Orrell is a ward of the

Metropolitan Borough of Wigan The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after the main settlement of Wigan. It covers the towns of Atherton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Golborne, Hindley, Ince-in-Mak ...

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 of the ward had fallen at the 2011 Census to 11,513. The centre of the area lies to the west of

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the nor ...

town centre and serves as a predominantly residential suburb of Wigan. The area is contiguous with the district of Pemberton.

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 ...

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 ...

, Orrell was a centre of the coal mining industry, though today no evidence of the area's industrial past is present. The

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 ...

of Orrell has a population of 11,203, however, the ward covers a larger area also containing parts of Billinge and Winstanley.

History

Orrell derives from the

Anglo Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

''ora'' and ''hyll'', a hill where ore is dug. It has been variously recorded as Horul in 1212, Orel in 1292, Orhull in 1294 and Orul in 1307 and subsequently known as Orrell-in-Makerfield. It was the extreme north-west berewick of the manor of Newton-in-Makerfield before the

Norman Conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

. In 1212 the manor was held by Richard de Orrell but became divided and was acquired by the Hollands of

Upholland Up Holland (or Upholland) is a village close to Skelmersdale and civil parish in the West Lancashire district, in the county of Lancashire, England, 4 miles west of Wigan. The population at the 2011 census was 7,376. Geography The village is ...

and descended to the Lovels and subsequently to the

Earls of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

. After several changes of ownership it belonged to Roger Leigh of

Aspull Aspull is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, Aspull, along with Haigh, is surrounded by greenbelt and agricultural land, separated from Westhoughton, on its southeast sid ...

. Orrell was the family name of a number of landowners in the area and branches of the Orrell family held small estates here for centuries. There are records from 1558 showing William Orrell living at Orrell Hall.

Industrial history

The

coal measures In lithostratigraphy, the coal measures are the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. In the United Kingdom, the Coal Measures Group consists of the Upper Coal Measures Formation, the Middle Coal Measures Formation and the Lower Coal ...

of the

Lancashire Coalfield The Lancashire Coalfield in North West England was an important British coalfield. Its coal seams were formed from the vegetation of tropical swampy forests in the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago. The Romans may have been the fir ...

were mined extensively at the Orrell Collieries between 1740 and 1850. A tramroad modelled on

John Blenkinsop John Blenkinsop (1783 – 22 January 1831) was an English mining engineer and an inventor of steam locomotives, who designed the first practical railway locomotive. He was born in Felling, County Durham, the son of a stonemason and was app ...

's railway at Middleton was built in 1812 from the pits to the

Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...

at Crooke.

Robert Daglish Robert Daglish (1779-1865) was a colliery manager, mining, mechanical and civil engineer at the start of the railway era. Daglish was born in North East England. He became a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1830. He died at Orrell ...

was its engineer. A cottage nail making industry flourished at the same time. Another employer was the Sandbrook

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 ...

where raw cotton was spun into thread. No significant industry is present in the area which is primarily a residential suburb for commuters.

Post war

Divided by the M6 and M58 motorways, the area has developed two unofficial 'sections': the southern section with

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

and Orrell Rugby Union Club's former '

Edge Hall Road The Edge Hall Road Community Stadium is a rugby union community stadium, located in Orrell, Greater Manchester. Originally built as the permanent ground of the local Orrell rugby union team, but the club departed the stadium in 2007, with the d ...

; and Orrell Post, at the northern side of the M58. The original Orrell 'post', signifying a halt on the turnpike road, is still outside the Stag public house at a crossroads. The area's proximity to

town centre and its position at a junction of the M6, make it an attractive location from which to commute.

Governance

From 1894 to 1974, Orrell formed its own local government district;

Orrell Urban District Orrell Urban District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England. Its boundaries were centred on Orrell, but also included parts of Upholland. The district covered a significant area ...

, and lay within the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...

of Lancashire. With the coming of local government reforms in 1974, Orrell's urban district status was abolished and the area was amalgamated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester. Orrell forms part of the Makerfield parliamentary constituency, which is represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Yvonne Fovargue Yvonne Helen Fovargue (born 29 November 1956) is a British Labour Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield since 2010. Early life and career Fovargue attended Sale Grammar School and obtained a Bachelor of Arts ...

, replacing

Ian McCartney Sir Ian McCartney (born 25 April 1951) is a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield from 1987 and 2010. McCartney served in Tony Blair's Cabinet from 2003 until 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime ...

who retired at the 2010 election.

Geography

The area's northern section surrounds junction 26 of the

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at t ...

. The M6 motorway passes north-south through the area and the section of Orrell to the east of the M6 directly adjoins the district of Pemberton. Orrell and Pemberton form one contiguous residential area. Orrell is one of twenty five

s that make up the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. It's the most westerly ward in Greater Manchester. Orrell is part of the Wigan Urban Area.

Education

St John Rigby College is situated at the northern edge of the Orrell area.

St Peter's Catholic High School St. Peter's Catholic High School is located in the Orrell area of Wigan, Greater Manchester, and caters for students from the ages of 11 to 16. Formed in 1960, it is one of the few Catholic comprehensive schools A comprehensive school typi ...

consistently top of the Wigan schools' league table is located on the adjacent road to Orrell Library. Dean Trust Wigan is located on the eastern side of the M6 Motorway.

Community facilities

Orrell Library used to be located on Orrell Road but was closed in March 2010 and moved to the new nearby Abraham Guest High School, despite local attempts to keep the original site open. To the south of the area is Orrell Water Park, a disused water storage reservoir, which has now been turned to leisure use and attracts walkers, fishermen and picnickers. The broadcasting studios of

Wish FM Wish FM was a local radio station serving Wigan in Greater Manchester and the St Helens area of Merseyside from studios in the Orrell area of Wigan. Following its sale to Bauer Radio, the station was closed and merged with the Greatest Hits ...

, radio for the Wigan/St Helens area, are located in the area. on the eastern side of the M6.

Transport

The area's principal road is the A577-

Boothstown Boothstown is a suburban village in the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. Boothstown forms part of the Boothstown and Ellenbrook ward, which had a population at the 2011 Census of 9,599. The village is within the boundaries of th ...

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England, north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston. Ormskirk is known for its gingerbread. Geography and administr ...

. The

runs north-south through the area. The easily accessible

East Lancashire Road The A580 (officially the Liverpool–East Lancashire Road, colloquially the East Lancs Road) is the United Kingdom's first purpose-built inter-city highway. The road, which remains a primary A road, was officially opened by King George V on 18 ...

and M62 give access to

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

and

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 ...

. The M58 provides the

area with a link to

West Lancashire West Lancashire is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The council is based in Ormskirk, and the largest town in the borough is Skelmersdale. At the 2011 Census, the population of the borough was 110,685 ...

and the

Metropolitan Borough of Sefton The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England. It was formed on Local Government Act 1972, 1 April 1974, by the amalgamation of the county boroughs of Bootle and Southport, the municipal borough of Crosby, ...

and the areas to the north the City of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. It was proposed that the Orrell area (Junction 26 of the M6) be the starting point of the A5225 Wigan and Hindley bypass road linking the M6 and the M58 with the M61 at Bolton.

Orrell railway station Orrell railway station serves the Orrell area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is a small two-platform commuter hub on the Kirkby branch line from Wigan. From Orrell, trains provide services to Manchester ...

is located at the southern section of the area providing services eastbound to

Manchester Victoria Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is a combined mainline railway station and Metrolink tram stop. Situated to the north of the city centre on Hunts Bank, close to Manchester Cathedral, it adjoins Manchester Arena which was ...

(passing through

Wigan Wallgate Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town centre of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station serves two routes, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester- Kirkby Line. It is 16 miles north-w ...

) and westbound to Kirkby (passing through

Upholland railway station Upholland railway station serves the small town of Up Holland in the southern Lancashire/Wigan boundary area of England. It is on the Kirkby branch line from and means the service (which is provided by Northern Trains, who also manage the stati ...

and

Rainford railway station Rainford railway station is situated to the north of the village of Rainford, Merseyside, England. It is on the Kirkby branch line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Trains. History It was built in 1858 as Rai ...

Sport

The area is the home of South Lancashire & Cheshire Division 2 side Orrell Rugby Union Football Club. The senior and junior academy sides of Wigan RLFC rugby league club play their home games at Edge Hall Road. Orrell left Edge Hall Road at the end of the 2006–07 season and began playing at St John Rigby College. The Orrell Otters Football Club currently ply their trade in the South Lancs Counties Second Division after winning the Third Division championship in their debut season, and are also the current Houghton Memorial Cup holders after winning the trophy in 2010.

Gallery

File:Orrell - The Mount.jpg, The Mount Public House File:The Post at Orrell Post - geograph.org.uk - 42618.jpg, The Post at Orrell Post File:St Luke's Church, Orrell (1).JPG, The Parish Church of St. Luke's File:Newfold C.P. School, Orrell.JPG, Newfold C.P. School

References

Notes Bibliography * * {{refend

External links

UK & Ireland Genealogy - Orrell
Genealogy and Gazetteer webspace about Orrell.
Orrell, Billinge, Winstanley Township
Wigan MBC website. Areas of Greater Manchester Unparished areas in Greater Manchester Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan