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Bury is a town in the north of Greater Manchester in North West England . Situated between Rochdale and Bolton , the town is a dormitory town to the north of Manchester . It is just west of the M66 , and is the largest settlement of the Metropolitan Borough Of Bury and has a population of 60,718. Bury emerged during the Industrial Revolution as a Mill Town centred on Textile Manufacture . History of Bury GEOGRAPHY AND ADMINISTRATION Bury is located in the foothills of the western Pennines in North West England to the north of the Manchester region. The River Irwell flows through the town and this position has proved important in its history and development. The market town was first mentioned as a parish in AD 962. From 1894 to 1974, Bury was a County Borough . This meant that although 'within' Lancashire it was administratively independent. With the passage of the Local Government Act 1972 , Bury merged with the neighbouring municipal boroughs of Radcliffe and Prestwich , together with the urban districts of Whitefield , Tottington and Ramsbottom to become the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in 1974. This borough is part of the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester . For purposes of the Office For National Statistics , Bury is part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area . Divisions and suburbs HISTORY Etymology The name Bury, (also earlier known as "Buri" and "Byri") comes from a ' is of same origin. Rootsweb.com Early history Bury was formed around the ancient market place, with roads leading west towards Bolton (Bolton Street) and east towards Rochdale (The Rock and Rochdale Road). The most imposing early building in the town would have been Bury Castle, a medieval fortified manor house. The 'Castle' was built in 1469 by Sir Thomas Pilkington, lord of the manors of Pilkington and Bury and a powerful member of Lancashire's gentry. It sat in a good defensive position on high ground over looking the Irwell Valley. At that time the Pilkingtons had been lords of Bury for nearly a century, having inherited the manor from a family named de Bury. For many years the castle remains were buried beneath the streets outside the Castle Armoury. From time to time it was the subject of archaeological excavations. These established that there was an earlier manor house on the site. In 2000 the castle site was properly excavated as a focal point in the town centre. The remains of the old walls are now displayed in Castle Square. In terms of local administration the town was originally a parish, then a Select Vestry, first with a Board of Guardians for the Poor. Improvement Commissioners were added before full Borough status was granted. The Borough Charter was received in 1876 and by 1889 this was raised to that of a County Borough From 1801 - 1830 the town doubled in size - from 7072 residents to 15086. This was the time when the factories, mines and foundries began to dominate the landscape with their spinning machines and steam engines. Industrial Revolution Development was swift in the late 18th and early 19th century. The town was linked to the national canal network by the Manchester, Bolton And Bury Canal , opened in 1808. The canal is provided with water from Elton reservoir, fed by aquaducts from a weir on the River Irwell , north of what is now the Burrs Country Park. Following this, railways opened, linking the town from Bury Bolton Street Railway Station to Manchester , Radcliffe , Rawtenstall and Accrington , and from the old Knowsley Street Railway Station to the neighbouring mill towns of Bolton , Heywood and Rochdale . The town made the most of its position between the River Irwell and the River Roch , with countless cotton mills opening in the 1800s. Other industries which thrived included paper–making, Calico printing and some light engineering. The town expanded out to incorporate the former townships of Elton , Walmersley and Heap and rows of terraced housing encircled the town centre by the turn of the 19th century. Districts such as Freetown , Fishpool and Pimhole were transformed from farmer's fields to rows of terraced housing, with occasional factories and mills. Recent history In the postwar period, there was a major decline in the cotton industry, and in common with many neighbouring towns, Bury's skyline was soon very different, with countless factory chimneys being pulled down and the associated mills closing their doors forever. The old shopping area around Princess Street and Union Square was demolished in the late 1960s, and a concrete precinct emerged to replace it. This charmless development was mercifully replaced by the Millgate Centre in the late 1990s. However, outside of the Millgate is a large shopping area known as The Rock, populated mainly by pound shops and charity shops. Work is now underway to redevelop these areas into a modern shopping centre with plans for completion in 2009. They will bring a large department store and a multi screen cimema to the town centre, together with other facilities including a large new medical centre. Other areas of the town centre, near the Town Hall and Interchange are also to be developed. Overall, the town centre will become a more attractive proposition to visit and competitive as a destination with Bolton and Rochdale. A recent decision by Marks and Spencer to vacate their present store and move into a large new one in the Rock scheme emphasises the changes that are on their way. The town centre is still famous for its traditional market, with its "world famous" Black Pudding stalls. Bury Market was also once famous for its tripe, although this has declined in the past few decades. The last 30 years has seen the town developing into an important commuter town for neighbouring Manchester . Large scale housing development has taken place around Unsworth , Redvales , Sunnybank , Brandlesholme , Limefield , Chesham and Elton . The old railway line to Manchester Victoria closed in 1990, and was replaced by the light rapid transit system Metrolink in 1992. The town was also linked to the M66 Motorway network, opening in 1978, accessed from the east side of the town. PRESENT DAY Sport Bury has a professional , Simon Whaley and Colin Kazim-Richards . Current players such as Andy Bishop and Richie Baker Bury FC official web site have all been catching the eye of the press as well as other larger teams and all look to have a bright future. Former legends include free scoring Craig Madden , old timers Norman Bullock and Henry Cockburn , Neville Southall , Dean Kiely , Lee Dixon , Colin Bell , Terry McDermott , Alec Lindsay , John McGinlay , Trevor Ross and John McGrath . in Bury. Arts The Met arts centre, based in the Derby Hall on Market Street, is a small performing arts venue promoting a programme of theatre, music and comedy events. The Met has hosted famous comedy acts such as Steve Coogan and Eddie Izzard in their days before fame. The Met arts centre 's "The Riverbank" at auction in order to fund part of its Social Services budget shortfall. This has resulted in the government's Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) removing Bury Council's accredited museum status. The authority will now have limited funding options and will be ineligible for some grants. BBC News Story Bury is also at the heart of the largest public art scheme in the UK -the Irwell Sculpture Trail . Works in Bury include ones by Ulrich Ruckriem, at Radcliffe and Edward Allington , at Ramsbottom with his "Tilted Vase". Ulrich Ruckriem is one of Germany's most eminent artists best known for his monumental stone sculptures. His sculpture in Radcliffe, on the site of the former Outwood Colliery , is one of his largest stone settings to date. Edward Allington's Tilted Vase sits in the Market Place in the centre of Ramsbottom and has become a distinctive feature of interest. Education ;Colleges
;High schools located in the town include MEDIA Local radio is provided by 107.4 Tower FM , based in nearby Bolton which broadcasts across both towns and Key 103 which promotes local news and events. The town's local newspaper is the Bury Times , although the Manchester Evening News and Bolton News are also widely available. Recent tragedies Murder of Shirley Leach (1994). Pensioner found murdered in ladies toilets of Bury Interchange bus station. The culprit was discovered, arrested and convicted over 9 years later in 2006 when the police randomly stopped the murderer for a Road Traffic offence and obtained a DNA sample. BBC Story Murder of Joe Geeling (1st March 2006). A tragic story which caught the hearts of the nation. An 11 year old boy murdered by a fellow pupil of St. Gabriel's R.C. High School. The murderer made a calculated plot to lure Joe Geeling (who had Cystic Fibrosis ) to his home by forcing Joe to submit forged letters to teachers to excuse his attendance. Joe was later stabbed to death and eventually found a few days later in a nearby park in a wheelie bin. In October 2006, 15 year old Michael Hamer pleaded guilty to the murder. He was sentenced for 'life' and, following a successful appeal against the original 12 years minimum sentence, now has to serve a minimum of 15 years before being eligible for parole. BBC Story PLACES OF INTEREST Attractions in Bury include: .
CUISINE Bury is known for its is also a traditional variant of the cake originating in Bury. Bury is also famous for tripe, though there is little demand for this in modern times. NOTABLE RESIDENTS Pre 20th century
20th & 21st centuries: Sports personalities
20th & 21st centuries: Music, television and the media
Members of Parliament
TWIN TOWNS
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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