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Coordinates: 53°29′51″N 2°30′54″W / 53.4975, -2.515 Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links Red_pog2. ...
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ...
The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ...
The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ...
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. ...
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of English administrative division used for the purposes of local government. ...
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ...
The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ...
North West England is one of the nine regions of England. ...
Constituent countries is a phrase used, often by official institutions, in contexts in which a number of countries make up a larger entity or grouping; thus the OECD has used the phrase in reference to the former Yugoslavia[1], the Soviet Union and European institutions such as the Council of...
For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...
This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ...
A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ...
UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ...
The WN postcode area, also known as the Wigan postcode area,[1] is a group of postal districts in North West England that are sub-divisions of three post towns. ...
The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which replaced the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) in 2003. ...
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, in North West England. ...
A Fire Appliance belonging to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service The fire service in the United Kingdom has undergone dramatic changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by a devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational...
The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide emergency fire & rescue service for the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warners plans to reduce the number of NHS ambulance service trusts operating in the United Kingdom to 12. ...
The United Kingdom House of Commons is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). ...
Leigh is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...
This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name. ...
North West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. ...
List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places within counties List of places in Bedfordshire List of places in Berkshire List of places in Buckinghamshire List of places in Cambridgeshire List of places in Cheshire List of places in Cleveland List of places...
This is a list of cities, towns and villages in the county of Greater Manchester, England. ...
Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...
Leigh a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, is 11 miles (18 km) west of Manchester, and 6 miles (10 km) south east of Wigan. The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. ...
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ...
For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ...
, Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. ...
Historically part of Lancashire, Leigh has a total population of around 44,444 according to the 2001 Metropolitan Borough of Wigan census survey.[1] The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. ...
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ...
Etymology
The name Leigh is attributed as deriving from the Old English word lea or the Middle English word of legh. The meaning of the earliest version of the word, lea, varies between meaning a woodland clearing or a meadow depending on the source of its definition.[2] See also List of generic forms in British place names for more information. Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon[1], Old English: ) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ...
Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the...
The study of place names is called toponymy; for a more detailed examination of this subject in relation to British place names, please refer to British toponymy. ...
History
Early history In the 12th century the town of Leigh was made up of six townships, including Chowbent, Lowton and Pennington, where weekly markets were held and a cattle fair held twice-yearly. The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. ...
Leigh was divided in its allegiance during the English Civil War, some of the population supporting the Royalists cause while others supported the Parliamentarians. A battle was fought in the town on December 2, 1642, when 3,000 Chowbenters beat back and then routed Cavalier troops under the command of James Stanley, the 7th Earl of Derby. The Earl of Derby passed through Leigh again in 1651, when he spent his last night in the King's Arms, before going on to his execution in Bolton. For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ...
Prince Rupert an archetypical cavalier For other uses, see Cavalier (disambiguation). ...
The phrase Parliamentarian can have different meanings based on its context: Most generally something parliamentarian is especially associated with a parliament or parliamentary system The proper noun Parliamentarian is a Member of Parliament, especially one who is particularly adept in the chamber, or an officer of a legislature charged with...
is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ...
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (1607-1651), sometimes styled the Great Earl of Derby, eldest son of William, 6th Earl, and Elizabeth de Vere, daughter of Edward, 17th Earl of Oxford, was born at Knowsley on the 31 January 1607. ...
For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. ...
Before the Industrial Revolution, Leigh was famed for its dairy industry and production of Lancashire cheese - reputed to be the best toasting cheese in the world. The marooned pirate Ben Gunn, a character in the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Treasure Island, craved Leigh Toaster during his three-year exile. A Watt steam engine, the steam engine that propelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the world. ...
Lancashire cheese, a crumbly British cows-milk cheese, is considered one of the premier products of that county. ...
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (November 13, 1850–December 3, 1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. ...
For other uses, see Treasure Island (disambiguation). ...
Civic history In 1875 the Leigh Local board of health was established, consisting of the areas of the former Bedford, Pennington and Westleigh Local Boards of Health; and a Poor Law Union (administering the Workhouse). In 1894 the area of the Local Board, together with part of Atherton township, became the Leigh Urban District of the administrative county of Lancashire. In 1899 the Urban District became a municipal borough. In 1974 the borough was abolished and its former area became part of Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. Local Boards or Local Boards of Health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. ...
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. ...
Former workhouse at Nantwich, dating from 1780 A workhouse was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work. ...
Leigh was a local government district in Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. ...
The division into counties is one of the larger divisions of England. ...
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. ...
In 1998, an area (Lately Common) was further ceded to the Warrington borough - one of the few parts of England to have been in three different counties in the last 35 years; Lancashire, then Greater Manchester, followed by Cheshire. This article is about the town and Unitary Authority in the north-west of England. ...
Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a county in North West England. ...
Textile industry In the 18th century Leigh had a thriving domestic textile industry, mostly as a result of the large number of by hand-loom weavers manufacturing in their own homes, however one or two factories also existed. Over time more factories opened, so that by the latter part of the 19th century there were at least a dozen mills in the town. Silk and rope-manufacture were also among local industries. Tweed loom, Harris, 2004 Woven sheet Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn called the warp and weft of the loom and turning them into cloth. ...
For other uses of this word, see Silk (disambiguation). ...
Coils of rope used for long-line fishing A rope (IPA: ) is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. ...
It is a tradition in the town that a local man, Thomas Highs, was the inventor of a spinning jenny and the water frame in the 1760s, the latter invention being pirated by Richard Arkwright, who subsequently made a fortune from the patent royalties. The link is commemorated in the town's Spinning Gate Shopping Centre and the town centre bypass known as Spinning Jenny Way. A drawing of Thomas Highs spinning jenny, taken from Edward Bainess History of the Cotton Manufacture in Great Britain Thomas Highs (1718 – 1803) was a talented English reed-maker and inventor known for his creation of the spinning jenny, the throstle (a machine for the continuous twisting and winding...
Model of the spinning jenny in a museum in Wuppertal, Germany The spinning jenny is a multi-spool spinning wheel. ...
The water frame is an extension of the spinning frame; both of which are credited to Richard Arkwright. ...
[[Media: ]] Richard Arkwright Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) to Ellen and Thomas Arkwright he was an Englishman credited with the spinning frame — later renamed the water frame following the transition to water power. ...
Coal mining In the second half of the 19th century coal began to be an important industry and coal mining became the largest user of labour after the textile industry in Leigh. Parsonage Colliery was one of the deepest mines in the country going down to over 3000 feet. The entire Lancashire coalfield is now closed to deep mining, although several open-cast mining activities are still in operation. Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ...
Surface coal mining in Wyoming. ...
Other industry The tractor factory of David Brown Limited was located in Leigh following the acquisition by David Browne in 1955 of Harrison, McGregor and Guest Ltd. who produced their Albion range of farm machinery products in Leigh. David Brown Limited was a British engineering company, principally engaged in the manufacture of gears and gearboxes. ...
British Insulated Callender's Cables (BICC), formerly Anchor Cables and later renamed Balfour Beatty, also had one of its largest factories in Leigh. Balfour Beatty plc (LSE: BBY) is a British based construction and civil engineering company based in central London. ...
Education Leigh once had separate boys and girls grammar schools, which thrived until they were abolished by the then Secretary of State for Education, Shirley Williams in the 1976 Education Act. Leigh Boys Grammar School educated many of the famous people in the famous residents list, including Pete Shelley and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies for whom a mini grand piano was specially purchased. A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom. ...
The Baroness Williams of Crosby Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby, PC (born July 27, 1930), is a British politician. ...
Communications
Canals The Bridgewater Canal was extended from Worsley to the middle of Leigh in 1795, and in 1819 the Leigh branch canal was cut from the Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Poolstock, Wigan to meet the Bridgewater at Leigh Bridge, giving access from Leigh to all parts of Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Midlands. The Bridgewater Canal is a navigable canal in the north west of England, connecting Runcorn and Manchester. ...
For other uses, see Worsley (disambiguation). ...
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in the north of England running from Liverpool, Merseyside to Leeds, West Yorkshire. ...
Railways Leigh was the southern terminus of the Bolton and Leigh Railway (7.5 miles (12 km)). George Stephenson carried out the survey for the line. It opened for freight on 1 August 1828 and for passengers on June 13, 1831. The first locomotive on the line was an 0-4-0 called The Lancashire Witch. The town station was at West Leigh. Later the line was extended southwards to Pennington. The line was closed to passenger traffic on March 29, 1954, and later closed completely. Terminal Station was also the name of a railway station in Chattanooga, Tennessee; see Chattanooga Choo Choo. ...
For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. ...
George Stephenson George Stephenson For the British politician, see George Stevenson. ...
is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four wheels, all of which are driven. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The second railway to serve the town was a branch line from the Manchester - Eccles - Wigan line. It joined the earlier railway at Pennington: there was a station, originally named West Leigh and Bedford to serve the town. It was closed in May 1969, leaving the town without a passenger railway. Numerous freight-only lines crossed the town, but with the closure of the collieries these were no longer required. This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ...
Location within the British Isles Eccles is a Small Town in the northwest of England that is in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford but not, traditionally, part of Salford. ...
, Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. ...
Surface coal mining in Wyoming. ...
Today the nearest railway station is at Atherton, 3 miles (5 km) miles to the north. It is argued that Leigh is the largest town in Great Britain, perhaps Europe without a railway station,[3] although Corby, Gosport and Peterlee contend for this "award". The large bus station is now the town's main public transport link. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
For other uses, see Corby (disambiguation). ...
Gosport is a town and district in Hampshire with around 77,000 inhabitants (including Lee-on-the-Solent), situated on the south coast of England. ...
Peterlee is a new town in County Durham, England. ...
Re-development In modern times the former site of the Parsonage colliery has been re-developed and a retail estate and supermarket now provide local employment as well as shopping opportunities.
A major development in the town is gradually taking shape with the development of the Leigh Sports Village, which will include a 10,000 capacity stadium to be shared by Leigh RMI and Leigh Centurions, while there will also be a new athletics arena for Leigh Harriers athletics club, new facilities for Leigh East Amateur Rugby League Club, a new college campus along with leisure and business facilities for the community. Leigh Railway Mechanics Institute Football Club, usually known as Leigh RMI, are an English football team currently playing in the Nationwide Conference. ...
Leigh Centurions are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. ...
Sport Leigh has a professional rugby league team - Leigh Centurions - whose main claim to fame is beating Leeds 24-7 in the 1971 Challenge Cup Final. More recently they played in the Super League in the 2005 season, it also has amateur rugby league clubs such as Leigh East and Leigh Miners Rangers, Leigh East are arguably the better team. It also has a semi-professional football team, Leigh RMI, who play in the Conference North division as of the 2006/07 season, with both Leigh RMI and Leigh Centurions sharing the town's Hilton Park stadium. Another football team is Leigh Athletic (see below) Wally Lewis passing the ball in Rugby League State of Origin. ...
Leigh Centurions are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. ...
Official website www. ...
This article is about the Rugby League Challenge Cup. ...
Super League (Europe) began in March 1996 and is the only full-time professional rugby league competition operating in the northern hemisphere. ...
Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Leigh Railway Mechanics Institute Football Club, usually known as Leigh RMI, are an English football team currently playing in the Nationwide Conference. ...
The Football Conferences logo Conference North (often referred to as Nationwide North for sponsorship reasons) is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. ...
Leigh Athletic [1] is the premier amateur football club in Leigh and currently play in the Manchester Football League. Leigh has an athletics club Leigh Harriers AC , which was founded in 1909 and has been providing athletic opportunities for people from Wigan and Leigh ever since. The Bridgewater Office Supplies Football League is a football league in England, covering Greater Manchester. ...
Leigh also has a cricket club, Leigh Cricket Club, who play in the ECB Premier League Liverpool Competition.
Notable residents Leigh's notable residents past and present include: - Brian Ashton, coach of the England Rugby Union team
- Tracie Bennett, actress
- Tom Burke, opera tenor
- Darryl Clark, actor
- Sarah Jayne Dunn, actress
- Georgie Fame, singer
- Leah Hackett, actress
- Harold Hassall, footballer
- James Hilton, author
- Ronnie Irani, English Test and ODI cricketer. Currently plays for Essex CCC.
- Shaun Keaveny, radio presenter
- Oliver Lee, actor
- Dangerous Damon Leigh, European Professional Wrestling Champion
- Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, composer
- Steven Mullaney, cricket player
- Harry Pennington, 1926 British Champion of Catch Wrestling
- Lynda Lee Potter, newspaper columnist
- Andy Prior, bandleader, singer and trombonist
- Joe Reid, Commonwealth Games medallist for Wrestling in 1930 & 1934
- Pete Shelley, lead singer and songwriter of the Buzzcocks
- Nigel Short, chess player
- Geoffrey Unsworth, Awarded O.B.E. Won Academy Awards for cinematography on Cabaret and Tess.
- Colin Welland, BAFTA winning actor, Playwright & Oscar winner in 1981 for the multi award-winning, box office smash Chariots of Fire.
- John Woods, Great Britain rugby league player
- John Pendlebury, rugby league player and coach
Brian Ashton is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada. ...
Tracie as Tracy Glazebrook in Joking Apart. ...
Thomas Edward Burke (January 15, 1875 – February 14, 1929) was an American athlete. ...
Sarah Jayne Dunn (born 1981) is an English actress best known for playing Mandy Hutchinson (nee Richardson) in Hollyoaks. ...
Georgie Fame is a British R&B singer whose real name is Clive Powell. ...
Leah Hackett (born August 1985) is an English actress from Leigh, Wigan, Greater Manchester. ...
Harold Hassall is a professional footballer, who played as a forward for Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers in the 1940s & 1950s. ...
James Hilton (September 9, 1900 - December 20, 1954) was a popular English novelist of the first half of the 20th century. ...
Ronald Charles Ronnie Irani (born 26 October 1971 in Leigh, Lancashire) is an British Asian cricketer of Parsi descent. ...
One-day International (ODI) is a form of cricket, which is played over 50 overs per side between two national cricket teams. ...
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Shaun Keaveny (born June 14, 1972) is a British radio DJ from Leigh in Greater Manchester. ...
Oliver Lee Oliver Lee (born 14 February 1985) Leigh, Wigan,Greater Manchester is a British actor, currently playing the role of gay teenager Josh in the television series Hollyoaks: In the City, a spin-off of the Channel 4 television series Hollyoaks. ...
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE (b. ...
Steven John Mullaney (b. ...
This page has been deleted, and protected to prevent re-creation. ...
Lynda Lee-Potter (born Lynda Higginson; May 2, 1935 – October 20, 2004) was a Daily Mail columnist. ...
Pete Shelley Pete Shelley (born Peter McNeish, April 17, 1955 in Leigh, Lancashire) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the leader of Buzzcocks, one of the first generation punk rock groups from England. ...
For the panel game, see Never Mind the Buzzcocks. ...
Nigel Short MBE (born June 1, 1965 in Leigh, Lancashire) is widely regarded as the strongest British chess player of the 20th century. ...
Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was a British cinematographer who enjoyed a long and varied career in the British film industry, working on nearly 90 feature films spanning more than 40 years. ...
Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...
Cabaret is a 1972 film. ...
Tess is a 1979 English language romantic drama film directed by Roman Polanski, an adaptation of Thomas Hardys 1891 novel Tess of the dUrbervilles. ...
Colin Welland (born 4 July 1934 in Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, Lancashire) is an English actor and screenwriter, writer. ...
Chariots of Fire is a British film released in 1981. ...
John Woods (1849 - 1934) was a New Zealand songwriter. ...
John Pendlebury (1904-1941) was a British archaeologist who worked for British intelligence during the World war Two. ...
See also Pennington Flash, a country park on the outskirts of Leigh. Feeding time at Pennington Flash At the turn of the 20th century, coal mining subsidence and flooding created what has now become known as the Flash, an area located just off St Helens Road of the Greater Manchester (formerly Lancashire) town of Leigh. ...
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. ...
References Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ...
is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ...
is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Hansard is the traditional name for the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. ...
is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ...
is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
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