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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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the City of Preston,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, England, approximately north of Preston city centre. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,735, decreasing to 1,722 at the 2011 Census, increasing to 2,467 at the 2021. 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 t ...
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, Lancashire, Preston to the north, west and east. The district was created under the Local Government Act 1894. It was abolished in 1974 under the Lo ...
throughout its existence from 1894 to 1974. In 1974 the parish became part of the
Borough of Preston The City of Preston, or simply ''Preston'' (), is a local government district with city status in Lancashire, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Ribble and has a population of (). The neighbouring districts are Ribble Valley, South ...
, which became a city in 2002.


Geography

The civil parish boundary largely follows the
West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
railway to the west, Barton Brook and Dean Brook to the north, Moss Leach Brook, Fernyhalgh Lane and Blundell Brook to the east, and the B6241 road and M55 motorway to the south. Broughton Parish Council recognises three distinct areas of the parish: the largest part includes the village and its surrounds, Broughton Parish South is an area south of the M55 adjoining north Preston and Broughton Parish East is a smaller area south east of the M6/M55 junction that includes Fernyhalgh Lane.


History

Broughton manor was originally owned by Earl Tostig and subsequently by Uhtred, a Saxon
thegn In later Anglo-Saxon England, a thegn or thane (Latin minister) was an aristocrat who ranked at the third level in lay society, below the king and ealdormen. He had to be a substantial landowner. Thanage refers to the tenure by which lands were ...
whose family took the name Singleton. In the reign of King John the manor was taken over by Theobald Walter, but returned in 1261 to William Singleton by Henry III. It was Gilbert de Singleton's in 1635 and sold to the Langtons in the 16th century. The Rawstorne family acquired it in 1735 through marriage.
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. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...
s were still being paid to the church in the 20th century. A "strong tower" was built of stone with a moat fed by Sharoe Brook. It was demolished in 1800 and replaced by Broughton Tower Farm. The moat was filled in during the 1930s.


Community


Schools

Broughton-in-Amounderness Church of England Primary School on Church Lane has approximately 290 pupils, aged 3 - 11. Its roots go back to 1590 and is one of the oldest extant primary schools in the United Kingdom. One of the school buildings dates from 1843 and is Grade II listed. It is of rock-faced sandstone under a slate roof with later matching entrance gables. On the site is Church Cottage Museum. 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, and 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

Broughton Amateurs AFC 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 association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
&
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. The team compete in the ...
striker Eddy Brown.


Churches

The parish Church of St John Baptist is the centre of a 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-type ...
was replaced in 1826, while the
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
was added in 1906. There is evidence of a church having been on the site in the twelfth century. The acclaimed 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 The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
St Mary's Church, Fernyhalgh.


Possible mosque

In 2022, it has been proposed that a
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
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 (born 18 February 1943) is a Scottish comedian, actor, author, artist and television presenter. He is best known as a member of The Goodies and a regular panellist on '' I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''. Early life and educati ...
, 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 decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...


Telephone exchange

Broughton telephone exchange was the UK's first Crossbar 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.


Bypass

Traffic congestion and resultant pollution from the A6 road in Broughton has been an ongoing issue since the 1970s. A bypass route to the east of the village was determined in 1991.
Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...
was first granted permission for the bypass in 2001, but it was not until 2015 after public consultation that permission to proceed was given by the
Secretary of State for Transport The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Departm ...
. The bypass was opened on 5 October 2017 and is named after local man James Towers, a recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
for efforts in the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The route is dualled from its junction with the
M55 motorway The M55 is a motorway in Lancashire, England, which can also be referred to as the Preston Northern Bypass. It connects the seaside resort of Blackpool to the M6 motorway, M6 at Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is 12.2 miles (19.6 km) in ...
until the B5269 Whittingham Lane roundabout, then is single carriageway to the old A6, Garstang Road north of the village. Around 18 hectares of mainly agricultural land was compulsory purchased for the bypass.


Gallery

File:Broughton_cross-roads_on_the_A6_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1089356.jpg, Broughton cross-roads pictured before the existence of the bypass 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


See also

* Listed buildings in Broughton, Lancashire


References


External links

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