Pendlebury
Encyclopedia
Pendlebury is a suburb
an town in the City of Salford
, in Greater Manchester
, England. It lies 4.1 miles (6.6 km) to the northwest of Manchester city centre
, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) northwest of Salford, and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) southeast of Bolton
.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, Pendlebury together with the neighbouring settlements of Swinton
and Clifton
, formed the municipal borough
of Swinton and Pendlebury
. Existing as a centre for coal mining
for many years, Pendlebury saw extensive coal extraction from several pits up until the closure of Agecroft Colliery
in the 1990s.
s, "pen" meaning "hill" and "burh" meaning "settlement".
In 1199 King John confirmed a gift of "one carucate
of land called Peneberi" to Ellis son of Robert. The king had granted this land when he was Earl of Mortain (1189–99) and confirmed the grant when he became king in a deed signed at Le Mans
in France and witnessed by Geoffrey, Archbishop of York
, the Bishops of Sarum
and St. Andrews, the Earl of Leicester
and the Archdeacon
of Wells
and other gentry. Ellis is described elsewhere as Master Sergeant
of Salford and a benefactor of Cockersand Abbey
.
Pendlebury's records go back to 1201 when it was linked with the manor of Shoresworth, the land to the south of Pendlebury (described as "one oxgang
of land") before that manor became part of Pendleton
. The manors of Pendlebury and Shoresworth were in 1212 held of the king in chief in thegn
age by a rent of 12 shilling
s. The tenant was Ellis son of Robert de Pendlebury, to whom King John
had granted "one carucate of land called Peneberi" in 1199 while he was Count of Mortain
and confirmed the gift when he became King. Ellis is described elsewhere as Master Sergeant of Salford and a benefactor of Cockersand Abbey. Ellis died in or about 1216, and his son Adam succeeded him in his manors and serjeanty
. In 1274 Ellis, son of Roger came to a violent death, and Amabel, as widow of Ellis, son of Roger the Clerk, claimed dower in various lands against Roger de Pendlebury. A short time afterwards, Amabel having received her dower
, she and Roger de Pendlebury had to defend a suit brought by one Adam de Pendlebury, who satisfied the jury of his title to the manor.
Ellis had a brother William and daughters Maud, Lettice, and Beatrice. Maud married Adam son of Alexander de Pilkington, (from the family later known for Pilkington's Lancastrian Pottery & Tiles
) and had a daughter Cecily. The manor was sold before 1300 to Adam de Prestwich
. The new lord of Pendlebury married Alice de Woolley daughter of Richard son of Master Henry de Pontefract
, the eventual heir being a daughter Alice, wife of Jordan de Tetlow. Her heir also proved to be a daughter, Joan, who married Richard de Langley
, and the manor descended regularly in this family until the end of the 16th century. Robert Langley died 19 September 1561, leaving four daughters as co-heirs. On the division of the estates, Agecroft, and lands in Pendlebury became the portion of Anne, who married William Dauntesey, springing from a Wiltshire
family. The 'manor' of Pendlebury also was claimed by the Daunteseys for some time, but was afterwards said to be held with Prestwich, descending in the Coke family until about 1780, when it was sold to Peter Drinkwater
of Irwell House, Prestwich.
Condensed from: 'Townships: Pendlebury', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 397–404
, the Tudor
home of the Lord of the Manor
of Pendlebury, stood on slightly rising ground on the west side of the Irwell Valley
, where the river flows southwards towards Salford and Manchester
between the high ground of Kersal
and Prestwich
on the east and north, and Irlams o' th' Height
and Pendlebury on the west. The building was probably begun towards the end of the reign of Henry VII
. In 1666 there were thirty-five hearth
s liable for tax in Pendlebury. Agecroft Hall was the only large house, having eleven hearths.
At the end of the 19th century, industrialisation swept through the Irwell Valley
. Coal
pits were opened all around Agecroft Hall, railway tracks were cut across the manor and the sinking of a colliery made a dirty lake on the edge of the estate. The house fell into disrepair and was sold at auction in 1925 to Mr & Mrs Thomas C. Williams. The structure was dismantled, crated, shipped across the Atlantic
, and painstakingly reassembled in Windsor Farms
, Richmond, Virginia
, USA. Today, Agecroft Hall stands re-created as a tourist attraction on the banks of the James River
, in a setting chosen to be reminiscent of its original site at Agecroft
near the River Irwell
.
The Langley name is still remembered locally by having several streets named after the family as well as the Langley Mill, Langley Road and Langley
housing estate in Middleton
. Agcroft Hall Estate is a recently built housing estate on Agecroft road, named after Agecroft Hall.
in the 1990s. As well as Agecroft Colliery, there were coal mines at the Wheatsheaf Colliery
on Bolton Road (A666
) between Carrington Street and City Walk, a site now occupied by McDonald's
fast food restaurant, Wet Earth Colliery
in Clifton, which featured in several of Lowry
's works, Clifton Hall Colliery
(also in Clifton) on the western side of Lumns Lane, which closed in 1929, and Newtown Colliery (on the Clifton/Newtown, Pendlebury boundary, bounded by Manchester Road/Bolton Road (A666), Billy Lane and the pit lodge, which later became known as "Queensmere"). Agecroft Colliery was reopened in 1960 following an investment of £9,000,000 and seven years of establishment works, making it the first new pit to be sunk in Lancashire
since the Second World War. Agecroft stood on the site of Lumn's Colliery that was itself abandoned in 1932 and had an unusual arrangement of winding gear, which was concealed in three huge towers - the tallest of which was 174 feet (53 m) high. Agecroft Colliery sent much of its coal to the CEGB
's Agecroft Power Station
, via a purpose designed conveyor belt system that included a bridge across Agecroft Road. Active mine workings finished in 1990, and the Agecroft Colliery site is now home to the Agecroft Commerce Park.
The Kearsley
, Clifton, Pendlebury and Pendleton Miners' Association was established in 1888 and became the Pendlebury Branch of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1959. With the decline of the industry, the once popular Pendlebury Miners' Club (at the top of Temple Drive, Swinton) was inevitably demolished in the 1990s.
Pendlebury was joined with Swinton
in 1875 to form a local board of health
area and was later governed by the Swinton and Pendlebury Urban District Council. Incorporation of Clifton
into the Municipal Borough
of Swinton and Pendlebury was a result of the abolition of the predecessor, Barton-upon-Irwell Urban District
.
Swinton and Pendlebury was a municipal borough of the administrative county
of Lancashire
, which contained Pendlebury along with Swinton and Clifton. Swinton and Pendlebury received its Charter of Incorporation from the 18th Earl of Derby
on September 29, 1934 at a ceremony in Victoria Park, Swinton (at that time the council meetings were held in Victoria House in the park). The new borough council required larger premises and launched a competition to design a new town hall. The winners were architects Sir Percy Thomas
and Ernest Prestwich. The site of Swinton Industrial School
on Chorley Road (A6) in Swinton was purchased for £12,500 and the foundation stone of the new town hall
laid on October 17, 1936. The town hall opened on September 17, 1938 and since April 1, 1974 has been the administrative headquarters of Salford City Council.
The Borough of Swinton and Pendlebury was amalgamated into the City of Salford
in 1974 as a result of local government reforms
.
In terms of parliamentary representation, the town was until 2010 part of the Eccles constituency
. Since then it has been part of the Salford and Eccles constituency
.
, almost midway between Manchester
and Bolton
and is neighboured by Irlams o' th' Height
, Pendleton
, Salford, M6 and Clifton
. The surface of the land slopes generally upwards from southwest (Swinton) to northeast (Irwell Valley), from about 120 feet (36.6 m) to nearly 300 feet (91.4 m) above the ordnance datum. However, the topography of the land around Lumn's Lane has changed markedly due to the dumping of mining waste from the former collieries and the area has been used as a landfill
site by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
since 1982, taking ten percent of Greater Manchester's waste each year.
The town has a mix of industrial and residential areas despite the closure of its mines and most of its textile mills
.
The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
(Fire Brigade) has its headquarters on Bolton Road (A666), between the junctions with Agecroft Road and Hospital Road.
Acme Mill, that was so important in shaping Lowry's perceptions and which was the first cotton spinning mill in the UK to be entirely electrically powered, was situated south of the Manchester-Wigan railway line on the eastern side Swinton Hall Road (originally called "Bury Lane"). It was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a small housing estate. Swinton Hall Road, between its junction with Bolton Road and the Swinton parish boundary, was originally called "Bury Lane", and should not be confused with the original name of Station Road (B5231) - "Burying Lane" - which is the main road link between Swinton and Pendlebury. The remaining section of Swinton Hall Road, between the Swinton parish boundary (near junction with Temple Drive) and Station Road, was originally known as "Jane Lane".
Now demolished is Agecroft Power Station
, which stood on the site currently occupied by Forest Bank Prison
. Development of the neighbouring site of the former Agecroft Colliery
into an industrial park has helped to provide some employment in the town.
(Bolton Road) road which runs through the district from its junction with the A6/A580 at the Pendlebury/Irlams o' th' Height boundary. This was the main route between Manchester
and Bolton
prior to the opening of the M61 motorway
.
The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
was opened in 1809 and during the 19th and early 20th century provided the main means of transporting the coal from the collieries. Many of the collieries set up tramways links to the canal. Coal was taken to Bolton
, Bury
, Radcliffe
and Salford, and across the River Irwell
to Manchester
. As late as 1905 over half a million tons of coal a year was carried. Lengths of the canal subsided due to mining subsidence; maps from 1881-82 show areas of coal that ran beneath the canal that were bought by the canal company to safeguard it from subsidence. The canal became disused after 1924 and closed in 1961, though coal was still carried for a short distance in Bury
until 1968. A canal restoration society was founded in 1987 and persuaded Bury, Bolton and Salford councils to protect the line of the canal from development - restoration was announced by British Waterways
in 2002.
Pendlebury was served by Pendlebury railway station on the Manchester Victoria to Wigan
line for over 80 years, until its closure on Saturday 1 October 1960 by British Railways due to low usage. Irlams o' th' Height
station in the eastern extremity of the borough was closed for similar reasons five years earlier.
Swinton railway station
is located in Pendlebury, meaning that the town once had three railway stations within its boundaries.
Pendlebury, between Patricroft
on the Manchester to Liverpool line and Clifton Junction until the Black Harry Tunnel collapse of 1953. The collapse caused five deaths and two houses disappeared from Temple Drive in Swinton
- the line never reopened and much of its length is now a recreational footpath.
. A crematorium was opened in the nonconformist burial chapel in 1957. A fund has been launched, supported by the council and external partners, to restore the burial chapel which has fallen into a state of disrepair.
The architectural highlight of the town is the Grade 1 listed gothic style High Anglican St Augustine's Church
, which was built by George Fredrick Bodley between 1871 and 1874 and is widely acknowledged as his finest work. The churchyard contains a memorial to the 178 men and boys who lost their lives in the Clifton Hall Colliery
disaster of 1885. The church became known as the "miners' cathedral" because of its lofty "cathedralesque" appearance and its parish in which many men worked at local pits. The vicar at the time of the disaster was said to have conducted funerals all day (64 of the victims are buried at St Augustine's). In May 2006, St Augustine's became the focal point of a campaign by English Heritage
to save 19 places of worship in Greater Manchester
from falling into dilapidation.
The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
built in 1873 closed and its functions moved to a site alongside Manchester Royal Infirmary
.
At the junction of Bolton Road and Agecroft Road stands a stone cross with the inscription "Lest we forget".
Behind the cross is a stone wall on which is written:
Below the inscription are eight slate plaques each inscribed with the names of twenty four men.
, Station Road, which held numerous internationals and major rugby league matches before its closure in 1992 was located in Pendlebury. Swinton announced in August 2006 its intention to return to a site adjacent to Agecroft Road, Pendlebury currently known as "Agecroft Farm". Despite carrying the name of a suburb of Salford, Langworthy ARLFC has been based in Pendlebury (at Rabbit Hills playing fields, Bolton Road) for over 20 years, whilst local rivals Folly Lane ARLFC operate on the Blue Ribbon field off Pendlebury Road.
St John the Evangelist churchyard is the burial place of Geoff Bent
, one of the "Busby Babes
" from Manchester United
who perished in the Munich air disaster
of 6 February 1958.
St John's is also the burial place of Jim Valentine
, captain of Swinton Rugby Club, an England rugby union international in the late Victorian era. His 48 tries for "The Lions" in the 1888-89 season stands as a club record.
Pendlebury Coyotes, won the amateur's World Championship in inline hockey at under-21 level in 2006 and were runners up in the World Championship at senior level.
Pendlebury was the childhood home of Manchester United's Ryan Giggs
, who came to the area when his father Danny Wilson
switched codes and signed for Swinton RLFC from Cardiff RFC
.
(1887 to 1976) and actor Ben Kingsley
(born 1943).
L. S. Lowry lived at 117 Station Road, Pendlebury from roughly 1912 to 1948, his parents having moved there from the Victoria Park
in south Manchester when he was nine. During his time in Pendlebury, Lowry produced the majority of his famous works, drawing inspiration from the industrial scenes about him. It has been reported that, having missed a train from Pendlebury railway station
, Lowry encountered the changing of shifts at Acme Mill and marvelled at the spectacle - this being the moment he decided that industrial scenes were fitting for further work. His picture 'Pendlebury Scene' showed an aspect of the Acme Mill from George Street.
Sir Ben Kingsley was born in Scarborough, but undertook his education at Manchester Grammar School
whilst living at 119 Station Road, Pendlebury opposite where his father was a doctor. Both properties (117 & 119) stand opposite St. Mark's RC Church.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an town in the City of Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. It lies 4.1 miles (6.6 km) to the northwest of Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) northwest of Salford, and 5.9 miles (9.5 km) southeast of Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Pendlebury together with the neighbouring settlements of Swinton
Swinton, Greater Manchester
Swinton is a town within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located on the A6 road it stands on gently sloping ground on the southwest side of the River Irwell, and within the bounds of the orbital M60 motorway. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester...
and Clifton
Clifton, Greater Manchester
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford....
, formed the municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Swinton and Pendlebury
Swinton and Pendlebury
Swinton and Pendlebury was a local government district of the administrative county of Lancashire, England. It was created in 1894 as an urban district and enlarged in 1934, gaining the status of municipal borough.-Constituent civil parishes:...
. Existing as a centre for coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
for many years, Pendlebury saw extensive coal extraction from several pits up until the closure of Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery was a coalmine on the Manchester Coalfield in the Agecroft district of Pendlebury that first opened in 1844 in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It exploited the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures of the Manchester Coalfield....
in the 1990s.
Early history
The name Pendlebury is formed from two Celtic wordCeltic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
s, "pen" meaning "hill" and "burh" meaning "settlement".
In 1199 King John confirmed a gift of "one carucate
Carucate
The carucate or ploughland was a unit of assessment for tax used in most Danelaw counties of England, and is found for example in Domesday Book. The carucate was based on the area a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season...
of land called Peneberi" to Ellis son of Robert. The king had granted this land when he was Earl of Mortain (1189–99) and confirmed the grant when he became king in a deed signed at Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
in France and witnessed by Geoffrey, Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
, the Bishops of Sarum
Sarum
-Places:*Salisbury, United Kingdom, or New Sarum, a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England*Old Sarum, the ruins of the former settlement in England, 2 miles north of modern Salisbury, UK* Sarum , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
and St. Andrews, the Earl of Leicester
Earl of Leicester
The title Earl of Leicester was created in the 12th century in the Peerage of England , and is currently a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, created in 1837.-Early creations:...
and the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
and other gentry. Ellis is described elsewhere as Master Sergeant
Master Sergeant
A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in some armed forces.-Israel Defense Forces:Rav samal rishoninsignia IDF...
of Salford and a benefactor of Cockersand Abbey
Cockersand Abbey
Cockersand Abbey is a former abbey near Cockerham in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. It was founded before 1184 as the Hospital of St Mary on the marsh belonging to Leicester Abbey. It was refounded as a Premonstratensian priory and subsequently elevated to an abbey in 1192...
.
Pendlebury's records go back to 1201 when it was linked with the manor of Shoresworth, the land to the south of Pendlebury (described as "one oxgang
Oxgang
An oxgang or bovate is an old land measurement formerly used in Scotland and England. It averaged around 20 English acres, but was based on land fertility and cultivation, and so could be as low as 15.Skene in Celtic Scotland says:...
of land") before that manor became part of Pendleton
Pendleton, Greater Manchester
Pendleton is an inner city area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is about from Manchester city centre. The A6 dual carriageway skirts the east of the district....
. The manors of Pendlebury and Shoresworth were in 1212 held of the king in chief in thegn
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
age by a rent of 12 shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s. The tenant was Ellis son of Robert de Pendlebury, to whom King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
had granted "one carucate of land called Peneberi" in 1199 while he was Count of Mortain
Mortain
Mortain is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-Geography:Mortain is situated on a rocky hill rising above the gorge of the Cance, a tributary of the Sélune.-Administration:Mortain is the seat of a canton...
and confirmed the gift when he became King. Ellis is described elsewhere as Master Sergeant of Salford and a benefactor of Cockersand Abbey. Ellis died in or about 1216, and his son Adam succeeded him in his manors and serjeanty
Serjeanty
Under the feudal system in late and high medieval England, tenure by serjeanty was a form of land-holding in return for some specified service, ranking between tenure by knight-service and tenure in socage...
. In 1274 Ellis, son of Roger came to a violent death, and Amabel, as widow of Ellis, son of Roger the Clerk, claimed dower in various lands against Roger de Pendlebury. A short time afterwards, Amabel having received her dower
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
, she and Roger de Pendlebury had to defend a suit brought by one Adam de Pendlebury, who satisfied the jury of his title to the manor.
Ellis had a brother William and daughters Maud, Lettice, and Beatrice. Maud married Adam son of Alexander de Pilkington, (from the family later known for Pilkington's Lancastrian Pottery & Tiles
Pilkington's Lancastrian Pottery & Tiles
Pilkington's Lancastrian Pottery & Tiles was a manufacturer of tiles, vases and bowls, based in Clifton, Greater Manchester, England. The company was established in 1892 at Clifton Junction, alongside Fletcher's Canal...
) and had a daughter Cecily. The manor was sold before 1300 to Adam de Prestwich
Prestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
. The new lord of Pendlebury married Alice de Woolley daughter of Richard son of Master Henry de Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
, the eventual heir being a daughter Alice, wife of Jordan de Tetlow. Her heir also proved to be a daughter, Joan, who married Richard de Langley
Langley
Langley is often used as a metonym in U.S. government and military parlance to refer to the Central Intelligence Agency, whose headquarters is located in Langley, Virginia.Langley may also refer to:-Persons:...
, and the manor descended regularly in this family until the end of the 16th century. Robert Langley died 19 September 1561, leaving four daughters as co-heirs. On the division of the estates, Agecroft, and lands in Pendlebury became the portion of Anne, who married William Dauntesey, springing from a Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
family. The 'manor' of Pendlebury also was claimed by the Daunteseys for some time, but was afterwards said to be held with Prestwich, descending in the Coke family until about 1780, when it was sold to Peter Drinkwater
Drinkwater Park
Drinkwater Park is situated in the Irwell Valley on the western border of Prestwich, near Manchester bounded by the River Irwell to the west, Agecroft Road and Rainsough Brow to the south, Butterstile Lane and Carr Clough estate to the east and Bunkers Hill to the north...
of Irwell House, Prestwich.
Condensed from: 'Townships: Pendlebury', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 397–404
Agecroft Hall and the Manor of Pendlebury
Agecroft HallAgecroft Hall
Agecroft Hall is a Tudor-style estate currently on the James River in Virginia, United States, though originally built in Pendlebury, Lancashire, England in the late 15th century. It is now operated as a museum. It was the home of Lancashire's Langley and Dauntesey families before falling into...
, the Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
home of the Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Pendlebury, stood on slightly rising ground on the west side of the Irwell Valley
Irwell Valley
The Irwell Valley extends from the Forest of Rossendale in North West England, through to the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.-Geology:...
, where the river flows southwards towards Salford and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
between the high ground of Kersal
Kersal
Kersal is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. The centre of Kersal is northwest of Manchester city centre, and north-northwest of Salford's conventional centre at Greengate....
and Prestwich
Prestwich
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies close to the River Irwell, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury....
on the east and north, and Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height is an area of Pendleton, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is on the extremity of the City of Salford metropolitan district boundary, and stands next to Swinton and Pendlebury...
and Pendlebury on the west. The building was probably begun towards the end of the reign of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
. In 1666 there were thirty-five hearth
Hearth
In common historic and modern usage, a hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace or oven often used for cooking and/or heating. For centuries, the hearth was considered an integral part of a home, often its central or most important feature...
s liable for tax in Pendlebury. Agecroft Hall was the only large house, having eleven hearths.
At the end of the 19th century, industrialisation swept through the Irwell Valley
Irwell Valley
The Irwell Valley extends from the Forest of Rossendale in North West England, through to the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.-Geology:...
. Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
pits were opened all around Agecroft Hall, railway tracks were cut across the manor and the sinking of a colliery made a dirty lake on the edge of the estate. The house fell into disrepair and was sold at auction in 1925 to Mr & Mrs Thomas C. Williams. The structure was dismantled, crated, shipped across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, and painstakingly reassembled in Windsor Farms
Windsor Farms
Windsor Farms is a 20th-century neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia of primarily Colonial Revival design.Designed in 1926, Windsor Farms is one of Richmond's first planned neighborhoods. The road layout consists of circular and diagonal patterns with English street names such as Dover, Canterbury,...
, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, USA. Today, Agecroft Hall stands re-created as a tourist attraction on the banks of the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
, in a setting chosen to be reminiscent of its original site at Agecroft
Agecroft
Agecroft may refer to several places near Salford, England:* Agecroft Hall, a Tudor estate near Pendlebury, Salford exported and rebuilt on the James River in Virginia, United States* Agecroft Bridge railway station, closed in 1861...
near the River Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
.
The Langley name is still remembered locally by having several streets named after the family as well as the Langley Mill, Langley Road and Langley
Langley, Greater Manchester
Langley is an area of Middleton in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. Created as a Manchester overspill estate in the 1950s and 60s, it is south-southwest of Rochdale and north-northeast of Manchester City Centre.Langley as a district pushes down into Middleton as...
housing estate in Middleton
Middleton, Greater Manchester
Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
. Agcroft Hall Estate is a recently built housing estate on Agecroft road, named after Agecroft Hall.
The Industrial Revolution and coal
Pendlebury saw extensive coal extraction from several pits, up until the closure of Agecroft CollieryAgecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery was a coalmine on the Manchester Coalfield in the Agecroft district of Pendlebury that first opened in 1844 in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It exploited the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures of the Manchester Coalfield....
in the 1990s. As well as Agecroft Colliery, there were coal mines at the Wheatsheaf Colliery
Pendlebury Colliery
The Pendlebury Colliery or Wheatsheaf Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield after 1846 in Pendlebury, Greater Manchester, then part of the historic county of Lancashire, England....
on Bolton Road (A666
A666 road
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...
) between Carrington Street and City Walk, a site now occupied by McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
fast food restaurant, Wet Earth Colliery
Wet Earth Colliery
The Wet Earth Colliery has a unique place in British coal mining history, apart from being one of the earliest pits in the country; it is the place where the engineer James Brindley made water run uphill...
in Clifton, which featured in several of Lowry
L. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
's works, Clifton Hall Colliery
Clifton Hall Colliery
Clifton Hall Colliery was one of two coal mines in Clifton on the Manchester Coalfield, historically within Lancashire which was incorporated into the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England in 1974....
(also in Clifton) on the western side of Lumns Lane, which closed in 1929, and Newtown Colliery (on the Clifton/Newtown, Pendlebury boundary, bounded by Manchester Road/Bolton Road (A666), Billy Lane and the pit lodge, which later became known as "Queensmere"). Agecroft Colliery was reopened in 1960 following an investment of £9,000,000 and seven years of establishment works, making it the first new pit to be sunk in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
since the Second World War. Agecroft stood on the site of Lumn's Colliery that was itself abandoned in 1932 and had an unusual arrangement of winding gear, which was concealed in three huge towers - the tallest of which was 174 feet (53 m) high. Agecroft Colliery sent much of its coal to the CEGB
CEGB
The Central Electricity Generating Board was the cornerstone of the British electricity industry for almost 40 years; from 1957, to privatisation in the 1990s....
's Agecroft Power Station
Agecroft Power Station
Agecroft Power Station refers to three now demolished coal-fired power stations, which were situated between the eastern bank of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and the western bank of the River Irwell at Agecroft, Pendlebury, near Manchester, North West England.-History:Agecroft Hall, an...
, via a purpose designed conveyor belt system that included a bridge across Agecroft Road. Active mine workings finished in 1990, and the Agecroft Colliery site is now home to the Agecroft Commerce Park.
The Kearsley
Kearsley
Kearsley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it lies about 7½ miles northwest of Manchester,5.5 miles south-west of Bury, and about 3¾ miles south of Bolton.It is bounded on the west by Walkden, the east by...
, Clifton, Pendlebury and Pendleton Miners' Association was established in 1888 and became the Pendlebury Branch of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1959. With the decline of the industry, the once popular Pendlebury Miners' Club (at the top of Temple Drive, Swinton) was inevitably demolished in the 1990s.
Governance
Swinton, Greater Manchester
Swinton is a town within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located on the A6 road it stands on gently sloping ground on the southwest side of the River Irwell, and within the bounds of the orbital M60 motorway. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester...
in 1875 to form a local board of health
Local board of health
Local Boards or Local Boards of Health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate slaughterhouses and ensure the proper supply of water to their...
area and was later governed by the Swinton and Pendlebury Urban District Council. Incorporation of Clifton
Clifton, Greater Manchester
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford....
into the Municipal Borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Swinton and Pendlebury was a result of the abolition of the predecessor, Barton-upon-Irwell Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
.
Swinton and Pendlebury was a municipal borough of the administrative county
Administrative counties of England
Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 as the areas for which county councils were elected. Some large counties were divided into several administrative...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, which contained Pendlebury along with Swinton and Clifton. Swinton and Pendlebury received its Charter of Incorporation from the 18th Earl of Derby
Earl of Derby
Earl of Derby is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end of the reign of Henry III and died in 1279...
on September 29, 1934 at a ceremony in Victoria Park, Swinton (at that time the council meetings were held in Victoria House in the park). The new borough council required larger premises and launched a competition to design a new town hall. The winners were architects Sir Percy Thomas
Percy Thomas
Sir Percy Edward Thomas OBE , was an award-winning British architect based in Wales for the majority of his life. He was twice RIBA president ....
and Ernest Prestwich. The site of Swinton Industrial School
Industrial school
In Ireland the Industrial Schools Act of 1868 established industrial schools to care for "neglected, orphaned and abandoned children". By 1884 there were 5,049 children in such institutions....
on Chorley Road (A6) in Swinton was purchased for £12,500 and the foundation stone of the new town hall
Salford Civic Centre
Salford Civic Centre is located in Salford, Great Manchester, England. It is the location for the Council Chamber and committee rooms, as well as being the administrative headquarters, for Salford City Council....
laid on October 17, 1936. The town hall opened on September 17, 1938 and since April 1, 1974 has been the administrative headquarters of Salford City Council.
The Borough of Swinton and Pendlebury was amalgamated into the City of Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
in 1974 as a result of local government reforms
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
.
In terms of parliamentary representation, the town was until 2010 part of the Eccles constituency
Eccles (UK Parliament constituency)
Eccles was a parliamentary constituency of the United Kingdom, centred on the town of Eccles in Greater Manchester, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- History :The constituency...
. Since then it has been part of the Salford and Eccles constituency
Salford and Eccles (UK Parliament constituency)
Salford and Eccles is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It is the successor seat to the previous Salford .The last MP for Salford was Hazel Blears,...
.
Geography
Pendlebury is situated on a ridge overlooking the lower Irwell ValleyIrwell Valley
The Irwell Valley extends from the Forest of Rossendale in North West England, through to the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.-Geology:...
, almost midway between Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
and is neighboured by Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height is an area of Pendleton, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is on the extremity of the City of Salford metropolitan district boundary, and stands next to Swinton and Pendlebury...
, Pendleton
Pendleton, Greater Manchester
Pendleton is an inner city area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is about from Manchester city centre. The A6 dual carriageway skirts the east of the district....
, Salford, M6 and Clifton
Clifton, Greater Manchester
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford....
. The surface of the land slopes generally upwards from southwest (Swinton) to northeast (Irwell Valley), from about 120 feet (36.6 m) to nearly 300 feet (91.4 m) above the ordnance datum. However, the topography of the land around Lumn's Lane has changed markedly due to the dumping of mining waste from the former collieries and the area has been used as a landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
site by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority is a waste disposal authority created under the Local Government Act 1985 to carry out the waste management functions and duties of the Greater Manchester County Council after its abolition in 1986....
since 1982, taking ten percent of Greater Manchester's waste each year.
The town has a mix of industrial and residential areas despite the closure of its mines and most of its textile mills
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
.
Economy
In Victorian times the manufacture and printing of cottons were the principal industries of the town, although most of this industry has now disappeared. The only mill left standing is the Newtown Mill on Lees Street, off Station Road. It was acquired by Vanguard Holdings Ltd in January 2008 and is being converted into a business centre.The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England.Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service covers an area of approximately...
(Fire Brigade) has its headquarters on Bolton Road (A666), between the junctions with Agecroft Road and Hospital Road.
Acme Mill, that was so important in shaping Lowry's perceptions and which was the first cotton spinning mill in the UK to be entirely electrically powered, was situated south of the Manchester-Wigan railway line on the eastern side Swinton Hall Road (originally called "Bury Lane"). It was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a small housing estate. Swinton Hall Road, between its junction with Bolton Road and the Swinton parish boundary, was originally called "Bury Lane", and should not be confused with the original name of Station Road (B5231) - "Burying Lane" - which is the main road link between Swinton and Pendlebury. The remaining section of Swinton Hall Road, between the Swinton parish boundary (near junction with Temple Drive) and Station Road, was originally known as "Jane Lane".
Now demolished is Agecroft Power Station
Agecroft Power Station
Agecroft Power Station refers to three now demolished coal-fired power stations, which were situated between the eastern bank of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and the western bank of the River Irwell at Agecroft, Pendlebury, near Manchester, North West England.-History:Agecroft Hall, an...
, which stood on the site currently occupied by Forest Bank Prison
Forest Bank (HM Prison)
HM Prison Forest Bank is a Category B men's private prison, located in the Agecroft area of Pendlebury near Manchester, England. The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services.-History:...
. Development of the neighbouring site of the former Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery
Agecroft Colliery was a coalmine on the Manchester Coalfield in the Agecroft district of Pendlebury that first opened in 1844 in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It exploited the coal seams of the Middle Coal Measures of the Manchester Coalfield....
into an industrial park has helped to provide some employment in the town.
Transport
Pendlebury is the starting point of the A666A666 road
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...
(Bolton Road) road which runs through the district from its junction with the A6/A580 at the Pendlebury/Irlams o' th' Height boundary. This was the main route between Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
prior to the opening of the M61 motorway
M61 motorway
The M61 motorway is a motorway in North West England. It runs from the M60 motorway northwest of Manchester and heads northwest past Bolton and Chorley to join the M6 just north of the junction between the M6 and M65 motorways to the south of Preston....
.
The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
The Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal is a disused canal in Greater Manchester, England, built to link Bolton and Bury with Manchester. The canal, when fully opened, was 15 miles 1 furlong long. It was accessed via a junction with the River Irwell in Salford...
was opened in 1809 and during the 19th and early 20th century provided the main means of transporting the coal from the collieries. Many of the collieries set up tramways links to the canal. Coal was taken to Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Radcliffe
Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
and Salford, and across the River Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. As late as 1905 over half a million tons of coal a year was carried. Lengths of the canal subsided due to mining subsidence; maps from 1881-82 show areas of coal that ran beneath the canal that were bought by the canal company to safeguard it from subsidence. The canal became disused after 1924 and closed in 1961, though coal was still carried for a short distance in Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
until 1968. A canal restoration society was founded in 1987 and persuaded Bury, Bolton and Salford councils to protect the line of the canal from development - restoration was announced by British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
in 2002.
Pendlebury was served by Pendlebury railway station on the Manchester Victoria to Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
line for over 80 years, until its closure on Saturday 1 October 1960 by British Railways due to low usage. Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height is an area of Pendleton, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is on the extremity of the City of Salford metropolitan district boundary, and stands next to Swinton and Pendlebury...
station in the eastern extremity of the borough was closed for similar reasons five years earlier.
Swinton railway station
Swinton (Manchester) railway station
Swinton railway station serves the town of Swinton and Pendlebury in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England.Swinton is one of the local stations that lie on the Manchester to Southport Line between Wigan and Manchester...
is located in Pendlebury, meaning that the town once had three railway stations within its boundaries.
Pendlebury, between Patricroft
Patricroft
Patricroft is a district of Eccles, England, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.-History:Patricroft may derive its name from 'Pear-tree croft', or more likely, 'Patrick's Croft'. In 1836, James Nasmyth, in partnership with Holbrook Gaskell, built the Bridgewater Foundry in...
on the Manchester to Liverpool line and Clifton Junction until the Black Harry Tunnel collapse of 1953. The collapse caused five deaths and two houses disappeared from Temple Drive in Swinton
Swinton, Greater Manchester
Swinton is a town within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located on the A6 road it stands on gently sloping ground on the southwest side of the River Irwell, and within the bounds of the orbital M60 motorway. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester...
- the line never reopened and much of its length is now a recreational footpath.
Landmarks
The 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) Northern or Agecroft Cemetery, was opened on 2 July 1903 by the City of Salford (outside its then boundaries) on the flood plain between Langley Road and the River Irwell next to the border with KersalKersal
Kersal is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. The centre of Kersal is northwest of Manchester city centre, and north-northwest of Salford's conventional centre at Greengate....
. A crematorium was opened in the nonconformist burial chapel in 1957. A fund has been launched, supported by the council and external partners, to restore the burial chapel which has fallen into a state of disrepair.
St. Augustine's Church, Pendlebury
St. Augustine's is a High Anglican church in the Diocese of Manchester, once called "The Miners' Cathedral" due to its almost "cathedralesque" stature in the heart of a one time coal mining community. Also sometimes called "Gussie's" by locals....
, which was built by George Fredrick Bodley between 1871 and 1874 and is widely acknowledged as his finest work. The churchyard contains a memorial to the 178 men and boys who lost their lives in the Clifton Hall Colliery
Clifton Hall Colliery
Clifton Hall Colliery was one of two coal mines in Clifton on the Manchester Coalfield, historically within Lancashire which was incorporated into the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England in 1974....
disaster of 1885. The church became known as the "miners' cathedral" because of its lofty "cathedralesque" appearance and its parish in which many men worked at local pits. The vicar at the time of the disaster was said to have conducted funerals all day (64 of the victims are buried at St Augustine's). In May 2006, St Augustine's became the focal point of a campaign by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
to save 19 places of worship in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
from falling into dilapidation.
The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is a children's hospital based in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. It is part of the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust...
built in 1873 closed and its functions moved to a site alongside Manchester Royal Infirmary
Manchester Royal Infirmary
The Manchester Royal Infirmary is a hospital in Manchester, England which was founded by Charles White in 1752 as a cottage hospital capable of caring for twelve patients. Manchester Royal Infirmary is part of a larger NHS Trust incorporating several hospitals called Central Manchester University...
.
Behind the cross is a stone wall on which is written:
This cross was erected by Andrew Knowles and SonsAndrew Knowles and SonsAndrew Knowles and Sons was a coal mining company that operated in and around Clifton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire. England....
to the memory of the brave men from their collieries who laid down their lives for their country A.D. 1914–1918
Below the inscription are eight slate plaques each inscribed with the names of twenty four men.
Sports
The former home of Swinton RLFCSwinton Lions
Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...
, Station Road, which held numerous internationals and major rugby league matches before its closure in 1992 was located in Pendlebury. Swinton announced in August 2006 its intention to return to a site adjacent to Agecroft Road, Pendlebury currently known as "Agecroft Farm". Despite carrying the name of a suburb of Salford, Langworthy ARLFC has been based in Pendlebury (at Rabbit Hills playing fields, Bolton Road) for over 20 years, whilst local rivals Folly Lane ARLFC operate on the Blue Ribbon field off Pendlebury Road.
St John the Evangelist churchyard is the burial place of Geoff Bent
Geoff Bent
Geoffrey "Geoff" Bent was an English footballer and one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.-Career:...
, one of the "Busby Babes
Busby Babes
The Busby Babes were a group of Manchester United players, recruited and trained by the club's chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of the eponymous Matt Busby.The Busby Babes were notable...
" from Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
who perished in the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
of 6 February 1958.
St John's is also the burial place of Jim Valentine
James Valentine (rugby union)
James "Jim" Valentine was a rugby union and semi-professional Northern Union footballer of the 1880s, 1890s and 1900s who at representative level played rugby union for England, and at club level for Swinton, playing at centre, i.e. number 12 or 13, and at club level played rugby league for...
, captain of Swinton Rugby Club, an England rugby union international in the late Victorian era. His 48 tries for "The Lions" in the 1888-89 season stands as a club record.
Pendlebury Coyotes, won the amateur's World Championship in inline hockey at under-21 level in 2006 and were runners up in the World Championship at senior level.
Pendlebury was the childhood home of Manchester United's Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
, who came to the area when his father Danny Wilson
Danny Wilson (rugby player)
Danny Wilson is a former rugby union and rugby league player. Born in Wales to a Welsh mother and a Sierra Leonean father, he played rugby union for Cardiff RFC as a fly-half and rugby league as a for Wales and at club level Swinton Runcorn Highfield and Springfield Borough.Wilson once scored...
switched codes and signed for Swinton RLFC from Cardiff RFC
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
.
Notable people
Pendlebury was home to two pre-eminent names in the arts who, at differing times, lived in houses next to each other on Station Road - painter L. S. LowryL. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
(1887 to 1976) and actor Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
(born 1943).
L. S. Lowry lived at 117 Station Road, Pendlebury from roughly 1912 to 1948, his parents having moved there from the Victoria Park
Victoria Park, Manchester
Victoria Park is an suburban area of Manchester, England. Victoria Park lies approximately 3 kilometres south of Manchester city centre, between Rusholme and Longsight.It is east of Wilmslow Road and west of Anson Road.-History and description:...
in south Manchester when he was nine. During his time in Pendlebury, Lowry produced the majority of his famous works, drawing inspiration from the industrial scenes about him. It has been reported that, having missed a train from Pendlebury railway station
Pendlebury railway station
Pendlebury railway station was a station in the town of Pendlebury in Greater Manchester.The station started life as part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway's Pendleton and Hindley line that grew into the Manchester Victoria to Wigan Wallgate line...
, Lowry encountered the changing of shifts at Acme Mill and marvelled at the spectacle - this being the moment he decided that industrial scenes were fitting for further work. His picture 'Pendlebury Scene' showed an aspect of the Acme Mill from George Street.
Sir Ben Kingsley was born in Scarborough, but undertook his education at Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
whilst living at 119 Station Road, Pendlebury opposite where his father was a doctor. Both properties (117 & 119) stand opposite St. Mark's RC Church.
External links
- Swinton and Pendlebury, Local History article from Salford City Council.
- Pendlebury Coyotes, Pendlebury Coyotes Inline Hockey Team
- Swinton Lions, Swinton Lions RLFC
- Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University NHS Trust, Information on the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
- Agecroft Hall, Richmond, Virginia
- Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Restoration Society
- St. Augustine's C of E Primary School