Information AboutChorley |
Chorley is a Market Town in Lancashire , Great Britain , south of Preston and at the foot of the West Pennine Moors . It is the seat for the Borough Of Chorley and has been Twinned with the former Hungarian capital, Székesfehérvár since 1991 . Chorley has a population of 101,991 according to the last Census . Chorley borders the towns of Bamber Bridge , Blackburn , Bolton , Leyland , Ormskirk and Wigan . The current mayor is councillor Marie Gray whilst the Member of Parliament (MP) is Lindsay Hoyle . Today, the borough of Chorley is made up of the town and the surrounding villages. The borough contains several train stations with the main being Chorley Railway Station located in town centre. The town's wealth mainly came from the cotton industry, remnants of which in the form of the Morrisons chimney still exist. Today Chorley exists acts mainly as a Satellite Town for neighbouring Bolton and Preston . HISTORY The name Chorley means the "Ley" - an opening in the woods, not quite a field - by the River Chor . A settlement has existed at Chorley since at least the Bronze Age . A farmer at Astley Hall Farm found a pottery burial urn from this period in 1963 . This find was followed up with further excavations, with further artifacts being found. Objects from these excavations are on display at the hall's museum. During the Roman era Chorley was not a settlement but a roman road ran near Chorley for Wigan . It is believed that some Roman's did settle at Withnell to the north of the town. A market charter was granted to the town in the 1250s , and there is evidence from 1498 that the market was actually taking place. Nowadays, the town has two markets, the Flat Iron Market and the Covered Market. For one weekend each year, French market traders sell their produce in the town, with Chorley's merchants returning the favour in France . The market has a number of specialist cheesemongers who purvey the local Lancashire Cheese in various forms. Also sold is the famous Chorley Cake . According to the apocryphal story, once worked. Astley Hall is a more central stately home, set in the middle of the town's largest park, Astley Park . Oliver Cromwell visited here on his trek through the region. During the 18 hundreds Chorley was made a fortress town against the attacking Jacobite army form Scotland . They are believed to have taken the town and burnt and pillaged several settlements. Chorley like most Lancashire towns gained its wealth from the industrial revolution of the 19th century which was also responsible for the town's growth. Chorley was a vital cottam town with many Mills loitering the skyline. Today only three mills still remain working. Also Chorley in its location was vital in coal mining. Several exisited in Duxbury with the biggest being located at the end of Grundy's Lane. The last to close was the Ellerbeck Colliery in 1987 which was located in south Adlington . The town was also vital during World War II as it was home to the Royal Ordnance Factory , a large munitions factory in the village of Euxton , now part of the town. In the 1970s , Chorley was designated as part of Central Lancashire New Town , together with Preston and Leyland . The original aim of this project was to combine the three settlements into a single City with a population of around half a million. Although this never came to pass, and the project has since been abandoned, Chorley benefited from the Urban Renewal commonly associated with new towns. Examples include a Bypass of the town centre, and the ''Market Walk'' Shopping Centre . As the 21st Century progresses, Chorley will grow significantly in size as the new Buckshaw Village gets built on the former explosives area of the ROF Chorley site, the old munitions factory at Euxton. 2000 saw the building of the largest Mormon temple outside Salt Lake City in Chorley, known as the Preston Temple . INDUSTRY In days gone by, as with most towns in Lancashire, Chorley was a mining town, evidence of which can be seen by the various abandoned Quarries on the outskirts of the town. One of the most beautiful of these is Anglezarke quarry, found between Chorley and Horwich . A lot of reminents can be found of mining including the old railway bridge belonging to Duxbury Mine on Wigan Lane. Chorley today still does have some clothing factories but far fewer than it had in the 19th century. Chorley is now mainly a service town but is home to a Leyland Trucks factory, BAE Systems factory and a brewery. In 2000 Chorley's richest son Trevor Hemmings bought Pontins ; the firm is located in nearby Eccleston . In 2005 it was announced that part of the former ROF will become a facility for the RAC firm LEX. The previous facility was on a former Leyland Trucks factory. Education Chorley is home to numerous primary schools both council and church supported. Chorley has these 6 high schools:
Most Chorley residents attend the nearby Runshaw College in Leyland . Runshaw College has also expanded into the former Administration site of ROF Chorley and is using, amongst others, the main Administration Building. SPORT Chorley is home to the semi-professional Football team, Chorley F.C. , also known as the magpies due to their black and white strip. Founded as a rugby team in 1875 , they switched to playing football eight years later. Since then they have had limited success, with their most memorable moments being two appearances in the second round of the FA Cup , and two seasons in the Football Conference in the late 1980s . They currently play in the Northern Premier League First Division . The town and surrounding boroughs boast a number of cricket clubs, with two teams taking the town name. Chorley Cricket Club currently play in the Northern League, and were finalists in the ECB National Knockout Cup for three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1996 , winning the trophy on the first two occasions. Chorley St James Cricket Club are the second side in the town, competing in the Southport & District Amateur Cricket League, having been members of the Chorley League until its demise in 2005 . Until 2004 , Chorley also boasted a Rugby League side, Chorley Lynx , who played in league two of the National League . However, the club was forced to close in 2004 due to small crowds and the withdrawal of funding by backer Trevor Hemmings . Many of the club's players and staff joined the newly formed Blackpool Panthers , operating out of nearby Blackpool . MEDIA Chorley has two local Newspaper s: the ''Chorley Guardian'' and the ''Chorley Citizen''. A British comedy Television show, '' Phoenix Nights '', cited Chorley's Radio Station , Chorley FM , whose slogan was "Coming in your ears". The station based in Chorley originally broadcast for only a few weeks, but in 2005 received a licence to broadcast from Chorley community centre. DIVISIONS PLACES OF INTEREST NEARBY Tower. This can be seen from many parts of the town]]
Chorley also has a number of large parks, including Astley Park to the north and Duxbury Park, to the south of the town. FAMOUS RESIDENTS
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