![Parbold Hill 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Parbold_Hill_001.jpg)
Parbold is a village and
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 ...
in
West Lancashire, England.
Local government
Parbold had a population of 2,582 at the 2011 Census.
West Lancashire is divided into 19 parish councils, the first tier of local government. Parbold is bordered by Hilldale to the north,
Wrightington
Wrightington is a civil parish in West Lancashire, England, with an area of 3,915½ acres. The surface is hilly, rising to over 400 ft. at Harrock on the border of Parbold, and then falling to the north, northeast and southeast. On the sou ...
to the east,
Dalton to the south and
Newburgh to the west.
From 1894 to 1974 Parbold was part of the
Wigan Rural District
Wigan Rural District was an administrative district in Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. The rural district comprised an area to the north, but did not include the town of Wigan.
The district was created by the Local Government Act 1894 a ...
, along with
Dalton,
Haigh,
Shevington
Shevington is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, England. The population of the Wigan ward called Shevington and Lower Ground had increased to 11,482 at the 2011 Census.
Lying within the historic county boun ...
,
Worthington
Worthington may refer to:
People
* Worthington (surname)
* Worthington family, a British noble family
Businesses
* Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's
* Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a dive ...
and
Wrightington
Wrightington is a civil parish in West Lancashire, England, with an area of 3,915½ acres. The surface is hilly, rising to over 400 ft. at Harrock on the border of Parbold, and then falling to the north, northeast and southeast. On the sou ...
.
Location
Parbold lies in the valley of the
River Douglas, at the bottom of the western side of Parbold Hill. The village centre is about west of junction 27 of the
M6 motorway on the A5209.
The village can also be reached
by rail on the line from
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 ...
to
Southport. Close to the village centre the
Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes over the River Douglas. The nearest sizable towns are
Skelmersdale (about 5 miles away),
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 ...
(7 miles), and
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 ...
(9 miles).
The village is dominated by Parbold Hill which rises to 400 feet above sea level, the top of which is approximately 1 mile to the east of the village. The top of the hill overlooks the West Lancashire plain and the North West of England across to Liverpool, Manchester and Wales. Wood Lane, just off the main road, is also known for its views of the surrounding countryside.
History
![Parbold canal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Parbold_canal.JPG)
The earliest known reference to Parbold is in the late 12th century, where grants of land were made to nearby
Burscough Priory
Burscough Priory, at Burscough, Lancashire, England, was an Augustinian foundation, established in around 1190 and dissolved in around 1536. Some remains of the church survive.
History
The priory was founded in c. 1190 by Robert Fitz-Henry, Lord ...
(pronounced ''Bursk-owe'').
[Virgoe, J. M. (1994). ''A History of Parbold''. Carnegie. .] After the
Norman conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...
, Parbold was part of the
Barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
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 ...
. Little development occurred from this time to the mid 18th century. Parbold became a
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 ...
in 1894.
[
During the 18th and 19th centuries, a number of coal mines worked nearby, rather meagre, seams; hard ]sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
was also quarried. Both coal and sandstone could be exported over the waterways; boatbuilding was a minor economic activity in Parbold around this time.[ The old windmill that is located next to the canal replaced an earlier water cornmill which once stood on Alder Lane, and was in use until 1985.
]Parbold railway station
Parbold railway station, on the Manchester to Southport Line, serves the village of Parbold and the nearby village of Newburgh in West Lancashire, England. It is currently operated by Northern Trains.
History
The station was built by the Ma ...
, built in the mid 19th century by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...
, radically altered the village; it allowed middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...
workers to live in Parbold and commute to urban areas throughout the north-west
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...
. In recent years a direct hourly service has operated to Manchester Airport railway station
Manchester Airport station is a railway, tram, bus and coach station at Manchester Airport, England which opened at the same time as the second air terminal in 1993. The station is south of Manchester Piccadilly, at the end of a short branch f ...
giving quick access (less than 1 hour and 15 minutes journey time) to flights from Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...
. The railway station also provided a natural centre for the village which it still is today.[
Parbold's war memorial is in the local ]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, Christ Church, near the top of Parbold Hill. The village's other church – Our Lady and All Saints – was consecrated by Bishop Robert Cornthwaite on 28 May 1884.
Composer Hugh Wood (1932-2021) was born in Parbold.
Amenities
Parbold has two churches, two primary schools and a nursery, a library built in 1989, a purpose-built village hall which doubles as a cinema and community centre, a telephone exchange, a doctor's surgery, a sub post office and a number of other shops including a pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
, a newsagent, an estate agent, three hairdressers and both Chinese and Indian takeaways plus a greengrocery
A greengrocer is a person who owns or operates a shop selling primarily fruit and vegetables. The term may also be used to refer to a shop selling primarily produce. It is used predominantly in the United Kingdom and Australia.
In the United ...
. There are two pubs
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
along the main road through the centre of the village – the ''Windmill'' and the ''Stocks Tavern''. Along with a branch of the Miller and Carter Steakhouse at the top of the hill and the Wayfarer: Brew Pub and Dining Rooms providing Al A Carte and Italian style foods. The windmill in the village was built in 1794 but has not milled since about 1850[ and is now a gallery for James Bartholomew.
]
Sport
Parbold's former local amateur football team, Parbold FC, plays in the South Lancashire Counties League. In 2005-06, they were crowned Division 3 Champions, and promptly gained a further promotion in 2006-07 finishing runners-up of Division 2. The 2009-10 season saw Parbold crowned Division 1 Champions and they now play in the Premier League. Although the team still bears the village name, they moved to Ormskirk in 2008 and connections to the village are few.
Two semi-professional football clubs are based nearby: Skelmersdale United
Skelmersdale United Football Club is a football club from Skelmersdale, Lancashire. They are currently members of the and play at The Community Ground, Burscough. The club is a member of both the Liverpool F.A. and the Lancashire County Footb ...
(Northern Premier League Division One North
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...
) and Burscough
Burscough () is a town and civil parish in West Lancashire in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is located to the north of Ormskirk and northwest of Skelmersdale.
The parish also includes the hamlet of Tarlscough and the Martin M ...
( Conference North). Shevington Sharks ARLFC youth teams train and play on the Alder Lane Playing Fields.
An annual fell race
Fell running, also sometimes known as hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off-road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport o ...
is run over Parbold Hill.
See also
*Listed buildings in Parbold
Parbold is a civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It contains 15 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, two are at Grade II*, the mid ...
References
External links
Parbold Community Website
Parbold FC
*[http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&X=350000&Y=411000&width=700&height=400&gride=350000&gridn=410000&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=&pc=&zm=0&scale=25000&multimap.x=212&multimap.y=214 Aerial photo of Parbold from Multimap.]
Parbold Surgery
{{authority control
Parbold,
Villages in Lancashire
Geography of the Borough of West Lancashire
Civil parishes in Lancashire