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Longridge is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city 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 ...
, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long
ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
above the
River Ribble The River Ribble runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire in Northern England. It starts close to the Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, and is one of the few that start in the Yorkshire Dales and flow westwards towards the Irish Sea (t ...
. Its nearest neighbours are the village of Grimsargh, to the southeast, and the Roman town of
Ribchester Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston. The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze ...
( Bremetennacum), to the southeast. The parish of Longridge had a population of 7,546 recorded in the 2001 census, increasing to 7,724 at the 2011 Census.


History

Longridge initially developed outwards from an area around St. Lawrence's Church, at the boundary of the townships of Dilworth and Alston and to the south of the modern-day town centre. Though there was a thoroughfare called 'Market Place', there was no development around that area. Most of the development of the town occurred after 1800. After this time, development occurred at a much faster pace, with expansion northwards including a mill to the north of Kestor Lane. The demand for stone from Longridge's quarries led to the opening of the Preston and Longridge Railway in 1840 to carry the stone away, for use in such places as Liverpool Docks. The arrival of the railway led to the opening of several cotton mills and the town grew considerably larger from the mid-19th century. The mills and quarries have now all closed, although stone quarried in the town was used to construct the M55 motorway in the 1970s. One of the quarries was used as Longridge motor-racing circuit between 1973 and 1978. Longridge railway station closed to passengers in 1930, and the railway was dismantled in 1967. The station buildings were then used as offices for the parish council until 2010 when the Longridge Town Council began a project to renovate and reopen the buildings to the public with help from the Lottery Heritage Fund. Longridge railway station is now managed by Longridge Social Enterprise Company and is home to a heritage centre, the Old Station Cafe and has various business facilities available.


Housing

The appearance of the town centre has changed little from when it was first built. Many of the buildings are built of locally quarried sandstone and despite more modern developments the town centre remains largely as it was when it was first developed. The town itself has expanded since the closure of the quarries with the building of new housing estates, as well as council housing.


Community

The town is home to eleven pubs, several restaurants, a public library, and a number of primary and high schools. It is also home to an Air Training Corps squadron and an Army Cadet Force detachment. Longridge parish is also the location of Alston Hall, a residential
adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...
college operated by Lancashire Adult Learning. The local football club,
Longridge Town F.C. Longridge Town Football Club is a football club based in Longridge, Lancashire, England. Nicknamed ''the Ridge'', they are currently members of the and play at The Recycling Lives Ground.Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
each year, to raise funds for both the Field Day and a local charity.


Sport

Longridge Golf Club Longridge Golf Club, in Longridge, England, was founded around 1915, making it one of the oldest golf clubs in the county of Lancashire. Situated on Longridge Fell's Forty Acre Lane, the elevation of the clubhouse is , which is about 400 feet be ...
is located on Forty Acre Lane on Longridge Fell.


People

John Farnworth John Farnworth (born 18 January 1986) is a football freestyler, entertainer, and actor. He holds four Guinness World Records including the most around the worlds in under a minute. Biography Farnworth was born in Longridge, and grew up in Pr ...
, a freestyle footballer; Alan Kelly, footballer who played for the Irish national team along with
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 ...
; Andrew Miller, who currently plays cricket for Warwickshire (all of which were pupils at the local Catholic high school, St Cecilia's RC High School). Actress
Christina Chong Christina Chong (born 18 September 1983) is an English actress. She has appeared in several notable roles in film and television, including '' Monroe'', ''Line of Duty'', '' Halo: Nightfall'', ''Black Mirror'', ''Doctor Who'', and '' 24: Live An ...
lived here and trained at the Sutcliffe School of Dance. Composer Ernest Tomlinson lived close to Longridge until his death in 2015. His library of light orchestral music was housed in his barn.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Longridge Longridge is a civil parish in Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It contains 15 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of pro ...


References


External links


Longridge Town Council Website

Longridge Conservation Area Appraisal

''History of Longridge and District''
Thomas Charles Smith (1888), Google Books (free) {{authority control Towns in Lancashire Civil parishes in Lancashire Geography of Ribble Valley