Atherton, Greater Manchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Atherton | |
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  Atherton shown within Greater Manchester |
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| Population | 19,859 |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Wigan |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | M46 |
| Dialling code | 01942 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Worsley |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Atherton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. Built on and around seven brooks, it has an industrial past with a history of coal mining, cotton milling, and nail manufacture. The town's population according to the 2001 census was 19,859.[1]
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[edit] History
Romano-Celtic coins and evidence of a Roman road and Bronze Age settlement have been found in the Atherton area.[2] The area was long associated with coal mining and nail manufacture. In the 19th century Atherton was a township in the parish of Leigh, focused on the village of Chowbent. During the Industrial Revolution the cotton industry became established here. As the population grew, the resulting town was called Atherton, although the name Chowbent is still sometimes used by locals. There are some fine examples of historic buildings in and around Atherton, including the 17th century Alder House, Chowbent Chapel (1722), and St John's Church (1879).
[edit] Geography
Atherton has a small pedestrian shopping centre, with small independent traders. There are public transport links: by rail links to Wigan and Manchester, and by bus to Bolton, Leigh, Wigan, St Helens, Manchester, the Trafford Centre and Middlebrook Retail and Leisure Complex.
[edit] Culture
Atherton has many pubs along the main street (Market Street), including the Punch Bowl, the Mountain Dew(Spoon & Needle), the Last Orders and the Pendle Witch. However the town is fairly quiet at night with most people choosing to go out in nearby Tyldesley and Leigh. Atherton's Formby Hall also plays host to the Bent 'n' Bongs Beer Festival over the last weekend of every January.
[edit] Notable residents
- Joseph Nightingale, writer and preacher
- Nigel Short, chess player
[edit] References
- ^ 2001 Census Key Statistics - Population by age (PDF). Wigan Council. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ Dutton, Dave. Atherton, Lancashire (HTTP). Atherton Online. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
[edit] External links
- Atherton at the Open Directory Project
