Withnell

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Withnell
Withnell shown within Lancashire
Population	3,631 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SD634217
Parish	Withnell
District	Chorley
Shire county	Lancashire
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CHORLEY
Postcode district	PR6
Dialling code	01254
Police	Lancashire
Fire	Lancashire
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Chorley
List of places: UK • England • Lancashire

Coordinates: 53°41′27″N 2°33′18″W / 53.690721, -2.555022

Withnell is a civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,631. Withnell is about five miles north-east of Chorley itself and about 5 miles away from Blackburn. It constituted an urban district from 1894 to 1974. It was originally called 'Withinhull' around 1160, later appearing as 'Withinhulle' in the 1332 Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire, meaning 'a hill where willow trees grow'. It borders the villages of Brinscall and Abbey Village. Amenities in Withnell include:

A Catholic school and church (St. Joseph's)
A Church of England church (St. Paul's)
A newsagent (Post Office recently closed on on May 8th 2008 as part of the Post Office Network Change Program)^[1]
A small village shop selling various groceries
A GP surgery^[2] for Withnell and surrounding villages
A cafe named Cafe Casa
A fish and chip/chinese shop
A beauty parlour

Withnell Local Nature Reserve roughly traces the path of a now disused railway cutting for around 2/3 of a mile. Since 1966, a large number of wildflowers, native trees and heathers have been planted in the 12-acre site. The public are free to walk through this Reserve, designated as a Local Nature Reserve by Chorley Borough Council^[3].