| Golborne | |
|---|---|
 High Street, Golborne | |
  Golborne Location withinGreater Manchester | |
| Population | 24,169 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | SJ606978 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WARRINGTON |
| Postcode district | WA3 |
| Dialling code | 01925 01942 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Golborne (pronounced/ˈɡoʊlbɔːrn/GOHL-born)[1] is a town in theMetropolitan Borough of Wigan, inGreater Manchester, England.[2] It lies 5 miles (8.0 km) south-south-east ofWigan, 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east ofWarrington and 14 miles (22.5 km) to the west of the city ofManchester. Along with the neighbouring village ofLowton, it recorded a population of 24,041.[3]
Within the boundaries of thehistoric county ofLancashire and being situated across theA580 East Lancashire Road, Golborne owed most of its historic growth to mining and textile manufacturing; however, these industries have since declined. There was also significant agricultural activity, with many farms still belonging to the families who originally owned them.
The name Golborne derives from theOld Englishgolde andburna, meaning "stream wheremarsh marigolds grow". The earliest settlements in the present-day town were on banks of the Millingford Brook, hence its name being derived from a water course wherecalendula grew.[4] Golborne has been recorded in ancient documents as Goldeburn in 1187, Goldburc in 1201, Goseburn and Goldburn in 1212 and Golburne in 1242. Golborne and Gowborne were 16th-century spellings.[5]
A settlement at Golborne has existed since at least the time of theDomesday book. The manor was held in twomoieties, half by the Lords of Lowton, and the half by the Golbornes up to the reign ofHenry III, and later by various families including the Fleetwoods and Leghs.
The old Manor of Golborne stood to the north side of the village, giving its name to a public house on Church Street (now demolished). The manor and its lands extended as far as St Luke's Church in Lowton, and also gives its name to Manor Avenue and Manor Court.
TheVenerable Bede wrote in hisHistoria ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum of a well near Golborne sacred to St. Oswald's memory.[6] This well had been suggested as the site wherePenda, the pagan king ofMercia, slew the Christian King Oswald, later St Oswald, in theBattle of Maserfield, in 642. It is more generally accepted though that the site of that battle was some considerable distance to the southwest, nearOswestry.
Holcroft Hall, now a farm, was the home ofColonel Blood who, during the reign ofCharles II, attempted to steal the Crown Jewels. King Charles was amused by Blood's audacity and pardoned him. Blood married Maria Holcroft ofHolcroft Hall at Newhurch Church against the will of her father.
In 1648, the Battle of Red Gap was fought by the old road south from Golborne (probably the Red Bank area of Newton le Willows) during the 2nd Civil War. The Scots, on the side ofCharles I, had advanced into England.Oliver Cromwell, leader of the Roundhead Army, intercepted the Scots at Preston; in a series of running battles between Preston, Wigan and Warrington, of which Red Gap was one, he defeated the Scots even though his army was outnumbered by ten to one.
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The former village grew rapidly during theIndustrial Revolution as the mining industry expanded. On 18 March 1979, there was a methane explosion at the town'scolliery caused by an electrical spark, which took the lives of ten miners.[7] Of the eleven present, only one survived. The colliery closed in 1989. The location of the former colliery is known locally as theBonk, which is now the largest park in Golborne.[a]
The closure of the colliery led to the loss of employment for a large proportion of Golborne's population, as well as people from nearby towns and villages such asAbram, Lowton andAshton-in-Makerfield. Unemployment problems have been mostly eradicated in recent years with the development of different industries which has brought in new jobs, further aided by the creation of Stone Cross Industrial Park and Golborne Enterprise Park.[citation needed]
Under theLocal Government Act 1972, in force from 1 April 1974, theurban district of Golborne, established in 1894 (and expanded in 1933 by adding part ofLeigh Rural District which includedKenyon), was split, with the parts ofCulcheth and Newchurch becoming the civil parish ofCulcheth and Glazebury in theWarrington district in Cheshire, and the rest of the district becoming part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan of Greater Manchester.
| Population growth in Golborne since 1901 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1939 | 1951 | 1961 | 2001 |
| Population | 6,789 | 6,931 | 7,183 | 7,321 | 13,845 | 16,878 | 21,310 | 20,007 |
| Source:A Vision of Britain through Time[8] | ||||||||
The parish church of Golborne is St Thomas' Church, in the Deanery of Winwick, Diocese of Liverpool. Founded in 1829, the church building has a clock tower that is still in operation and is still heard chiming on every hour. There is also a graveyard surrounding the building.
Peter Kane Square and memorial clock is situated in the town centre and is named in honour of local boxerPeter Kane.
On Sunday 19 March 2006 the Rector of Golborne, the Rev Robert Williams, officiated at a service in Kidglove Road at what was the entrance to Golborne Colliery. The service was attended by ex-miners and their families, and was the fruition of two years of fund-raising to erect the 6-by-3-foot (1.83 m × 0.91 m) stone, commissioned in memory of the men and women who worked and died at Golborne Colliery between its opening in 1880 and its closure in 1989.
The memorial was conceptualised by the Golborne Ex-Miners Association, who staged a series of concerts to help towards the cost of the stone. Funding was also received from a community chest grant from Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, Alpla (UK) Ltd of Golborne, and the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation. Former miner Dean Mitchell landscaped the memorial site.
A cenotaph memorial also lies at the junction of Legh Street and Barn Lane.
Golborne lies on theWest Coast Main Line, but no longer has a railway station on it; the nearest are atWigan North Western andWarrington Bank Quay, forAvanti West Coastinter-city services betweenGlasgow Central andLondon Euston.[9]
There is a campaign to reopen the town's main line railway station,Golborne South.[10] As part of Greater Manchester's Transport Initiative Fund package, a station at Golborne would be reinstated, probably on the site of the original station off the A573 in the centre of town.[11] Golborne's branch line station,Golborne North, was closed in 1952. If it were to be reopened, services between Wigan and Stalybridge would run. It would also be the firstBee Network train station in Manchester. TheMayor of Greater Manchester,Andy Burnham, commented that “Golborne has a rock solid case for a station. It is now becoming quite clear. It has been sent to the Government for sign off. I prioritised it as mayor because of the very poor transport connectivity in that area – and if Metrolink isn’t coming anytime soon to the Wigan borough then it has to be the case to improve rail connectivity.[12]
Bus services are operated byBee Network (busses 610/611 Wigan-Leigh, 35 Bryn/Leigh-Manchester Piccadilly Gardens),Arriva Merseyside (360 Warrington-Wigan) andWarrington's Own Buses (22A Warrington-Wigan); routes link the town with Wigan, Warrington, Manchester and Leigh.[13]
, 22 July 2004, retrieved22 September 2009
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