Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south 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 ...

and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry. In the 1970s, the skyline was dominated by factory chimneys, but most have now been demolished: remnants of the industrial past include Morrisons chimney and other mill buildings, and the streets of terraced houses for mill workers. Chorley is the home of the Chorley cake.

History

Toponymy

The name ''Chorley'' comes from two

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, 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- ...

words, and , probably meaning "the peasants' clearing". (also or ) is a common element of place-name, meaning a clearing in a woodland; refers to a person of status similar to a freeman or a yeoman.

Prehistory

There was no known occupation in Chorley until the Middle Ages, though archaeological evidence has shown that the area around the town has been inhabited since at least the Bronze Age. There are various remains of prehistoric occupation on the nearby Anglezarke Moor, including the Round Loaf tumulus which is believed to date from 3500 BC. A pottery

burial urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

from this period was discovered in 1963 on land next to

Astley Hall Astley Hall may refer to * Astley Hall (Chorley), country house in Lancashire, England * Astley Hall (Stourport-on-Severn) Astley Hall is a country house in Astley near Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, England. The hall was the home of Pr ...

Farm and later excavation in the 1970s revealed another burial urn and four cremation pits dating from the Bronze Age.

Roman period

During the Roman era a Roman road ran near Chorley between Wigan and Walton-le-Dale. Hoards dating from the Roman period have also been found at nearby at Whittle-le-Woods and Heapey.

Medieval period

Chorley was not listed in the '' Domesday Book'' of 1086, though it is thought to be one of the twelve berewicks in the Leyland Hundred. Chorley first appears in historical records in the mid thirteenth century as part of the portion of the Croston Lordship acquired by William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, around 1250. The Earl established Chorley as a small borough comprising a two-row settlement arranged along what later became Market Street. It appears that the borough was short lived, as it does not appear in a report of a commission on the Leyland Hundred in 1341. It is most likely that the borough was sacked by the Scots during the Great Raid of 1322, with Chorley being one of the southernmost points reached in Northern England. This led to the construction of a

Peel tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standin ...

, which said to have been located somewhere close to

Duxbury Hall Duxbury Hall was a 19th-century country house in Duxbury Park estate in Duxbury Woods, Lancashire that has been demolished. The hall was a plain two-storey building faced in millstone grit ashlar standing in a well-wooded park 1½ miles (2.5&nbs ...

. The manorial history of Chorley is complex as the manor had no single lord throughout most of this period, as it had been split into moieties and was managed by several different families. This led to Chorley having several manorial halls, which in this period included Chorley Hall, built in the 14th century by the de Chorley family, which has since the 19th or 20th century been demolished. Very little is known of Chorley Hall, although according to what the painter John Bird painted in 1795, its location to where it once stood is said to have been where The Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School now stands. There is also Lower Chorley Hall, which was owned by the Gillibrand family from 1583 (later rebuilt in the 19th century as Gillibrand Hall). It is believed the borough of Chorley was not a success in this period because of the lack of manorial leadership and the dispersed nature of the small population.

St Laurence's Church St. Laurence's Church, Saint Lawrence's Church, or ''variations'' on those names or spellings, may refer to: Australia * Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney Austria * Basilica of St. Lawrence, Enns Czech Republic * Church of St. Lawrence, Roman ...

is the oldest remaining building in Chorley and first appears in historical records when it was dedicated in 1362, though it is believed there was already an earlier

chapel on the site which was a daughter foundation of Croston Parish Church. It is believed that the church is named after Saint Laurence, an Irish saint who died in Normandy in the 12th century, whose bones were conveyed to the church by local noble Sir Rowland Standish

Duxbury Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 at the 20 ...

, an ancestor of

Myles Standish Myles Standish (c. 1584 – October 3, 1656) was an English military officer and colonizer. He was hired as military adviser for Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, United States by the Pilgrims. Standish accompanied the Pilgrims on ...

(an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military adviser for their Plymouth expedition to the New World). As happened in many other instances following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, these relics went missing in the turmoil of the

English Reformation The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...

under the rule of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. A market was held every Tuesday in Chorley and a fair was held annually on the feast of St Lawrence since 1498.

19th century to present

Chorley, like most Lancashire towns, gained its wealth from the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century which was also responsible for the town's growth. Chorley was a vital cotton town with many mills littering the skyline up to the late twentieth century. Most mills were demolished between the 1950s and 2000s with those remaining converted for modern business purposes. Today only a minority remain in use for actual manufacturing, and the last mill to stop producing textiles was Lawrence's in 2009. Also, given its location on the edge of Lancashire Coalfield, Chorley was vital in coal mining. Several pits existed in

Duxbury Woods Duxbury Woods is an area of woodland and parkland situated in Chorley, Lancashire, at the foot of the West Pennine Moors. The area originally existed as a township with the council meeting at the Yarrow Bridge pub; this was absorbed into Chorl ...

, the Gillibrand area and more numerously in

Coppull Coppull is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England. It is part of the Borough of Chorley, lies around above sea level. Its population is around 8,000, having been counted at 7,959 in the 2011 Census. It is bounded by Whittle Brook, Cl ...

Chisnall Hall Colliery Chisnall Hall Colliery was a coal mine in Coppull in Lancashire, England. It was the largest coal mine on the Lancashire Coalfield north of Wigan. The colliery on Coppull Moor was owned by Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Company in 1896 when it ...

was considered the biggest Lancashire pit outside of Wigan and one of many located in the Chorley suburb. The last pit in the area to close was the

Ellerbeck Colliery Ellerbeck Colliery was a coal mine located on the border of Coppull and Adlington in the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. The Hilton House and Red Moss Coal Company sank the first shaft in 1876 and the colliery closed in 1928. In 189 ...

in 1987 which was located south of Chorley, between

and Adlington. The town played an important role during the Second World War, when it was home to the

Royal Ordnance Factory Royal Ordnance Factories (ROFs) was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories during and after the Second World War. Until privatisation, in 1987, they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply, and later the Ministr ...

, a large munitions manufacturer in the village of Euxton about from the town centre. A smaller factory was also built near the railway line of Blackburn–Wigan in Heapey.

Religion

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

of St Laurence, located on Union Street, has been a place of Christian worship for over 800 years. The Church of England parish church of St George, situated on St George's Street, is an important example of the work of architect Thomas Rickman, a major figure in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. It was built as a Commissioners' church in 1822. St Mary's Roman Catholic Church is based in the town centre at Mount Pleasant. The parish was founded in 1847, in a chapel in Chapel Street. The land for the church was purchased in 1851 and the first building erected in 1853. It was opened in June 1853. The church can sit 750 persons.

Pugin & Pugin Pugin & Pugin ( fl. 1851– c. 1958) was a London-based family firm of church architects, founded in the Westminster office of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812–1852). The firm was succeeded by his sons Cuthbert Welby Pugin (1840–1928) a ...

of London and Hansom are the architects. Chorley United Reformed Church is home to one of the oldest and largest United Reformed Churches in the north west. Founded in 1792 as an Independent Church it later affiliated to the

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

and in 1972 voted to become part of the new United Reformed Church (URC). The church is home to the oldest Scout Troop in the town, established in 1919. In January 2017 it was announced that the church building, which had been at its current site since 1792, would be demolished, and the congregation relocated to other premises. The church enjoys extensive youth work, with two church youth groups affiliated to the URC's youth fellowship FURY, and a Junior Church together with Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides. During 2012, the church became the first church to advertise from the air when a very large cross was painted on the church car park. The cross is now visible on earth mapping websites such as

Google Earth Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...

. In the north of the town, there is a park containing a meeting house and a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple, which is regarded as a local landmark, is the largest LDS temple in Europe and named the

Preston England Temple The Preston England Temple is the 52nd operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple is located in the town of Chorley, south of Preston, in Lancashire, England. The temple serves Latter-day Sain ...

. Construction on the temple commenced in 1994 and was completed in 1998. Connected to the temple campus is the England Missionary Training Centre for the LDS Church which houses church representatives preparing to fill proselytizing and service assignments in Great Britain and other parts of Europe. Chorley's only mosque is to be found on the corner of Brooke Street and Charnock Street. The building officially opened in March 2006, having been in planning for over three years.

Governance

In 1837, Chorley joined with other townships (or civil parishes) in the area to become head of the Chorley Poor Law Union which took responsibility for the administration and funding of the

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

in the area. Chorley became incorporated as a municipal borough in 1881, and was governed by a mayor and council of eight aldermen and twenty four councillors. The population of the

Municipal Borough of Chorley The Municipal Borough of Chorley was a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England, with municipal borough status and coterminate with the town of Chorley. History Lying within the boundaries of the historic co ...

remained roughly static in the 20th century, with the 1911 census showing 30,315 people and the 1971 census showing 31,665. Under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, Chorley became the core of a larger non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974. The present Borough of Chorley has forty-two councillors, representing 14 three-member electoral wards in Chorley town council. The Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chorley, since 1997, is Lindsay Hoyle,

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: *Speaker of ...

. He was formerly a

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 ...

MP.Deputy Speakers: Hoyle, Primarolo and Evans elected
BBC News, 8 June 2010

Geography

The principal river in the town is the Yarrow. The Black Brook is a tributary of the Yarrow. The name of the

River Chor The River Chor is a largely culverted stream in the Lancashire town of Chorley. Its name was back-formed from "Chorley". The source of the river is in the hills near Heapey Heapey is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, i ...

was back-formed from "Chorley" and runs not far from the centre of the town, notably through Astley Park. Chorley is located at the foot of the West Pennine Moors and is overlooked by

Healey Nab Healey Nab or "The Nab" is an area of countryside owned partly by Lancashire County Council containing rolling hills, moorland, woodland, ponds and streams to the east of Chorley, Lancashire, between the M61 and the West Pennine Moors. To its ...

, a small hill which is part of the West Pennine Moors. It is the seat for the Borough of Chorley which is made up of Chorley and its surrounding villages. Chorley had a population of 33,424 at the 2001 census, with the wider borough of Chorley having a population of 101,991. Chorley forms a conurbation with

and Leyland and was once proposed as being designated part of the Central Lancashire New Town under the New Towns Act, a proposal which was eventually scaled back.

Economy

The first signs of industry as with many towns in Lancashire was mining, evidence of which can be seen by the various abandoned quarries on the outskirts of the town. One of these is Anglezarke Quarry, between Chorley and Horwich. Remnants of mining include an old railway bridge from the Duxbury Mine off Wigan Lane. Eventually the mining industry was replaced by cotton mills. Manufacture of trucks was inherited from the neighbouring town of Leyland. A large factory on Pilling Lane produced, including military vehicles and tanks during the Second World War. After the Second World War, production was reduced, and the final part of the site was closed in 2008 by

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

. A large part of the site has been redeveloped for residential and industrial use as

Buckshaw Village Buckshaw Village (often shortened to Buckshaw) is a 21st-century residential and industrial area between the towns of Chorley and Leyland in Lancashire, England, developed on the site of the former Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Chorley. It h ...

. Through the twentieth century, especially the latter half, Chorley suffered the loss of much of its manufacturing capacity with great losses in or the completely disappearance of its coal, textiles, motor vehicles and armaments industries. Leyland Trucks and

are the Central Lancashire area's largest employers at their sites in Leyland and Samlesbury respectively. Companies with a presence in the borough are: *

Telent Telent Technology Services Limited (styled as telent) is a British radio, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure systems installation and services provision company. The name was used from 2006 for those parts of the United Kingdom and G ...

FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

, North West depot located in the town * DXC Technology, two locations, one in Euxton and the other in

Clayton-le-Woods Clayton-le-Woods (Commonly shortened to Clayton) is a large village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. According to the census of 2001, it has a population of 14,528. At the 2011 census the population of Cuerde ...

, north of Chorley *

Multipart Solutions TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) is a firm that supplies spare parts and components to customers in the automotive, defence and utility sectors in the United Kingdom, Europe and the US. It is part of the TVS Group of companies. The company i ...

Limited, successor to the parts arm of the

Leyland DAF Leyland DAF was a commercial vehicle manufacturing company based in Leyland, Lancashire, Leyland, United Kingdom, and a subsidiary of DAF NV. In February 1993, Leyland DAF was placed into receivership. History Leyland DAF was formed in Febru ...

Porter Lancastrian Porter Lancastrian Limited is a British manufacturer of point-of-sale dispense equipment for the brewing industry. The company sells its products under the Porta brand. It is also a fully accredited certified ISO 9001:2015 company. The company i ...

is a manufacturer of beer pumps, under the Porta brand In 2011, Chorley Council launched an initiative, "Choose Chorley", to encourage SME's and large businesses to relocate to Chorley. The initiative offers red carpet introductions to key people in the town, financial incentives and tailored support for business growth. The town is the home of the Chorley cake. In October "Chorley Cake Street Fair", restarted in 1995, promotes the cakes, with a competition for local bakers to produce the largest ever Chorley cake.

Healthcare

Chorley is served by the local NHS hospital

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital Chorley and South Ribble Hospital is an acute general hospital in Chorley. The hospital is situated on Euxton lane in Chorley close to junction 8 of the M61. It is managed by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History The ho ...

which is located on Euxton Lane, in addition to a private hospital located in Euxton. The town also had another major hospital formerly on Eaves Lane, before this closed in the 1990s. There was also the

Heath Charnock Heath Charnock is a small village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 it has a population of 2,065, reducing to 2,026 at the 2011 Census. Location Heath Charnock is next ...

isolation hospital A fever hospital or isolation hospital is a hospital for infectious diseases such as scarlet fever and smallpox. Their purpose is to treat affected people while isolating them from the general population. Early examples included the Liverpool ...

on Hut Lane which dealt with infectious diseases before reverting to use for long term patients, before closing in the 1990s.

Transport

Road

Chorley is bisected by the A6 Roman road which goes straight through the town centre. The town is also near to the M61 of which Junction 6 and 8 serving the town. Also the M6 motorway serves the west of the town with Junction 27 connecting the town to the motorway,

Charnock Richard services Charnock Richard Services is a motorway service area between Junctions 27 and 28 of the M6 in England. The services are in the Lancashire borough of Chorley and were the first on the M6 when they opened in 1963. Originally operated by Trust ...

on the M6 are located in Chorley Borough.

Bus

The town's bus station, Chorley Interchange, opened in February 2003, replacing an older bus station also in the town centre. Bus services are provided by several operators: *

Stagecoach North West Stagecoach North West was a major operator of bus services in North West England. It was a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and had its origins in the purchase of Cumberland in 1987 and Ribble Motor Services in 1988 from the National Bus Co ...

operate bus services which connect the town to Bolton, Blackburn, Leyland,

and Manchester and the

Network Chorley Stagecoach North West was a major operator of bus services in North West England. It was a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and had its origins in the purchase of Cumberland in 1987 and Ribble Motor Services in 1988 from the National Bus Com ...

routes within the borough. * Blackburn Bus Company operate the bus service between Blackburn and Chorley. * National Express also operate a daily service from Chorley Interchange to London.

Rail

The main central railway station is Chorley railway station in the town centre. The railway station is used by: * TransPennine Express whose line runs between

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 ...

direct to Scotland without changing. *

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

Manchester to Preston Line runs through Chorley and also connects the town to Bolton, Preston and Manchester. The railway station was also served by the Wigan-Blackburn Railway line up until it was closed in 1960. The line also had stops at Heapey,

Brinscall Brinscall is a village in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England. Located approximately five miles north-east of Chorley, Brinscall borders the similar-sized villages of Withnell and Abbey Village. Brinscall is part of the civil parish of W ...

Withnell Withnell is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England. According to the census of 2001, it had a population of 3,631, reducing to 3,498 at the census of 2011. Withnell is about north-east of Chorley itself and ...

and the

White Bear railway station White Bear railway station, on Station Road, Adlington, Lancashire, England, was on the Lancashire Union Railway line between St Helens and Blackburn. The station was named in some timetables as White Bear (Adlington) or White Bear for Adling ...

at Adlington. Elsewhere in the borough there are railway stations at Euxton on the Wigan–Preston line, at Adlington and

on the Manchester–Preston line, and at Croston on the

Ormskirk Branch Line The Ormskirk branch line is a railway line in Lancashire, England, running between Preston and Ormskirk. The train service is operated by Northern Trains, who usually operate class 150, 156, and 158 units. The line is the northern section of th ...

Waterways

White Bear Marina, on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Chorley, Lancashire

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs parallel to Chorley and several marinas and locks are located on the Chorley area. Marinas along the canal include: *White Bear Marina, Adlington *Cowling Launch, Chorley *Top Lock, Whittle * Botany Brow * Botany Bay Boatyard *Riley Green, Hoghton

Education

Chorley is home to numerous primary schools, both council and church supported. Chorley has the following six high schools: *

Holy Cross Catholic High School Holy Cross Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic Voluntary aided comprehensive school in Chorley, Lancashire, England. The school provides co-educational education for approximately 830 pupils in the 11-16 age range, most of whom reside in ...

* Albany Academy * Bishop Rawstorne CE Academy * Parklands High School *

Southlands High School Southlands High School is a coeducational secondary school in Chorley, Lancashire, United Kingdom. It has approximately 1,000 students per annum. Awards * Lancashire Evening Post School Of The Year 201Lancashire Evening Post Best in Educatio ...

St. Michael's CE High School St Michael's is a Church of England secondary school located in the town of Chorley, Lancashire, England. The school is home to 1,200 pupils, and is a performing Arts College. Since September 2016, the headteacher has been Jayne Jenks, who to ...

Some independent schools are also present just outside the borough. Most Chorley children go on to attend the nearby Runshaw College in Leyland. Runshaw College has also expanded into the former administration site of ROF Chorley and is using, amongst others, the main administration building.

Lancashire College Lancashire Adult Learning is an adult education college located in Lancashire, England . Courses offered by the college are aimed primarily at adult learners rather than recent school leavers, and include short courses, weekly courses, ESOL pro ...

, based in Chorley, is a part of

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. Since the 2017 election, the council has been under Conservative control. Prior to the 2009 La ...

's Lancashire Adult Learning, offering a wide range of courses, a speciality being intensive residential language courses. From 1905 to 1981, the town was home to Chorley Training College (from the 1960s known as Chorley 'Day' Training College), designed by the Victorian and Edwardian architect Henry Cheers, and the town centre building now occupying this site is now Chorley Public Library.

Sport

Chorley is home to the semi professional football team,

Chorley F.C. Chorley Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chorley, Lancashire, England. They currently compete in and play their home matches at Victory Park. The club was founded as a rugby union club in 1875 but switched to footba ...

, known as the Magpies due to their black and white strip. Founded as a rugby team in 1875, they switched to playing football eight years later. Since then they have had limited success, with their most memorable moments being two appearances in the second round of the FA Cup, and two seasons in the Football Conference in the late 1980s. They played in the National League in the 2019/20 season having won promotion from the National League North in the previous season, but were relegated back to the National League North. The team gained fame after qualifying for the 4th round of the 2020-21 season of the FA Cup. The town and surrounding boroughs boast a number of cricket clubs, with two teams taking the town's name.

Chorley Cricket Club Chorley Cricket Club is an English cricket club based in Chorley, Lancashire, playing their home matches at Windsor Park. The club's first team compete in the ECB Northern Premier Cricket League, while the Second, Third and Sunday development ...

currently play in the

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

, and were finalists in the

ECB National Club Cricket Championship The ECB National Club Cricket Championship is a forty over limited overs knockout club cricket competition in England. The most successful clubs have been Scarborough, from North Yorkshire, with five titles and Old Hill, from Staffordshire, with ...

for three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1996, winning the trophy on the first two occasions. Chorley St James Cricket Club are the second side in the town, competing in the Southport & District Amateur Cricket League, having been members of the Chorley League until its demise in 2005. The town is home to the Chorley Buccaneers American Football Club. Founded in the year 2000, the Bucs now have eight competitive teams and over 120 players competing in the

BAFA National Leagues The BAFANL (BAFA National Leagues) are the primary American football domestic League competition in Great Britain. The League is run by the British American Football Association to coordinate contact football within England, Scotland and Wales. ...

structure. They are based at Parklands Academy in Chorley. The club has three National Championship titles to their name in their 17-year existence, most recently in 2016.

Chorley RUFC Chorley Rugby Union Club is an English rugby union club based in Chorley, Lancashire. The club currently runs 1 senior team, the 1st XV playing in North Lancashire 2 North Lancashire Division 2 was an English Rugby Union league for teams from ...

was founded in the early 1970s and initially their matches were on played on fields at Astley Park. Since there was no club house in the early days the team played from the Prince of Wales pub, near the town's covered market. Work started on a new clubhouse on 22 March 1984 , on an area of land off Chancery Road, situated on the edge of the freshly constructed Astley Village Estate. The club currently run two senior sides and a mini section, the 1st XV playing in the

RFU The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It pro ...

North Lancs 2 division. Until 2004, Chorley had a rugby league side, Chorley Lynx, who played in League Two of the Rugby League National Leagues. The club was forced to close in 2004 due to small crowds and the withdrawal of funding by backer Trevor Hemmings. Many of the club's players and staff joined nearby

Blackpool Panthers Blackpool Panthers RLFC was an English professional rugby league club based in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. They played at Bloomfield Road, between 2005-2007, then moved to the Woodlands Memorial Ground owned by Fylde rugby union club. They wer ...

. Chorley is home to track cyclists including Olympic gold medal winners

Jason Queally Jason Paul Queally (born 11 May 1970) is an English track cyclist. He won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Early years Born at Great Heywood, Staffordshire, Queally spent his childhood in Caton, a village near Lancaster. He att ...

and Bradley Wiggins, and Paralympic silver medallist

Rik Waddon Rik Waddon (born 27 February 1977) is a Professional Paralympic British road and track racing cyclist and Paralympian. Waddon is a brain injury survivor, after being involved in a bicycle accident at the age of five. This resulted in physical ...

, due in part to the proximity of the town to the Manchester Velodrome. Chorley is also the home town of Paralympic gold medallist

Natalie Jones Natalie Jones (born 31 October 1984) is a British Paralympic swimmer. She competes in S6 classification events and has represented Great Britain at four Paralympics winning five medals, including two golds at Athens in 2004. Career history ...

. The council owned leisure centre contains a swimming pool, sports hall, squash courts and a small fitness suite. The borough also includes other gym facilities, two other council-owned leisure centres, at Clayton Green and

, and another public swimming pool at

. The town is also home to a Next Generation fitness centre, other private pools and leisure centres, and a David Lloyd Tennis Centre. south of Chorley town centre is Duxbury Park municipal golf course. The town is home to many amateur football, rugby and cricket teams. There are also several grass football pitches, bowling greens and tennis courts. A public outdoor swimming pool in Astley Park was demolished in the 1990s for health and safety reasons. Chorley Athletic and Triathlon Club regularly compete in road, cross country, fell, athletics and triathlon events. Chorley Cycling Club was formed in 2011, resurrecting a club which had disbanded around 1953. The club caters to both leisure and racing members and runs regular training and social rides on local roads. Chorley JKS Shotokan Karate Club established a club in the town 2012.

Media

Chorley has two local newspapers: the weekly ''Chorley Guardian'' and the free ''Chorley Citizen''. A British comedy television show, ''

Phoenix Nights ''Phoenix Nights'' is a British sitcom about The Phoenix Club, a working men's club in the northern English town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. The show is a spin-off from the "In the Club" episode of the spoof documentary series ''That Pete ...

'', cited Chorley's radio station,

Chorley FM Chorley FM was a radio station based in Chorley, Lancashire, England. The station was created by volunteers back in 2001 to broadcast a special two week licence in conjunction with the Midsummer Festival which was located on Botany Bay near the ...

, whose slogan was "Coming in your ears". The station, based in Chorley, originally broadcast for only a few weeks, but in 2005 received a licence to broadcast from Chorley Community Centre (see ''

''). Chorley is the hometown of Lee Mack, creator and central actor in the BBC sitcom '' Not Going Out''. It is also the home of actor Joseph Gilgun, of ''Brassic'', ''

This is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates how their subculture, which has its roots in 1960s West Indies culture, especi ...

'', ''Misfits'' and Preacher. As well as ''

'', comedian

Dave Spikey Dave Spikey (born David Gordon Bramwell, 6 October 1951) is an English comedian, actor, writer and film producer. He is best known for his stand-up comedy, writing and starring in the British comedy programme ''Phoenix Nights'', presenting ''Bu ...

based his comedy series

Dead Man Weds ''Dead Man Weds'' is a six-part comedy series shown on ITV in Britain in January and early February 2005, and repeated on ITV2. The series was written by Dave Spikey, who played the part of Jerry St Clair in ''Phoenix Nights''. It was produ ...

in, and filmed most of it in, Chorley.

Steve Pemberton Steven James Pemberton (born 1 September 1967) is a British actor, comedian, director and writer. He is best known as a member of ''The League of Gentlemen'' with Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. Pemberton and Shearsmith also co- ...

, the creator of The League of Gentlemen, based most of its characters on folk from Adlington.

Places of interest

* Astley Park and Astley Hall HH icon

* Bank Hall HH icon

* Duxbury Park and Golf Course UKAL icon

* White Coppice &

Great Hill Great Hill is a hill in Lancashire, England, on Anglezarke Moor, between the towns of Chorley and Darwen. It is part of the West Pennine Moors and lies approximately 3 miles north of Winter Hill, which is the highest point in the area at 456& ...

Heskin Hall Heskin Hall is a manor house in Heskin, Lancashire, England. Construction began on the present hall in 1545 making it a Tudor building which has been designated a Grade I listed building by Historic England. History In 1506 the lands were s ...

Leeds & 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 bran ...

Rivington Pike Rivington Pike is a hill on Winter Hill, part of the West Pennine Moors at Rivington, Chorley in Lancashire, England. The nearest towns are Adlington and Horwich. The land and building are owned and managed by Chorley Council. The Pike Tower ...

* Winter Hill UKAL icon

Worden Park Worden Park is a large area of parkland situated on the outskirts of Leyland, a town in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. It is less than a quarter of a mile from the town centre. History Farington family The Farington family ...

* Yarrow Valley Country Park CP icon

Twin towns

Chorley is twinned with: *

Székesfehérvár Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...

, Hungary (1992) *

Lanzhou Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...

, China (2019)

Notable residents

Hubert von Herkomer (1849-1914) - Sir Henry Tate - N03517 - National Gallery

* Loui Batley (born 1987), (actress and dancer) * Bill Beaumont (born 1952), (former England rugby union captain) * Walter Berg (born 1947), (astrologer) *

Leonora Carrington Mary Leonora Carrington (6 April 191725 May 2011) was a British-born Mexican artist, surrealist painter, and novelist. She lived most of her adult life in Mexico City and was one of the last surviving participants in the surrealist movement of ...

(1917–2011), (painter) *

Phil Cool Phil Cool (born Philip Martin; April 1948)Neville Thurlbeck"Phil Cool reveals why he’s ready to bow out of touring " ''Wales Online'', 29 March 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.York Membery"Who'd have thought it... Phil Cool is not at all averse to ...

(born 1948), (comedian) *

C. D. Darlington Cyril Dean Darlington (19 December 1903 – 26 March 1981) was an English biologist, cytologist, geneticist and eugenicist, who discovered the mechanics of chromosomal crossover, its role in inheritance, and therefore its importance to evoluti ...

(1903–1981), (biologist) * Derek Draper (born 1967), (former

spin doctor and newspaper columnist) *

Simon Farnworth Simon Farnworth (born 28 October 1963 in Chorley, Lancashire) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Bolton Wanderers, Bury, Preston North End and Wigan Athletic, and made over 500 appearances during his ca ...

(born 1963), (footballer, later physiotherapist) * John Foxx (born 1948), (musician) * Joseph Gilgun (born 1984), (actor) * Paul Grayson (born 1971), (England rugby union player) *

Rick Guard Rick Guard is an English singer-songwriter who released his debut album, ''Hands of a Giant'', in 2002. Career Guard's first single gained top twenty positions in eleven countries (in most of which he toured) and was in the top ten downloaded ri ...

(jazz singer and songwriter) *

Sir Walter Haworth Sir Walter Norman Haworth FRS (19 March 1883 – 19 March 1950) was a British chemist best known for his groundbreaking work on ascorbic acid (vitamin C) while working at the University of Birmingham. He received the 1937 Nobel Prize in Chemis ...

(1883–1950), (Nobel Prize winner) * Trevor Hemmings (1935-2021), (businessman) * Adam Henley (born 1994), (footballer, playing for Blackburn Rovers, later for Real Salt Lake in the MLS) *

Teddy Hodgson Edward Hodgson (1885 – 4 August 1919) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He originally played non-league football with his hometown club Chorley before joining Second Division side Burnley in 1911 at the ag ...

(1885–1919), (from Chorley, played for Burnley F.C., F.A. Cup Winners against Liverpool in 1914) * Anna Hopkin MBE (born 1996), (swimmer and Olympic gold medallist) * Lindsay Hoyle (born 1957), (MP) * Conrad Hunte (1932–1999), (former West Indian Test cricketer, lived in Chorley before the 1957 Test Series against England) * Charles Lightoller (1874–1952), (highest-ranking crew member to survive the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'') * Paul McKenna (born 1977), (footballer) *

Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English football player and coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley. He became a professional player in 1973 with Plymouth Argyle, where he scored ...

(1953–2021), (England international footballer) *Rifleman William Mariner VC (1882–1916), soldier awarded the Victoria Cross at

Cambrin Cambrin () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A farming and light industrial village some east of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D166 and the N41 roads, by ...

in 1915. *

Barry Mason John Barry Mason (12 July 1935 – 16 April 2021) was an English singer and songwriter. A leading songwriter of the 1960s, he wrote the bulk of his most successful songs in partnership with Les Reed. Mason gained many gold and platinum awar ...

(1935–2021), (songwriter) *

Ken Morley Kenneth Morley (born 17 January 1943) is an English actor and comedian best known for playing the role of Reg Holdsworth in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1989 to 1995 and General Leopold von Flockenstuffen in the BBC sitcom Al ...

(born 1943), (actor) *

Sheila Parker Sheila Parker (née Porter; born 1947) is an English former international football defender. In November 1972 she captained the England women's national football team in their first official match, a 3–2 win over Scotland in Greenock. ...

(born 1947), (former captain of the England women's national football team) * Phil Parkinson (born 1967), (footballer, later football manager) *

(born 1967), (actor) *

Adam Nagaitis Adam Matthew Nagaitis (; born 7 June 1985) is a British actor best known for his roles as Caulker's Mate Cornelius Hickey in the AMC television series ''The Terror'' and firefighter Vasily Ignatenko in the HBO miniseries ''Chernobyl''. Nagait ...

(born 1985), (actor) *

(born 1970), (cyclist) * Thomas Rawlinson (18th-century industrialist, believed to have been born in Chorley) *

Kevin Simm Kevin Ian Simm (born 5 September 1980) is an English pop singer. He won ''The Voice UK'' on 9 April 2016. Simm was in the group Liberty X from 2001 until their split in 2007, and is currently the lead singer of the group Wet Wet Wet. Early lif ...

(born 1980), (musician of Liberty X and Wet Wet Wet fame, also winner of the fifth season of ''The Voice UK'') * Tom Smith (born 1985), (cricketer) *

(c. 1584 – 1656), (founder of the Pilgrim Fathers) * Starsailor (pop group) * Tom Criddle Stephenson (1893–1987), (journalist and champion of walkers' rights) *

Sir Henry Tate Sir Henry Tate, 1st Baronet (11 March 18195 December 1899) was an English sugar merchant and philanthropist, noted for establishing the Tate Gallery in London. Life and career Born in White Coppice, a hamlet near Chorley, Lancashire, Tate was ...

(1819–1899), (sugar magnate and founder of the Tate Gallery, London) *

Josh Charnley Joshua Charnley (born 26 June 1991) is an English international professional rugby league footballer who plays on the for the Leigh Leopards in the Super League. He previously played for the Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors, with whom he w ...

(born 1991), (rugby league footballer) * David Unsworth (born 1973), (Everton footballer, later Everton U-23 manager) *

Mickey Walsh Michael Anthony Walsh (born 13 August 1954) is a former professional footballer who works as a football agent. A striker, he spent his club career in England and Portugal. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland national team ...

(born 1954), (former Irish international footballer) * Sir Holburt Jacob Waring Bt CBE FRCS (1866–1953), vice-chancellor of the University of London from 1922 to 1924 *

Rosemarie Wright Rosemarie Wright (12 December 1931 – 25 April 2020) was an English pianist. Wright was born in Chorley, Lancashire. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Patrick Cory and Harold Craxton, winning many prizes including the Chappell S ...

(1931–2020), (pianist)

References

External links

Chorley Borough Council
* {{authority control Towns in Lancashire Market towns in Lancashire West Pennine Moors Unparished areas in Lancashire Geography of Chorley