Kearsley ( ) is a town in the
Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
'')''
, image_skyline =Bolton Town Hall.jpg
, imagesize = 250px
, image_caption = Bolton Town Hall, the seat of Bolton Council
, image_blank_emblem = Coat of arms of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.png
, blank_emblem_type = Coat of Arms of ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
, England. The population at the
2011 census was 14,212.
Historically
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
part of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, it lies northwest of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, southwest of
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
and south of
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
.
It is bounded to the west by
Walkden
Walkden is a town in the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, northwest of Salford, and of Manchester.
Historically in the township of Worsley in Lancashire, Walkden was a centre for coal mining and textile manufacture.
In 2014, ...
, the east by
Whitefield, the north by
Farnworth
Farnworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southeast of Bolton, 4.3 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and northwest of Manchester.
Historically in Lancashire, Farnworth lies on the River Ir ...
and the south by
Clifton
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
* Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
*Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
*Clifton, Nova Scotia ...
.
Kearsley was a
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
in the ancient
ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest ...
of
Deane, in the
Hundred of Salford
The Salford Hundred (also known as Salfordshire) was one of the subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England (see:Hundred (county division). Its name alludes to its judicial centre being the township of Salford (the s ...
.
Kearsley Urban District
Kearsley was, from 1865 to 1974, a local government district centred on the town of Kearsley in the administrative county of Lancashire, England.
History
Kearsley was a township in the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Deane in the Salford Hund ...
was a local government authority from 1894 until 1974. In 1933, part of
Clifton
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
* Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
*Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
*Clifton, Nova Scotia ...
was added to Kearsley Urban District. Part of
Outwood,
Radcliffe
Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to:
Places
* Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan
United Kingdom
* Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town
** Radcliffe tram stop
* ...
became part of Kearsley in line with the 1933 Lancashire Review.
History
![Kearsley Mill - Stoneclough](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Kearsley_Mill_-_Stoneclough.jpg)
Kearsley lay within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire and was industrialised by 1752 when
James Brindley
James Brindley (1716 – 27 September 1772) was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century.
Early life
Born i ...
solved drainage problems at the
Wet Earth Colliery on the borders of Kearsley and Clifton. In 1780, a mill was built at the point where the
River Croal
The River Croal is a river located in Greater Manchester, England. It is a tributary of the River Irwell.
Rising at the confluence of Middle Brook and Deane Church Brook, it flows eastwards through Bolton, collecting ''Gilnow Brook'' and t ...
meets the
River Irwell
The River Irwell ( ) is a tributary of the River Mersey in north west England. It rises at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup and flows southwards for to meet the Mersey near Irlam. The Irwell marks the boundary be ...
In 1830
[(1830) The New Lancashire Gazetteer or Topographical Dictionary] it was described as:
"Kersley, a township in the parish of Deane, Hundred of Salford, 7 miles N.W. from Manchester. Inhabitants 1,833. In this township is Kearsley Moor, an extensive common, under the surface of which there are many valuable coalmines".
In the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
a papermill,
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Althou ...
s, chemical works, an iron foundry, a quarry and 15 coal mines operated within its boundaries.
In the mid-19th century, the area was a busy coal mining area. Several street names such as Moss Colliery Road (in nearby
Clifton
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
* Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
*Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
*Clifton, Nova Scotia ...
) bear testimony to this. The largest coal mine was the Unity Brook Colliery. On 12 March 1878, an explosion in the mine killed 43 men and boys and 19 of the dead were buried at the parish church. By 1900 the coal mining industry had all but disappeared.
In the late 1920s, the coal-fired
Kearsley Power Station
Kearsley Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Stoneclough, near Kearsley, Bolton, England. It was designed in 1927 by Dr H.F. Parshall for the Lancashire Electric Power Company. The original installation was known as Kearsley 'A', c ...
was built. It used water for cooling from the River Irwell. The power station closed, and was demolished, on 12 May 1985. The power station had a railway connection, which has been removed and is now a pedestrian trail.
Economy
Today Kearsley has little industry; the one remaining mill is now a multi occupancy building housing retail and light engineering. There are three small industrial estates concerned mainly with the transport industry. These are the Europa Industrial Estate and the Fishbrook Industrial Estate on Stoneclough Road, plus the Lion Industrial Estate on Moss Road.
There is a small shopping precinct and some isolated shops along Manchester Road (
A666
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England.
Route
The road runs from its junction with the A6, and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury, Clifton, Kearsley, ...
).
Transport
The
A666
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England.
Route
The road runs from its junction with the A6, and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury, Clifton, Kearsley, ...
from Manchester to Bolton passes through Kearsley. Today it lies on the A666 at a point where the Kearsley Roundabout connects it and Farnworth to the
M61 motorway
The M61 is a motorway in North West England between Manchester and Preston, linking the M60 Manchester Orbital Motorway with the M6 Midlands-to-Scotland motorway.
It runs from the A580 near Wardley and heads northwest past Bolton, Horwich ...
via the Kearsley Spur link road.
Kearsley railway station
Kearsley railway station serves the town of Kearsley and the outlying villages of Stoneclough, Prestolee and Ringley in Greater Manchester, England. It was originally named Stoneclough.
It lies on the Manchester-Preston Line north of , tho ...
is on Stoneclough Road, from where there is a service northbound to
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
and southbound to
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. In 1878, the mineral railway line to Kearsley was opened, at a cost of £100.
Kearsley is on a bus route from
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
to
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. In earlier days, it was a tram route. On 3 June 1881, trams ran the full length of the system: Town Hall Square, Bolton to Farnworth and Kearsley. The bus routes through Kearsley are the numbers 8 (to
Shudehill, Manchester), 2 (to the
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space.
Originally developed by the Peel Group, the Trafford C ...
), 512/513 (to
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
) and 557 (to
Farnworth
Farnworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southeast of Bolton, 4.3 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and northwest of Manchester.
Historically in Lancashire, Farnworth lies on the River Ir ...
)
The 22 route was a former route from Bolton to Stockport. It is now replaced by the 2 (Bolton to Trafford Centre) and 23 (Trafford Centre to Stockport
Religion
St Stephen's Church, Kearsley Moor, the parish church
[Genuki Churches](_blank)
/ref> is on Manchester Road. The Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church was the vision of Harrison Blair[St Stephen's official web site](_blank)
who owned the chemical works at Moss Lane. The church has a graveyard which holds the remains of 19 miners killed in the Unity Brook Colliery disaster. The church was founded in 1870, erected in 1870–71 by the family of the Harrison Blair who died before it was finished. It cost £3,600 and has seating for 538 parishioners. The Bishop of Manchester, Dr Fraser consecrated the church on 1 July 1871.
A United Reformed church was founded before 1890. It is now closed. The New Jerusalem Church on Bolton Road (founded in 1836) has a disused graveyard. St John Fisher Roman Catholic Church was founded in 1969 on Manchester Road. Kearsley Mount Methodist Church was founded in 1836 and a Wesleyan Sunday School was built overlooking the Irwell Valley opposite the parish church.
The first chapel was built in 1870. In 1914 it was demolished due to mining subsidence and the present building was opened in 1916. A Wesleyan day school was built next to the church in 1879 and was extended in 1890. The school was demolished in 2009 and replaced by a block of flats by St Vincent's Housing Association.
After two years planning and ten months building, the Schoenstatt Shrine was dedicated on 1 October 2000 by Bishop Terence Brain the Bishop of Salford
The Bishop of Salford is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford in the Province of Liverpool, England.
With the gradual abolition of the legal restrictions on the activities of Catholics in England and Wales in the early 19th cent ...
. The opening was attended by visitors from Mexico, Australia and South America and Schoenstatt members from Ireland, Scotland and Germany.
In February 2022 the local Thai Buddhist Temple was given permission to expand its site.
Education
Schools in Kearsley are under the control of Bolton Education Department.
The area originally had two nursery schools, Rompers, a private nursery that took 33 children, and Spindle Point School. In 2009, Rompers Nursery was demolished for a housing development project. On Sunday 3 January 2010, the luxury flat site was on fire for several hours.Firefighters tackle large apartment blaze in Kearsley
/ref>
There are four primary schools, all under the direction of Bolton Education: Kearsley West Primary School (pupils 249 Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
Id 105/105186, Dfes
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system (including higher education and adult learning) as well as children's services in England.
Th ...
Number 2061), St John's Church of England Primary School (pupils 176 Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
Id 105/105241, Dfes
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system (including higher education and adult learning) as well as children's services in England.
Th ...
Number 3355), Spindle Point School (pupils 247 Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
Id 105/105196, Dfes
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system (including higher education and adult learning) as well as children's services in England.
Th ...
Number 2075) and the church attached St Stephen's Church of England Primary School (pupils 222, Ofsted Id 105/105240,
Dfes Number: 3354).
There is one secondary school in Kearsley, Kearsley Academy
Kearsley Academy (formerly George Tomlinson School) is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status sponsored by Northern Education Trust. It is located in Kearsley in the English county of Greater Manchester.
Previously ...
formerly known as George Tomlinson School, after George Tomlinson
George Tomlinson (21 March 1890 – 22 September 1952) was a British Labour Party politician.
Biography
George Tomlinson was born at 55 Fielding Street in Rishton, Lancashire, the son of John Tomlinson, a cotton weaver, and his wife Alice, né ...
, Secretary for Education at the time of its construction, on Springfield Road. (Pupils 541, Ofsted Id 105/105268, Dfes Number: 5402). Its original age range was 11–16 years of age, but with the introduction of a sixth form in 2012, it now serves pupils up to 18 years of age and allows both male and female pupils.
Political
Kearsley falls under the Kearsley electoral ward of Bolton Borough Council and the parliamentary constituency of Bolton South East.
Gallery
File:Kearsley North.jpg, Kearsley looking north, taken from St Stephen's Church tower
File:Kearsley West.jpg, Kearsley looking west, taken from St Stephen's Church tower
File:Kearsley South.jpg, Kearsley looking south, taken from St Stephen's Church tower
File:Kearsley East.jpg, Kearsley looking east, taken from St Stephen's Church tower
File:New Jerusalem Church - geograph.org.uk - 91158.jpg, New Jerusalem church
See also
*Listed buildings in Kearsley
Kearsley is a town and an unparished area in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, and it includes the area of Ringley and the village of Prestolee. The town contains 21 listed buildings that are recorded in the Natio ...
*List of mining disasters in Lancashire
This is a list of mining accidents in the historic county of Lancashire at which five or more people were killed. Mining deaths have occurred wherever coal has been mined across the Lancashire Coalfield. The earliest deaths were recorded in par ...
References
External links
Kearsley Mount Church
St Stephens Church
Bolton MBC Official web site
{{authority control
Towns in Greater Manchester
Unparished areas in Greater Manchester
Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton