
Several of the town's sporting organisations have origins in the sport and social clubs of Horwich Locomotive Works. Horwich RMI Harriers and Athletic Club founded in 1924, is based at Middlebrook and participates in road, fell and cross country races, track and field athletics.[73] Horwich Cycling Club was founded in 1934 as the Horwich Wheelers.[74] It is involved in the organisation of the Horwich Carnival Road Races, held in the town centre.[75] Horwich RMI Cricket Club was founded in 1892. The club plays in the Bolton Cricket League which it joined in 1934.[76]
Twin town
In March 1990, Horwich and
Notable people
See also
References
- ^ a b c Greater Manchester Gazetteer, Greater Manchester County Record Office, archived from the original on 18 July 2011, retrieved 12 June 2010
- ^ Horwich Township Map, genuki.org, retrieved 6 June 2010
- ^ a b "Local Government Act United Kingdom [1972, effective 1974]". Britannica. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ a b Wyke, Terry. "Bolton". Revealing Histories. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Area: Horwich (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ISBN 0-19-852758-6(subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Farrer & Brownbill 1911, pp. 6–9.
- ^ a b c Smith 1988, p. 16.
- ^ Boardman, James (1904). RECORDS & TRADITIONS OF Deane Church, Village, and Parish, IN LANCASHIRE, A.D. 597 to 1904 VOL. I. (PDF). Lytham: City of London College. p. 42. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Harland 1861, p. 39.
- ^ Harland 1861, p. 70.
- ^ a b Smith 1988, p. 10.
- ^ Harland 1861, p. 96.
- ^ "Court records". Manchester Gov. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ Smith 1988, p. 16-67.
- ^ Smith 1988, p. 17.
- ^ Smith 1988, p. 19.
- ^ Hampson 1883, p. ?.
- required.)(subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e f g h Smith 1988, p. ?.
- ^ a b c d e f g Smith 1999, p. ?.
- ^ Bolton Mills Action Framework (PDF), Bolton Council, p. 6, archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2017, retrieved 23 June 2010
- ^ Bolton, Spinning the Web, archived from the original on 3 October 2006, retrieved 23 June 2010
- ^ a b c d e Ashmore 1982, p. 98.
- ^ North and East Lancashire's Mining Industry in 1896, projects.exeter.ac.uk, retrieved 8 November 2009
- ^ Lane 2008, p. 13.
- ^ a b Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1848), "Horwich", A Topographical Dictionary of England, British History Online, pp. 559–562, retrieved 11 June 2010
- ^ Smith 1988, p. 117.
- ^ "Horwich Official Town Guide" (PDF). Burrows. Horwich Town Council. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ Lacey, Paul (11 July 2019). "Bombers Over Rivington 1942". Internet Archive. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d Industry and Commerce, Horwich Town Council, archived from the original on 7 May 2007, retrieved 20 June 2010
- ^ Smith 1988, p. 189.
- ^ Horwich Locomotive Works, LYR, Engineering Timelines, retrieved 17 June 2010
- ^ ISBN 0-7153-8699-9)
- ^ ISBN 0-333-39431-3)
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 193.
- ^ Smith 1999, p. 191.
- ^ "Historic Loco Works May become housing estate", The Bolton News, Newsquest Media Group, 20 January 2010
- ^ Vesty, Helena (4 April 2019). "What the £262m Rivington Chase development looks like now". Bolton News. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ Abbit, Beth (8 July 2018). "When Vivienne Swain washed her husband's overalls she never could have imagined fatal consequences". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ McIntyre, Alex (18 April 2018). "Developer reveals decontamination of first phase at Horwich Loco Works". Bolton News. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ Timan, Joseph (30 August 2019). "Historic Bolton train yard to be demolished for new link road". Bolton News. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ Workhouse, workhouses.org.uk, retrieved 13 December 2009
- ^ Horwich Coat of Arms. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- ^ "Red Moss citation sheet" (PDF). Natural England. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2007.
- ^ Red Moss lnr, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, archived from the original on 20 July 2011, retrieved 25 November 2010
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics Horwich CP (Parish), Office for National Statistics, retrieved 25 June 2010
- ^ Bolton Ward Profiles Horwich North East (PDF), Bolton Council, archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2011, retrieved 25 June 2010
- ^ "Area: Horwich (Parish): Dwellings, Household Spaces and Accommodation Type, 2011". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ^ Smith 1988, p. 52.
- ^ Tatton, Pauline. Local population statistics 1801–1986. Bolton Central Library Archives.
- ^ Horwich UD: Total Population. URL accessed 29 November 2007.
- ^ "Area: UK Census 2001: Horwich CP (Parish)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ^ Watson Steel, Watson Steel Company, archived from the original on 15 March 2012, retrieved 30 November 2010
- ^ "Asbestos fear for residents after market set alight", The Bolton News, Newsquest Media Group, 2 July 2009
- ^ Horwich Parkway rail station, GMPTE, archived from the original on 2 March 2012, retrieved 13 June 2010
- ^ Horwich station, Subterranea Britannica, retrieved 13 June 2010
- ^ Smith 1988, p. 191.
- ^ Transport, Horwich Town Council, archived from the original on 18 June 2010, retrieved 13 June 2010
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Bolton FM". Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "North West Radio Stations". Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "Horwich Advertiser". Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ Welcome to Rivington & Blackrod High School, Rivington and Blackrod High School, archived from the original on 10 March 2009, retrieved 20 June 2010
- ^ St Joseph's RC High School and Sports College, St Joseph's School, retrieved 20 June 2010
- ^ Smith 1988, pp. 44–46.
- ^ "Horwich Parish Hall, Former Horwich School, Horwich", British Listed Buildings, retrieved 25 June 2010
- ^ "Horwich Parish Church of England Primary School, Horwich", British Listed Buildings, retrieved 20 June 2010
- ^ a b St Mary, Horwich – Roman Catholic, GenUKI, retrieved 1 January 2011
- ^ "Horwich Unitarian Free Church". National Archive. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Lee Chapel, Horwich Independent". GENUKI. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
- ^ 2002 Venue (PDF), thecgf.com, retrieved 22 January 2010
- ^ Horwich RMI Harriers, Horwich RMI Harriers, retrieved 18 June 2010
- ^ Horwich Cycling Club, Horwich Cycling Club, archived from the original on 14 April 2010, retrieved 18 June 2010
- ^ Horwich Carnival Races, Horwich Carnival Races, retrieved 18 June 2010
- ^ Horwich RMI Cricket Club, Horwich RMI Cricket Club, retrieved 18 June 2010[permanent dead link]
- ^ Horwich's Town Twinning. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
Bibliography
- Ashmore, Owen (1982). The Industrial Archaeology of North-west England. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-0820-7..
- Farrer, William; Brownbill, J, eds. (1911). Townships: Horwich. British History Online. pp. 6–9. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - Hampson, Thomas (1883). Horwich: Its History, Legends, and Church. Wigan: "Observer" Office.
- Harland, John (1861). Mamecestre: being chapters from the early recorded history of the barony; the lordship or manor; the vill, borough, or town, of Manchester, Vol. 53. Manchester: Chetham society.
- Lane, Dave (2008). Winter Hill Scrapbook. Lulu. ISBN 978-1-4092-2068-8..
- Smith, M.D. (1988). About Horwich. Chorley: Nelson Brothers Printers Limited. ISBN 0-9508772-7-1.
- Smith, M.D. (1999). More About Horwich. St Michael's on Wyre: Wyre Publishing. ISBN 0-9526187-4-5..