Simister is a small suburb in the

Metropolitan Borough of Bury The Metropolitan Borough of Bury is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is north of Manchester, to the east of Bolton and west of Rochdale. The borough is centred around the town of Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury but also ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England. Historically part of

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 ...

, it is located between the districts of Prestwich, Rhodes and Langley. Although the village's proximity to

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 ...

means the residential population is mainly made up of commuters, the village has a rural feel with much agricultural activity.

Transport

The village is located east of "Simister Island", motorway junction 18 which links the M62, M66 and M60 motorways. Thousands of vehicles a day use this motorway intersection and the traffic noise is often regarded as a nuisance but not a part of the village by the residents. The main thoroughfare, Simister Lane, is often used as a

rat run Rat running (also known as rodent running or cut-through driving) is the practice by motorists of using residential side streets or any unintended short cut such as a parking lot, delivery service lane or cemetery road instead of the intended ...

for cars travelling to and from Prestwich, Middleton and Junction 19 of the M60.

Amenities

The Simister Village Community Association, formed in 2000, was in 2010 developing a 10-acre wetland site. It has installed stone paths at a cost of £30,000 funded by grants from bodies such as "Big Lottery, Breathing Spaces" and "Greening Greater Manchester", as well as physical support from the borough council, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) and local residents. Woodland maintenance will be carried out during the winter using further grants. The unusual

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

's Church, on Nutt Lane, was designed by R. Basnett Preston in a combination of Romanesque and vernacular revival styles. A daughter church of St Margaret's, Prestwich, it was built during 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 ...

and opened on 14 October 1915.

The Lady Wilton Hall, on Simister Lane, was built in 1850 at the sole expense of the Earl and Countess of Wilton, and housed the village school until the 1970s. Used for worship in the village prior to the construction of the church, as well as for the Sunday school, it continues to function as the church hall and is owned by the Parochial Church Council of St Margaret's. There are also two public houses in the village, "The Farmers Arms" and "The Same Yet" both pubs are J W Lees houses. The Farmers Arms Simister.jpg, The Farmers Arms. The Same Yet Simister.JPG, The Same Yet.

History

In August 2022, '' The Man Who Dreamt of Stars'' was filmed in the village. It was produced by award-winning director Peter Adamson. Locations included The Same Yet Inn, as well as the bus stop opposite The Farmer's Arms.

References

External links

Simister photographs
{{authority control Villages in Greater Manchester Prestwich