Eccleston, Lancashire

Its name came from the Celtic word "eglēs" meaning a church, and the Old English word "tūn" meaning a farmstead or settlement, i.e. a settlement by a Romano-British church. Evidence of the settlement dates back hundreds of years; St. Mary's Church dates back to the 14th century AD.

The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the book ordered by William the Conqueror, to detail all settlements and farms in England for the purpose of tax collection.

According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, the parish has a population of 4,263.

Since 2010, Eccleston has been in the constituency of South Ribble for elections for Westminster. Before this, the village was in the constituency of Chorley.

Local government consists of councils at county, district and parish level. At district level, Eccleston is part of the three member Eccleston and Mawdesley ward of Chorley Council, created in 2002; it was previously combined with Heskin and Mawdesley was a separate ward.[1][2] Due to ward changes, from the 2021 local elections Eccleston will no longer be grouped with Mawdesley but instead will be part of a 3 member ward with Heskin and Charnock Richard.[3]

In agrarian times the local speciality was fruit from orchards, few of which now remain. The more recent weaving industry has also passed, as the two local textile mills are now closed. The "Old Mill" building is now being used as an antique, collectable and nostalgia retail space called "Bygone Times".

The "New Mill" was converted into a small village shopping centre which was recently demolished entirely and a new smaller shopping center built with houses being built on the extra space.[4] Consequently, the village has developed a more suburban role than some of its neighbours.

The town is served by an hourly bus service to Wigan, Preston, Croston and Chorley (daytimes only) with more infrequent daytime services available to Southport and Ormskirk. The nearest railway stations are at Croston and Euxton Balshaw Lane.

The village has two schools, Eccleston St. Mary's Church of England Primary School and Eccleston Primary School.

There are three churches in the village, the 14th Century St Mary the Virgin Church of England Church to the north of the village (until the reformation this was formerly the Catholic Church), constructed from distinctive Liverpool sandstone, similar to Euxton Parish Church, Eccleston Methodist Church and St Agnes Roman Catholic Church to the south.

The post box painted gold to celebrate resident Bradley Wiggins' gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics

The village public house scene has consolidated in recent years to two pubs. The Farmer's Arms is predominantly an eatery located at the Northern end of the village and there is another pub at the Southern end: The Brown Cow. The village is also served by the Working Men's Institute Club ("th'insty") and the Eccleston Cricket Club (game days only).

The site of the former Blue Anchor pub has been converted to the Anchorfields housing estate and the site of the former windmill pub has been converted to high end apartments. Pubs just outside the village include the Rose and Crown (Ulnes Walton), Farmers Arms (Heskin), Red Lion (Mawdesley). The village also has a popular children's play area situated adjacent to the football pitches, popularly known as "the rec", an abbreviation of recreation area.

• St. John Rigby, martyr
• Sir Bradley Wiggins, professional cyclist [5]

• Listed buildings in Eccleston, Lancashire

• Farrer, William; Brownbill, B., eds. (1911). "The parish of Eccleston". A History of the County of Lancaster. 6. British History Online. London: Victoria County History. pp. 155–162. Retrieved 26 October 2017.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eccleston, Lancashire.

• Eccleston Parish Council