Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider

Borough of Chorley The Borough of Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It is named after the town of Chorley, which is an unparished area. The borough extends to several villages and hamlets including Adlington, B ...

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, north of

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

, south west of

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

, north west of

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

, south of Preston and north west of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. The town's wealth came principally from the

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

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 Chorley cakes are flattened, fruit filled pastry cakes, traditionally associated with the town of Chorley in Lancashire, England. Chorley cake A Chorley cake is made using currants, sandwiched between two layers of unsweetened shortcrust pastr ...

History

Toponymy

The name ''Chorley'' comes from two

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

words, and , probably meaning "the

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

s' 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 Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

or a

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of Serfdom, servants in an Peerage of England, English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in Kingdom of England, mid-1 ...

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 The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. There are various remains of prehistoric occupation on the nearby

Anglezarke Anglezarke is a sparsely populated civil parish in the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. It is an agricultural area used for sheep farming and is also the site of reservoirs that were built to supply water to Liverpool. The area has a la ...

Moor, including the

Round Loaf Round Loaf is a Late Neolithic or Bronze Age tumulus on Anglezarke Moor in the West Pennine Moors near Chorley in Lancashire, England. The bowl barrow is a scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally importan ...

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

Roman period

During the

Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

era a Roman road ran near Chorley between

and

Walton-le-Dale Walton-le-Dale is a large village in the borough of South Ribble, in Lancashire, England. It lies on the south bank of the River Ribble, opposite the city of Preston, adjacent to Bamber Bridge. The population of the South Ribble Ward at the ...

. Hoards dating from the Roman period have also been found nearby at

Whittle-le-Woods Whittle-le-Woods (commonly shortened to Whittle) is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 5,434. Whittle-le-Woods lies on the A6, about three ...

and

Heapey Heapey is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, in Lancashire, England. The village is two miles from Chorley and on the western fringe of the West Pennine Moors. In 2001 the population was 955, increasing to 1,001 at the 2011 c ...

Medieval period

Chorley was not listed in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'' of 1086, though it is thought to be one of the twelve berewicks in the

Leyland Hundred The Leyland Hundred (also known as Leylandshire) is a historic subdivision of the English county of Lancashire. It covered the parishes of Brindle, Chorley, Croston, Eccleston, Hoole, Leyland, Penwortham, Rufford, Standish and Tarleton. I ...

. Chorley first appears in historical records in the mid thirteenth century as part of the portion of the

Croston Croston is a village and civil parish near Chorley in Lancashire, England. The River Yarrow flows through the village. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 2,917. History Croston was founded in the 7th century whe ...

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 The Great Raid of 1322 was a major raid carried out by Robert the Bruce, during the First Scottish War of Independence, on Northern England between 30 September and 2 November 1322, resulting in the Battle of Old Byland. Numerous raids began b ...

, with Chorley being one of the southernmost points reached in

Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

. This led to the construction of a

Peel tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the England, English and Scotland, Scottish Border country, borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and ab ...

, which said to have been located somewhere close to Duxbury Hall. 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, with phantom steps near to the school within Astley Park being the only physical clue to the hall's existence. 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 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 Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...

, an Irish saint who died in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

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 town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 ...

, an ancestor of

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

(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 began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...

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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. Chorley was granted a market charter by Henry VII in 1498 and have since held it every Tuesday. Before the reformation, it would coincide with a fair that was held annually on the feast of

St Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...

19th century to present

Chorley, like most Lancashire towns, gained its wealth from the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

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 The Lancashire Coalfield in North West England was an important British Coalfield#Great Britain, coalfield. Its coal seams were formed from the vegetation of tropical swampy forests in the Carboniferous period over 300 million years ago. The Rom ...

, Chorley was vital in

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

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 8,300 in the 2021Census. It is bounded by Whittle Brook, Cl ...

. Chisnall Hall Colliery at

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 18 ...

in 1987 which was located south of Chorley, between

and Adlington. The town played an important role during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when it was home to the

Royal Ordnance Factory Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

, a large munitions manufacturer in the village of

Euxton Euxton ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 9,993, but is now estimated to be around 14,000 due to housing developments in the village, including at Buckshaw. ...

about from the town centre. A smaller factory was also built near the railway line of Blackburn–Wigan in

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 ...

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 Thomas Rickman (8 June 17764 January 1841) was an English architect and architectural antiquary who was a major figure in the Gothic Revival. He is particularly remembered for his ''Attempt to Discriminate the Styles of English Architecture'' ...

, a major figure in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

. It was built as a

Commissioners' church A Commissioners' church, also known as a Waterloo church and Million Act church, is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in England or Wales built with money voted by Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament as a result of the (58 Geo. 3. ...

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 of London and Hansom are the architects. Chorley United Reformed Church is one of the oldest and largest

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2024 it had approximately 44,000 members in around 1,250 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. The URC is a Trinitarian church whose theolog ...

es in the north west. Founded in 1792 as an Independent Church it later affiliated to the

Congregational church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

and in 1972 voted to become part of the new United Reformed Church (URC). The church is home to the oldest

Scout Troop A Scout troop is a term adopted into use with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Scout Movement to describe their basic units. The term troop echoes a group of mounted scouts in the military or an expedition and follows the terms cavalry, mounted i ...

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. These plans never came to fruition and the church building was instead refurbished in 2020. 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 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(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 intent to build the temple was ...

. 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 first

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 ...

is on the corner of Brooke Street and Charnock Street. The building officially opened in March 2006, having been in planning for over three years. A second mosque opened in 2020.

Governance

In 1837, Chorley joined with other

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

s (or

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 ...

es) in the area to become head of the Chorley

Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...

, 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 A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

in 1881; it was governed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, a council of eight

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

and twenty four

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s. The population of the

Municipal Borough of Chorley The Municipal Borough of Chorley was a local government district in the Administrative counties of England, administrative county of Lancashire, England, with municipal borough status and coterminate with the town of Chorley. History Lying withi ...

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

has forty-two councillors, representing 14 three-member

electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ''ward (subnational entity), ward'' is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil pa ...

in Chorley town council. The Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chorley, since 1997, is

Lindsay Hoyle Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle (born 10 June 1957) is a British politician who has served as Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons since 2019 and as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliamen ...

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

Geography

The principal river in the town is the

Yarrow ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Growing to tall, it is characterized by small whitish flowers, a tall stem of fernlike leaves, and a pungent odor. The plan ...

. The Black Brook is a tributary of the Yarrow. The name of the River Chor 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 The West Pennine Moors is an area of the Pennines covering approximately of moorland and Reservoir (water), reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The West Pennine Moors are separa ...

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 so ...

, a small hill which is part of the

. It is the seat for the

, 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 Preston and Leyland and was once proposed as being designated part of the

Central Lancashire Central Lancashire is an area of Lancashire, England. Central Lancashire New Town Central Lancashire new towns in the United Kingdom, New Town was the largest of the post-war English new towns, designated in 1970 and covering : the County Boro ...

New Town under the New Towns Act, a proposal which was eventually scaled back. Yarrow Valley Park

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 A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to manage their safet ...

on the outskirts of the town. One of these is Anglezarke Quarry, between Chorley and

Horwich Horwich ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester. It ...

. 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

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

s was inherited from the neighbouring town of Leyland. A large factory on Pilling Lane produced, including military vehicles and

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s during the

. After the

, production was reduced and the final part of the site was closed in 2008 by BAE Systems. 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 village 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 had a ...

. 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 Leyland Trucks is a medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturer based in Leyland, Lancashire, United Kingdom. It can trace its origins back to the original Leyland Motors, which was founded in 1896, and subsequently evolved into British Leyland ...

and

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

are Central Lancashire's largest employers, with their sites in Leyland and

Samlesbury Samlesbury ( ''or locally'' ) is a village and civil parish in South Ribble, Lancashire, England. Samlesbury Hall, a historic house, is in the village, as is Samlesbury Aerodrome and a large modern brewery owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The pop ...

respectively. Other companies with a presence in the borough are: *

Telent Telent Technology Services Limited is a British radio, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure systems installation and services provision company. The name is used from 2006 for those parts of the United Kingdom and German services busin ...

FedEx FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...

's North West depot is located in the town *

DXC Technology DXC Technology Company is an American multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia. History DXC Technology was founded on April 3, 2017, through a merger between Hewlett Packar ...

has two locations: one in

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 an Indian multinational transportation, logistics and warehousing company. It provides supply chain management services to customers in the automotive, consumer goods, defence and utility sectors in India, ...

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 is a manufacturer of beer pumps, under the ''Porta'' brand In 2011, Chorley Council launched an initiative, ''Choose Chorley'', to encourage SMEs 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. Chorley cakes edited

The town is the home of the

. Every October, the ''Chorley Cake Street Fair'' promotes the cakes, with a competition for local bakers to produce the largest ever Chorley cake; the event restarted in 1995.

Healthcare

Chorley is served by the local

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

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 hosp ...

which is located on Euxton Lane, in addition to a private hospital located in

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

Transport

Road

Chorley town centre is bisected by the A6 Roman road. It is located near to junctions 6 and 8 of the

M61 motorway The M61 is a motorway in North West England between Manchester and Preston, Lancashire, Preston, linking the M60 motorway, M60 Manchester orbital motorway with the M6 motorway, M6 motorway. It runs from the A580 near Wardley, Greater Manchester ...

and junction 27 of the M6; Charnock Richard services are sited within the borough.

Buses

The town's bus station, Chorley Interchange, opened in February 2003, replacing an older building. Services are provided by several operators: * Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire operates routes that connect the town with

, Leyland, Preston,

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

and

Ormskirk Ormskirk is a market town in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is located north of Liverpool, northwest of St Helens, Merseyside, St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. Ormski ...

* During the summer, Stagecoach also operates the X8 to Keswick via Preston,

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

and

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

Blackburn Bus Company The Blackburn Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire ...

operates a route to Blackburn * Tyrers Coaches operate buses to Preston and surrounding areas *

Preston Bus Preston Bus is a bus operator running services in the city of Preston and surrounding areas of Lancashire. It is a subsidiary of Rotala, who purchased Preston Bus from the Stagecoach Group on the orders of the Competition Commission in 2011. ...

operates buses to Leyland *

Go North West Go North West is a bus operator in Greater Manchester, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group, operating franchised Bee Network bus services on contract to Transport for Greater Manchester. History Go North West commenced operat ...

operates services to

under the Bee Network's 632 service (formerly 362) * In March 2025, Many bus service changes happened in Chorley.

Vision Bus Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

run formerly Stagecoach services 337 (Chorley-Ormskirk) and 347 (Chorley-Southport) as well as new route 115 linking Chorley to Preston via Leyland,

and Longton.

Railway

Chorley railway station is served by Northern, which operates routes on the

Manchester to Preston Line Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

; direct destinations include

, Preston, Barrow,

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the main railway station of the city of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Opened originally as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchest ...

and Manchester Airport railway station, Manchester Airport. TransPennine Express services, which operate from Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central station, Glasgow or Edinburgh Waverley railway station, Edinburgh, pass through the station but do not stop. The station was also served by the Lancashire Union Railway, Wigan-Blackburn line, until it was closed in 1960; the line also had stops at Heapey railway station, Heapey, Brinscall railway station, Brinscall, Withnell railway station, Withnell and White Bear railway station, White Bear ( Adlington). Elsewhere in the borough, there are railway stations at Euxton Balshaw Lane railway station, Euxton, on the Preston - Wigan line; at Adlington (Lancashire) railway station, Adlington and Buckshaw Parkway railway station, Buckshaw Village, on the Manchester–Preston line; and at Croston railway station, Croston, on the Ormskirk Branch Line.

Waterways

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs parallel to Chorley; several marinas and locks are located in the area, including: * 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. The town has the following six high schools: *Holy Cross Catholic High School *Albany Academy, Chorley, Albany Academy *Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy, Bishop Rawstorne CE Academy *Parklands High School, Chorley, Parklands High School *Southlands High School *St. Michael's CE High School 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 had also expanded into the former administration site of ROF Chorley and was using, amongst others, the main administration building. It is no longer using the site. Lancashire College, based in Chorley, is a part of Lancashire County Council'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., 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 qualified for the 4th round of the 2020–21 FA Cup, 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 currently play in the Northern Premier Cricket League, Northern League and were finalists in the ECB National Club Cricket Championship 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 structure. They are based at Parklands Academy in Chorley. Chorley RUFC was founded in the early 1970s. The club currently run two senior sides and a mini section, the 1st XV playing in the Rugby Football Union, RFU North Lancs 2 division. Until 2004, Chorley had a rugby league side, Chorley Lynx, who played in League Two of the RFL Championship, 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. The only rugby league side currently active who are situated in Chorley is amateur side Chorley Panthers. Chorley is home to track cycling, track cyclists including Olympic gold medal winners Jason Queally and Bradley Wiggins, and Paralympic silver medallist Rik Waddon, due in part to the proximity of the town to the Manchester Velodrome; it is also the home town of Paralympic gold medallist Natalie Jones. 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 Brinscall. The town is also home to a Next Generation fitness centre, other private pools and leisure centres, and a David Lloyd (tennis), David Lloyd Tennis Centre. Chorley Golf Course - geograph

Duxbury Park municipal golf course is south of Chorley town centre. 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. 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 was established in the town in 2012.

Media

Chorley has two local newspapers: The weekly ''Lancashire Evening Post'' (formerly ''Chorley Guardian'') and the free ''Chorley Citizen''. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill transmitting station, Winter Hill TV transmitter Local radio stations are BBC Radio Lancashire, Heart North West, Smooth North West, Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire, Capital Manchester and Lancashire and 106.5 Central Radio, Central Radio North West which broadcast from Preston. A British comedy television show, ''Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, Phoenix Nights'', cited Chorley's radio station, Chorley FM. 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 FM''). It is the home of actor Joseph Gilgun, of Brassic (TV series), ''Brassic'', ''This is England'', Misfits (TV series), ''Misfits'' and Preacher (TV series), Preacher.

Places of interest

*Astley Hall (Chorley), Astley Park and Astley Hall HH icon

*Bank Hall HH icon

*Duxbury Woods, Duxbury Park and Golf Course UKAL icon

*White Coppice & Great Hill UKAL icon

*Heskin Hall HH icon

*Leeds & Liverpool Canal UKAL icon

*Rivington Pike CP icon

*Winter Hill (North West England), Winter Hill UKAL icon

*Worden Park CP icon

*Yarrow Valley Park, Yarrow Valley Country Park CP icon

Twin towns

Chorley is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Székesfehérvár, Hungary (1992) * Lanzhou, China (2019)

Notable residents

*Loui Batley (born 1987), actress and dancer *Bill Beaumont (born 1952), former England rugby union captain *Walter Berg (astrologer), Walter Berg (born 1947), astrologer *Blackhaine, experimental rapper *Leonora Carrington (1917–2011), painter *Jack Catterall (born 1993), professional boxer *Phil Cool (born 1948), comedian *C. D. Darlington (1903–1981), biologist *Derek Draper (1967–2024), political lobbyist and psychotherapist *Simon Farnworth (born 1963), footballer, later physiotherapist *John Foxx (born 1948), musician *Joseph Gilgun (born 1984), actor *Paul Grayson (rugby union), Paul Grayson (born 1971), England rugby union player *Rick Guard, jazz singer and songwriter *James Hatton Hall (1866–1945), English Planter (plantation owner), planter and soldier *Sir Walter Haworth (1883–1950), Nobel Prize winner *Trevor Hemmings (1935-2021), businessman *Adam Henley (born 1994), footballer, formerly of Blackburn Rovers and Real Salt Lake, now playing for Chorley F.C., Chorley) *Teddy Hodgson (1885–1919), from Chorley, played for Burnley F.C., F.A. Cup Winners against Liverpool in 1914 *Anna Hopkin (born 1996), swimmer and Olympic gold medallist *

(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, sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'') *Paul McKenna (footballer), Paul McKenna (born 1977), footballer *Paul Mariner (1953–2021), England international footballer *Rifleman William Mariner (VC), William Mariner (1882–1916), soldier awarded the Victoria Cross at Cambrin in 1915 *Barry Mason (1935–2021), songwriter *Ken Morley (born 1943), actor *Sheila Parker (born 1947), former captain of the England women's national football team *Phil Parkinson (born 1967), footballer, later football manager *Steve Pemberton (born 1967), actor *Adam Nagaitis (born 1985), actor *Jason Queally (born 1970), cyclist *Thomas Rawlinson (industrialist), Thomas Rawlinson, 18th-century industrialist, believed to have been born in Chorley *Kevin Simm (born 1980), musician of Liberty X and Wet Wet Wet, also winner of The Voice UK (series 5), the fifth season of ''The Voice UK'' *Tom Smith (cricketer born 1985), Tom Smith (born 1985), cricketer *

(c. 1584 – 1656), founder of the Pilgrim Fathers *Starsailor (band), Starsailor pop group *Tom Stephenson (activist), Tom Criddle Stephenson (1893–1987), journalist and champion of walkers' rights *Sir Henry Tate (1819–1899), sugar magnate and founder of the Tate Gallery, London *Josh Charnley (born 1991), rugby league footballer *David Unsworth (born 1973), Everton footballer, later Everton U-23 manager *Mickey Walsh (born 1954), former Irish international footballer *Sir Holburt Jacob Waring (1866–1953), vice-chancellor of the University of London from 1922 to 1924 *Rosemarie Wright (1931–2020), pianist

References

External links

Chorley Borough Council
{{authority control Chorley, Towns in Lancashire Market towns in Lancashire West Pennine Moors Unparished areas in Lancashire Former civil parishes in Lancashire Geography of Chorley