| Bury | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Market Place  Whitehead Clock Tower | |
  Bury Location withinGreater Manchester | |
| Area | 11.61 sq mi (30.1 km2) |
| Population | 81,101 (2021 Census) |
| • Density | 6,985/sq mi (2,697/km2) |
| OS grid reference | SD805105 |
| • London | 169 mi (272 km) |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Areas of the town | List
|
| Post town | BURY |
| Postcode district | BL0, BL8, BL9 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | bury |
| |
Bury (/ˈbɛri/,/ˈbʊri/) is amarket town on theRiver Irwell in theMetropolitan Borough of Bury,Greater Manchester, England.[1] It had a population of 81,101 in 2021, while the wider borough had a population of 193,846.[2]
The town is part of thehistoric county ofLancashire but has been a part of themetropolitan county of Greater Manchester since 1974. Bury emerged in theIndustrial Revolution as amill town manufacturingtextiles. The town is known for the open-airBury Market andblack pudding, the traditional local dish.
SirRobert Peel was born in the town. Peel was aPrime Minister of the United Kingdom who founded theMetropolitan Police and theConservative Party. There is amemorial and amonument for Peel, the former stands outside Bury Parish church and the latter overlooks the borough onHolcombe Hill. The town is 5 miles (8 km) east ofBolton, 6 miles (9.7 km) south-west ofRochdale and 8 miles (12.9 km) north-west ofManchester.
The nameBury (also earlier known asBuri andByri) comes from anOld English word, meaningcastle,stronghold orfort, an early form of modern Englishborough[3] (Germanburg).
Bury was formed around the ancientmarket place but there is evidence of activity dating back to the period ofRoman occupation. Bury Museum has a Roman urn containing a number of small bronze coins dated for AD 253–282 which was found north of what is now the town centre.[4] UnderAgricola, the road-building programme included a route from thefort at Manchester (Mamucium) to the fort atRibchester (Bremetennacum) which ran throughRadcliffe andAffetside. The modern Watling Street, which serves the Seddons Farm estate on the west side of town, follows the approximate line of the Roman road.
The most imposing building in the early town would have beenBury Castle,[5][6] a medievalmanor house built in 1469 for Sir Thomas Pilkington. It sat in a good defensive position on high ground overlooking the Irwell Valley.[6] The Pilkington family suffered badly in theWars of the Roses when, despite geography, they supported theHouse of York. WhenRichard III was killed at theBattle of Bosworth in 1485, Thomas Pilkington was captured and later executed. The outcome of the battle was theLancastrian Duke of Richmond being crownedHenry VII by SirWilliam Stanley. As a reward for the support of his family,Thomas Stanley was createdEarl of Derby and, amongst other lands, the confiscated Pilkington estate in Bury was presented to him.[4]
The ancestral home of the Earls of Derby isKnowsley Hall on the outskirts ofLiverpool. The family maintains a connection with Bury in various ways—theDerby High School is named after them. When the school opened in 1959 the18th Earl of Derby was patron and the school's badge is based on the Earl's coat of arms. The15th and16th earls were both supporters ofBury Grammar School, both financially and in terms of land, and one of the school houses is namedDerby in their honour.[7] The town is home to theDerby Hall and formerly also the Derby Hotel, opened in February 1850.[8]
The castle remains were buried beneath the streets outside theCastle Armoury until properly excavated for the first time in the 1970s.[6]
Between 1801 and 1830, the population of the town more than doubled from 7,072 to 15,086. This was the time when the factories, mines and foundries, with their spinning machines and steam engines, began to dominate the landscape. In 1822 Bury Savings Bank[9] opened on Silver Street established under government control and later becameTSB.
Probate evidence from the 17th century and the remains of 18th-century weavers' cottages in Elton, on the west side of Bury, indicate that domestic textile production was an important factor in the local economy at a time when Bury's textile industry was dominated by woollens, and based upon the domestic production of yarn and cloth, as well as water-powered fulling mills.[10][11]
Development was swift in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The establishment in 1773 by the family of SirRobert Peel of Brooksbottom Mill inSummerseat, north of the town, as acalico printing works marked the beginning of the cotton industry in Bury. By the early 19th century, cotton was the predominant textile industry, with the RiversRoch and Irwell providing power for spinning mills and processing water for the finishing trades. Development was further promoted when the town was linked to the national canal network by theManchester, Bolton & Bury Canal, fully opened in 1808. The canal was provided with water fromElton Reservoir, fed by aqueducts from a weir on the Irwell, north of what is now theBurrs Country Park. The Burrs is also the site of another mill developed by the Peel family, first founded in 1790. The remains are displayed for the public. There were sevencotton mills in Bury by 1818 and the population grew from 9,152 in 1801, to 20,710 in 1841, and then to 58,029 in 1901.
Following this, railways were opened, linking the town fromBury Bolton Street railway station to Manchester (viaPrestwich andRadcliffe), toRawtenstall and toAccrington. From theKnowsley Street railway station there were connections to the neighbouring mill towns of Bolton,Heywood and Rochdale. As well as the many cotton mills, other industries which thrived included paper-making,calico printing and some light engineering. The town expanded to incorporate the former townships of Elton,Walmersley and Heap, and rows of terraced houses encircled the town centre by the turn of the 19th century. Districts such as Freetown,Fishpool and Pimhole were transformed from farmers' fields to rows of terraces beside the factories and mills.
The houses were of the most limited kind, without basic facilities, sewers or proper streets. The result was the rapid spread of disease and high mortality rates in crowded areas. In 1838, out of 1,058working class houses in Bury investigated by the Manchester Statistical Society, 733 had 3–4 people in each bed, 207 had 4–5, and 76 had 5–6.[12] Social reformers locally and nationally were concerned about such issues, includingEdwin Chadwick. One report that prepared the ground for the reform of public health matters, commissioned by the then Prime Minister, SirRobert Peel, asked local doctors for information. King Street, Bury, was highlighted: it had 10 houses, each with one bedroom, and a population of 69. The average age of death in Bury was 13.8 years. Towns like Bury were likened to 'camps'[13] where newcomers sought work in mill, mine or forge. Many, often from Ireland, found shelter in lodging houses. Thirty-eight in Bury were surveyed.[14] Seventy-three per cent had men and women sharing beds indiscriminately, 81% were filthy and the average was 5.5 persons to a bed.
Although Bury had few of the classic late-19th-centuryspinning mills that were such a feature of other Lancashire towns, a group known as Peel Mills are still in use at Castlecroft Road. Immediately north of the town centre, their name is another reminder of the link with the Peel family.
According to writerGeoffrey Moorhouse, no history of Bury is complete without reference to its role as the regimental town of theLancashire Fusiliers.[15]
In 1688,Prince William of Orange (later King William III) landed atBrixham,Devon. He asked Colonel Sir Robert Peyton to raise a regiment containing six independent companies in the Exeter area. This regiment absorbed the previously enscripted men housed at the Wellington Barracks, who would have been any men over the age of 21. These men became the Lancashire Fusiliers once they joined William's of Orange Men. Following successful recruitment, a regimental depot was established atWellington Barracks in 1881.[16] This barracks were originally built as a response to the Chartist movement, who were a mass movement of working-class men who protested via petition signatures.
The People's Charter called for six reforms to make the political system more democratic:
Chartists saw themselves fighting against political corruption and for democracy in an industrial society, but attracted support beyond the radical political groups for economic reasons, such as opposing wage cuts and unemployment.[17]
The post-war period saw a major decline in the cotton industry and, as with many neighbouring towns, Bury's skyline was soon very different, with countless factory chimneys being pulled down and the associated mills closing their doors permanently. The old shopping area around Princess Street and Union Square was demolished in the late 1960s, and a concrete precinct was built to replace it. This development was replaced by the Mill Gate Shopping Centre in 1995.[citation needed]
On 23 November 1981, anF0/T1 tornado formed overWhitefield and subsequently moved through Bury town centre and surrounding areas.[18]
In 2010, a £350 million shopping development opened up around the Rock.[citation needed] The main street is populated mainly by independent shops and food outlets. At the top end of the street is a shopping area with a multi-screen cinema, bowling alley, and department stores includingMarks & Spencer,Primark,H&M,Clarks, andThe Range
Bury also benefited from other facilities in the early 2010s including a new medical centre and office accommodation close toBury Town Hall. A decision byMarks & Spencer to vacate its store in the Mill Gate Shopping Centre and move into a new larger one on The Rock emphasised a change of clientele in the town.[citation needed]
The town centre is famous for its traditional market, with its "world famous" black pudding stalls.[citation needed]Bury Market was also once famous for its tripe, although this has declined in recent decades. The Bury Black Pudding Company, owned by the Chadwick family,[19] provides black pudding to retailers such asHarrods, and to major supermarkets, and the market is a destination for people from all over Greater Manchester and beyond. The last 30 years have seen the town develop into an importantcommuter town for neighbouringManchester. Large-scale housing development has taken place aroundUnsworth,Redvales, Sunny Bank,Brandlesholme, Limefield, Chesham and Elton. The old railway line toManchester Victoria closed in 1990 and was replaced by the light rapid transit systemMetrolink in 1992. The town was also linked to the motorway network with the opening of theM66, accessed from the east side of the town, in 1978.
The town was initially a parish in theHundred of Salford, containing the townships ofHeap,Elton,Walmersley withShuttleworth,Tottington Higher End and Lower End,Musbury, andCowpe with Lench, the latter two being in theHundred of Blackburn.[20] From the 18th century, it was seen over by aselect vestry with a "board of guardians for the poor".Improvement commissioners were added before the borough charter was granted in 1876. In 1889, the town's status was raised to that of acounty borough of Lancashire.
The coat of arms was granted in 1877 and its symbols represent local industry. In the quarters are representations of the anvil (for forging), the golden fleece (the wool industry), a pair of crossed shuttles (the cotton industry) and a papyrus plant (the paper industry). Above them are a closed visor capped by a mayfly and two red roses. The Latin motto "Vincit Omnia Industria" translates as "work conquers all".
With the passage of theLocal Government Act 1972, Bury merged with the neighbouring municipal boroughs ofRadcliffe andPrestwich, together with the urban districts ofWhitefield,Tottington andRamsbottom in 1974 to become theMetropolitan Borough of Bury. The borough is part of themetropolitan county ofGreater Manchester.
On 3 July 2008, a referendum was held in the borough to decide whether it should be ruled by a directly elected mayor. The proposal was rejected by the voters.[21]
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Bury is located on the edge of the westernPennines inNorth West England, in the northern part of theGreater Manchester Urban Area. Its position on theRiver Irwell has proved important in its history and development. Flowing from north to south, the river divides the town into two parts on the east and west sides of the valley, respectively. The town centre sits close to, and above, the river on the east side. Bury Bridge is a key bridging point, linking the east side of town and the town centre with the western suburbs and Bolton beyond. Other bridges across the river are few—there is one at Radcliffe Road to the south and one at Summerseat to the north. There is a bridge at the Burrs, but it serves a cul-de-sac and does not allow full east–west access. To the south, the main tributary (the River Roch, flowing from the east) joins the Irwell close to another significant bridging point, Blackford Bridge. This carries the main road south (theA56) towards Manchester. Industrialisation of the area in the past dramatically reduced the fauna present in the river, and sewage continues to pollute the river today. The Irwell is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the UK.[23]
Bury experiences a warmtemperate climate with warm summers and cool winters owing to the shielding effect of theWestern Pennine Moors. Summer is the driest time of the year with low rainfall. Bury rarely experiences temperatures over 30 °C (86 °F), due to oceanic north easterly winds. In summer, the temperature is warm and Bury experiences much sun. Winters are cool; temperatures can drop below freezing between December and March. There is not much extreme weather in Bury;floods are rare since the town is on higher ground, although flood is occasionally seen inRamsbottom. Early summerthunderstorms bring high rainfall.
For purposes of theOffice for National Statistics, Bury is part of theGreater Manchester Urban Area.
At the 2001 census the town of Bury had a total population of 77,211, whereas the wider Metropolitan Borough had a population of 183,200.[24][25]
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1839 | 1851 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 19,915 | 24,986 | 30,655 | 42,305 | 55,577 | 63,803 | 39,238 | 41,038 | 58,029 | 58,648 | 56,403 | 56,182 | 58,838 | 60,149 |
| Source: Vision of Britain[26] | ||||||||||||||
Attractions in Bury include:
Bury is home to several finesculptures and pieces ofpublic art.Edward Hodges Baily's 1851statue of Sir Robert Peel stands in the centre of town,[34] whileLutyens'Lancashire Fusiliers War Memorial can be found outside the Fusilier Museum.[35]George Frampton's 'cheering fusilier', a tribute to those who died in theBoer War, stands in Whitehead Garden near the town hall.[36] The Kay Monument, a solid pavilion with a stone dome capped with a bronzeFame, commemoratesJohn Kay,[37] the inventor of the flying shuttle which revolutionised the weaving industry. Designed byWilliam Venn Gough in 1908, it holds a number of sculpted bronze plaques byJohn Cassidy.[38] Contemporary works includeRon Silliman's text pieceFrom Northern Soul (Bury Neon) atBury Interchange.[39]
Bury is connected to other settlements viabus services,Metrolink andthe heritage railway.
Between 1903 and 1949, theBury Corporation Tramways network served the town. The network connected Bury with electric trams to Tottington, Radcliffe, Whitefield, Unsworth, Heywood, Walmersley,Breighmet, and the neighbouringRochdale Corporation Tramways.
Bury Bolton Street railway station, first opened in 1846 and substantially rebuilt in the 1880s and again in the 1950s, once provided rail services to Accrington and Bacup via Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall to the North, Holcombe Brook via Tottington on the branch line to the North West, and Manchester via Radcliffe, Whitefield, and Prestwitch to the south. After the lines to the north were closed to passengers between 1952 and 1972, the station is now home to the heritageEast Lancashire Railway, which servesHeywood,Ramsbottom andRawtenstall but does not provide a regular commuter service.
Bury was also served byBury Knowsley Street railway station until its closure in 1970. Bury Knowsley Street station had passenger services travelling east–west through Bury, connecting the town directly to both Bolton and Heywood. After October 1970 services to and from Manchester were the only passenger rail services connecting Bury to the national rail network. Bury toManchester Victoria rail services were provided byClass 504 units, which werethird-rail operated, in the 1970s and 1980s.Bury Interchange opened in March 1980 close to the site of the former Knowsley Street station (which was demolished in the early 1970s). It was the replacement for the Bolton Street railway station (which was subsequently taken over the East Lancashire Railway heritage line in 1987), and initially incorporated a railway station, with services to Manchester Victoria, and a bus station. Third-rail-powered heavy rail passenger services integrated with the national rail network ceased in 1991, withMetrolink taking over the line and trams operating the line since April 1992. As a result, Bury has not had a conventional heavy rail link to the national network since 1991.[citation needed]
Currently, most buses are run by theBee Network (Which replaced those run byDiamond North West,Go North West, Vision Bus, andRosso busses within county lines), with regular services to Manchester, Bolton, Rochdale, Ramsbottom, Tottington, Nangreaves, Farnworth, Norden, Heywood, and Pendleton. Rosso continues to run services toRossendale,Blackburn andBurnley. The bus station is connected to the Bury Interchange Metrolink tram stop, to provide a vast complex of inter-modal transport. There is also a free car park at the rear of the complex and a cycle hub for parking bikes during the day. The station is located in the centre of Bury, close toBury Market, the Millgate Shopping Centre, the Rock and the main square. There are plans to demolish and rebuild the interchange starting in 2027; it will be the first in Greater Manchester to be Carbon Neutral.[40]
Manchester Metrolink operates trams to Altrincham and Piccadilly from Bury. There is generally a service every 6 minutes from Bury toManchester city centre, with every other tram continuing to Altrincham. Plans are in place to extend the Metrolink line to connect with Rochdale via the East Lancashire Railway line through Heywood,[41] as well as a new station nearElton Reservoir to accommodate upcoming housing developments.[42]
Bury F.C. is the town's localfootball club. Bury play in the Northern Premier League, West Division, the eighth tier of English football. Bury gained worldwide publicity in August 2019 when the club were expelled from the Football League due to unpaid debts and poor ownership. In 2019, the phoenix Club Bury AFC was created, and merged with BFCSS in May 2023, returning to their former name a month later. The nickname for the club, the Shakers, has become a demonym for the residents of Bury.
TheLancashire Spinners are abasketball team based in Bury. They compete in the second-tierEnglish Basketball League Division 1, and have done so since promotion from Division 2 in 2015. The club have close ties with nearbyMyerscough College.
Bury Broncos are a Rugby League team based in the Prestwich area. Formed in 2008, they play in the North West Men's League and will compete in Division 1 in the 2021 season.
The Met arts centre, based in theDerby Hall on Market Street, is a small performing arts venue promoting a programme of theatre, music and comedy events.[46] The Met has hosted famous comedy acts such asPeter Kay,Jason Manford,Steve Coogan andEddie Izzard in their days before fame.
Bury Art Museum is home to a fine collection ofVictorian and 20th-century art, including works byTurner,Constable andLandseer.
TheFusilier Museum, home to the collection of theLancashire Fusiliers, commemorates over three hundred years of the regiment's history. The museum occupies the former School of Arts and Crafts on Broad Street.
TheBury Transport Museum, part of theEast Lancashire Railway, holds a collection of vintage vehicles and interactive displays. It is housed in the restored and Grade II-listed 1848 Castlecroft Goods Shed.
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The 2008Mercury Music Prize-winning groupElbow,[47] fronted byGuy Garvey, hails from Bury. In 2009, the group was awarded the Freedom of the Borough after their 2008 albumThe Seldom Seen Kid won several accolades including aBrit Award and the Mercury Prize.[48]
Bury hosts several music festivals yearly, including the Glaston-Bury Festival on the August bank holiday weekend, and Head for the Hills Festival (previously known as Ramsbottom Festival) closing the festival season in mid-September. While Glaston-Bury hosts mainly local/upcoming bands, Head for the Hills hosts a wider range of talent, including bands such asSoul II Soul,The Proclaimers andMaxïmo Park.[citation needed]
Bury is known for itsblack puddings[49] so much so, that it is not uncommon to see it marketed as "Bury Black Pudding" on a menu. Burysimnel cake is a variant of the cake originating in Bury. The town was also notable fortripe, though there is little demand for this in modern times.
Inspired by the Nuit Blanche in Paris, Bury Light Night ran from 2011 to 2015. The event featured the streets of the town centre lit up with light installations and colourful projections, as well as performances and workshops at the Met, Rock, Kay Gardens, Art Museum, and Bury Castle amongst others. The event was cancelled after 2015 due to a mixed reception.[50]
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North West andITV Granada. Television signals are received from theWinter Hill TV transmitter.[51]
Bury is served by the local radio stations:[citation needed]
The Bury Times is the local newspaper including regional newspapersManchester Evening News andNorth West Enquirer.[53]
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The Metropolitan Borough of Bury has fivetwin towns in China, France, Germany and the United States.[63][64][65] Two of these were originally twinned with areas within the Metropolitan Borough prior to its creation in 1974.
| Country | Place | County / District / Region / State | Originally twinned with | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Datong | Shanxi | Metropolitan Borough of Bury | 2003 | |
| France | Angoulême | Poitou-Charentes | County Borough of Bury | 1959 | After which the 'Angoulême Retail Park' and the road 'Angoulême Way' are named. |
| France | Tulle | Limousin | Municipal Borough of Prestwich | 1969 | |
| Germany | Schorndorf | Baden-Württemberg | Metropolitan Borough of Bury | 1994 | |
| United States | Woodbury | New Jersey | Metropolitan Borough of Bury | 2000 |
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