Lea ( ), Cottam, and Lea Town are villages in the

City of Preston, Lancashire The City of Preston () is a city and non-metropolitan district in Lancashire, England. On the north bank of the River Ribble, it was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The Ci ...

, England. Together they form the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

of Lea, which has a population of 5,962. In 2011, the population increased to 6157.

Geography

The area is an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

with Preston, represented by three councillors; the area is part of Fylde constituency.

Council

Lea and Cottam form Lea Ward of Preston City council, currently represented by three Conservative councillors, and together with

Ingol Ingol is an electoral ward and suburb of Preston, Lancashire, England. The population of the Ward as taken at the 2011 census was 7,369. The ward also includes the district of Tanterton. The ward is coterminous with the civil parish of Ingol and ...

forms Preston West division of Lancashire County Council, represented by one councillor, currently a Liberal Democrat

Community

The area is represented by Lea and Cottam Parish Council. Cottam is a former farming community now almost entirely consisting of new build housing. Lea is also the name given to two areas of the western extremities of Preston; Lea Town (a village, despite its name) on the Fylde border, which had a population of 291 in 2011, and the suburban sprawl of Lea along the Blackpool Road through the city. Lea Town and Lea were called English Lea and French Lea in the 11th to 13th centuries; "French" because there was a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

landowner.

Demography

From the last census, in 2001, over 83% of the population regarded themselves as Christian, whilst the figure of 11.5% for retired people is one of the highest in the city.

Religion

There are several churches in Lea including Lea Methodist and St. Christopher's. St. Christopher's is home to
2nd Lea Scout Group
'.

History

The parish of Lea was formed on 1 April 1934 from part of the former parish of Lea Ashton Ingol and Cottam, which was formed in 1866. Lea parish was part of

Preston Rural District Preston was a rural district in Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. It surrounded Preston on the north, west and east sides. The district was created under the Local Government Act 1894. It was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government A ...

until its abolition in 1974.Preston RD
''Vision of Britain'', accessed 9 June 2014 In 1974 the parish became part of the

Borough of Preston The City of Preston () is a city and non-metropolitan district in Lancashire, England. On the north bank of the River Ribble, it was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The ...

, which became a city in 2002. The area was served by

Lea Road railway station Lea Road railway station ( ) was on the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway in the parish of Lea and Cottam in Preston, Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropo ...

between 1840 and 1938.

Notable people

* Gordon Ashcroft, footballer

Gallery

File:%22The_Saddle%22_-_geograph.org.uk_-_15484.jpg, The Saddle File:Savick_Brook_-_'The_Ribble_Link'_-_geograph.org.uk_-_11501.jpg,

Savick Brook Savick Brook is a watercourse in Lancashire, England, which runs from the outskirts of Longridge westward north of Preston to the River Ribble. Overview The brook is a tributary of the lower Ribble, with its source on the outskirts of Lon ...

File:The_Lea_Gate_-_geograph.org.uk_-_93262.jpg, The Lea Gate

References

{{Lancashire Geography of the City of Preston Civil parishes in Lancashire Wards of Preston