Broughton 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 authorit ...

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 ...

, England, approximately north of

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

city centre. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,735, decreasing to 1,722 at the 2011 Census. The parish is included in

Preston Rural East Preston Rural East is an electoral ward in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. The ward is in the eastern and northeastern part of the city near the M55 motorway moving out towards Sherwood and Grimsargh. The population of the ward at the ...

ward of Preston city council, and the Preston Rural division of Lancashire County council. The parish (officially Broughton-in-Amounderness) 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 ...

throughout its existence from 1894 to 1974. In 1974 the parish became part of the Borough of Preston, which became a city in 2002.

History

The manor of Broughton was originally part of the land owned by Earl Tostig and was later held by Uhtred, a Saxon

thegn In Anglo-Saxon England, thegns were aristocratic landowners of the second rank, below the ealdormen who governed large areas of England. The term was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers. In medieval Scotland, there ...

whose family took the name Singleton. In the reign of King John the manor was seized by Theobald Walter, but was restored to William Singleton by Henry III in 1261. It 1325 it was the home of Gilbert de Singleton. In the 16th century it was sold to the Langtons. The estate was gained, through marriage, by the Rawstornes in 1735. In the 1970s

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

s were still being paid by the owner of Broughton Manor Farm to the church. About north of Preston there was a "strong tower", built of stone and surrounded by a moat fed by Sharoe Brook. It was taken down in 1800 and Broughton Tower Farm was erected on the site. During the 1930s, when water works were being carried out, the moat was filled in.

Community

Schools

Broughton-in-Amounderness Church of England Primary School on Church Lane has approximately 290 pupils, aged 3 - 11. It was founded in 1590 and is one of the oldest extant primary schools in the United Kingdom. Church Cottage Museum is housed in the school's oldest building, which also dates from the late sixteenth century. Broughton High School on Woodplumpton Lane opened in 1975 and has approximately 900 pupils, aged 11–16. The village has two nursery schools
Broughton Pre-School
on King George V Playing Field, an
Teddies Nursery
attached to the primary school.

Broughton & District Club

Situated on Whittingham Lane
the club
offers flood-lit facilities for tennis and bowls. The stage in the main hall is used by for performances by the Broughton Players. The club hall also hosts parish council meetings.

Football

was formed in 1947 and plays in the Mid-Lancashire Football League. During their 'glory years' of the late 1970s through the 1980s they were managed by ex-

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

striker

Eddy Brown Edwin Brown (28 February 1926 – 12 July 2012) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. He played professionally for a number of clubs, but the peak of his career was spent with Birmingham City during their most successful per ...

Churches

The parish Church of St John Baptist is the centre of
large Anglican community
within the Diocese of Blackburn. It has two satellite worship centres and a parish hall in Fulwood. The church tower, which dates from 1533, is the oldest working building in Preston and is currently undergoing restoration. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

was replaced in 1826, while the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

was added in 1906. There is evidence of a church having been on the site in the twelfth century. The acclaime
Broughton Parish Church Choir
of 20 men and 32 boy trebles is directed by John Catterall MBE and sings at two Sunday services. The civil parish also contains the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

St Mary's Church, Fernyhalgh St Mary's Church is in Fernyhalgh Lane, Broughton, Lancashire, England. It is a Roman Catholic church located near the shrine at Ladyewell House. The church was built in 1792–94 to provide services for pilgrims when the chapel at the house be ...

Possible mosque

In 2022, it has been proposed that a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

would be built at a site near the junction of the motorway in the parish. It would be situated at a high elevation and feature a Victorian mill-inspired minaret which would make it one of the largest in Preston and would be visible on the skyline. However, the mosque plan has been met with opposition and support from both residents and local MPs. The plans are being reviewed by the government.

Notable former residents

Graeme Garden David Graeme Garden OBE (born 18 February 1943) is a Scottish comedian, actor, author, artist and television presenter, best known as a member of The Goodies and a regular panellist on ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''. Early life and education ...

, comedian * Dame Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the USA * James Towers, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previousl ...

Telephone exchange

Broughton telephone exchange was the UK's first

Crossbar Crossbar may refer to: Structures * Latch (hardware), a post barring a door * Top tube of a bicycle frame * Crossbar, the horizontal member of various sports goals * Crossbar, a horizontal member of an electricity pylon Other * In electronic ...

exchange. The current exchange building, which was extended at the front in the 1980s, was built for a field trial of Plessey's new 5005A crossbar exchange in 1964 replacing Broughton's manual exchange. The village was chosen due to its relative proximity to the Plessey factory and research centre at Edge Lane Liverpool.

Gallery

File:Broughton_cross-roads_on_the_A6_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1089356.jpg, Broughton cross-roads File:Snowdrops_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1758715.jpg, Snowdrops in Winter near Broughton File:Doorway_-_geograph.org.uk_-_866937.jpg, Entrance to the original Broughton C of E Primary School

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Lancashire Geography of the City of Preston Civil parishes in Lancashire