Farnworth

Farnworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England,[1] 2.3 miles (3.7 km) southeast of Bolton, 4.3 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) northwest of Manchester.

For other uses, see Farnworth (disambiguation).
"New Bury" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Newbury.

Farnworth

Farnworth Town Hall
Farnworth
Location within Greater Manchester
Population30,271 (2011 Census)
OS grid referenceSD7305
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBOLTON
Postcode districtBL4
Dialling code01204
PoliceGreater Manchester
FireGreater Manchester
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

Historically in Lancashire, Farnworth lies on the River Irwell and River Croal. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 30,271.[2][3][4]

History

Toponymy

Farnworth derives from the Old English fearn, fern and worth an enclosure.[5] Farnworth was recorded as Farneworth and Farnewrth in 1278 and 1279 and Ffornword in a land survey of 1282.[6]

Middle Ages

Farnworth was originally a hamlet in Barton. In the 13th century it was held by the Lords of Barton and Manchester. By 1320 Adam Lever, Richard Hulton and Richard Redford held the manor as tenants. Later the manor was acquired by the Hultons of Over Hulton. In 1666 there were 91 hearths in Farnworth liable to pay tax. The commons were enclosed in 1798. There was a watermill on the River Croal.[6]

Industrial Revolution

The town expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries around the coal mining industry. The collieries were part of an extensive mine complex, the Worsley Navigable Levels whose underground canals stretched from the Delph at Worsley and linked the mines to the Bridgewater Canal. Other industry included iron foundries and cotton mills.

The owner of Farnworth Paper mills, T. B. Crompton, patented a continuous-drying process which contributed to the mechanisation of papermaking in 1821.[7]

The adjoining open land of Halshaw Moor became an area for recreation for the town, hosting the annual Halshaw Moor Wakes that were described as

a saturnalia which was first celebrated in September, 1827, when bull-baiting, badger-baiting, dog fighting, cock fighting, foot racing in almost a state of nudity, grinning through a horse collar, eating a dishful of scalding hot porridge without milk and feeding themselves with their bare hands, and even the more disgusting exhibition of eating a pound of tallow candles, and stripping the wicks through their teeth for wagers, were amongst the orgies on these occasions.[8]

Governance

Lying within the boundaries of Lancashire since the early 12th century, Farnworth constituted a township and chapelry within the ecclesiastical parish of Deane.[1] In 1837 Farnworth became part of the Bolton Poor Law Union which took responsibility for funding the Poor Law in that area.[9] In 1863, a Local board of health was established for the township,[10] and in 1866, it also became a separate civil parish.[11] In 1899, under the Local Government Act 1894, Farnworth became an Urban District. In 1939, the district was granted by a charter to become the Municipal Borough of Farnworth.[10][12] In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the municipal borough was abolished and its area became an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester.[1][10] Farnworth has two of Bolton Council's 20 wards, which each are represented by three councillors.[13] At first, the wards were called Farnworth North and Farnworth South,[14] but following name and boundary changes in 1980 the eastern side of the town is covered by the Farnworth ward and the western half side is covered by the Harper Green ward.[15][16]

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth constituency was established with one Member of Parliament (MP).[17] The constituency was abolished in 1918 with Radcliffe becoming part of the Heywood and Radcliffe constituency,[18] and Farnworth having its own Parliament constituency. The Farnworth constituency[19] continued until it was abolished in 1983 and became part of the Bolton South East constituency.[20]

Geography

Farnworth measures about two miles from east to west, and one from north to south with an area of 1,502 acres (608 ha) on land sloping towards the north-east by the River Croal which forms the boundary. Will Hill Brook forms the northern boundary. The underlying rocks are the coal measures of the Manchester Coalfield. Districts in Farnworth include Dixon Green and New Bury. The town has grown along the Manchester to Bolton road, the A666 and the A575 road to Worsley and Eccles. Plodder Lane, the B6199, goes west past the Royal Bolton Hospital.[6]

Demography
Further information: Demography of Greater Manchester

There are no direct figures for the unparished area of Farnworth, however the town comprises two of Bolton Council's 20 wards: the Farnworth ward and the Harper Green ward.[3][4] At the 2011 UK census, the town's two wards had a combined population of 30,271, of which 14,807 were male and 15,464 were female.[3][4] The 2011 census recorded the two wards had a total of 12,902 households, of which were 716 detached houses, 6,286 semi-detached houses, 4,109 terraced houses, 1,505 purpose-built flats, 266 other flats (including bedsits), and 20 caravans (or other mobile or temporary structure).[21][22]

Population change
Population changes for Farnworth since 1801
YearPopulation±%
1801 1,439—    
1811 1,798+24.9%
1821 2,044+13.7%
1831 2,928+43.2%
1841 4,829+64.9%
1851 6,389+32.3%
1861 8,720+36.5%
YearPopulation±%
1871 13,550+55.4%
1881 20,708+52.8%
1891 23,758+14.7%
1901 25,925+9.1%
1911 28,131+8.5%
1921 27,894−0.8%
1931 28,717+3.0%
YearPopulation±%
1939 27,376−4.7%
1951 28,616+4.5%
1961 27,502−3.9%
1971 26,855−2.4%
2001 25,264−5.9%
2011 30,271+19.8%
Sources:[23][24][25][26][27][2][3][4]

Community facilities
Farnworth Library

Farnworth's Carnegie Library on Market Street is one of the many Carnegie libraries in Europe established by the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The library was built in 1911 and is constructed of red brick with ashlar sandstone dressings, and flat roofed areas surrounding a central dome. It was designated as a Grade II listed building on 29 September 1999 and celebrated its centenary on 11 April 2011.[28]

Farnworth Little Theatre, established in 1948, is an amateur theatre group and is situated on Cross Street.[29]

The town has two leisure centres. The first is Farnworth Leisure Centre with a swimming pool and is located on Brackley Street.[30] The second one is Harper Green Community Leisure Centre and is located on Harper Green Road.[31]

Farnworth has a number of parks and recreation grounds.[32] The largest is Farnworth Park, close to the town centre, has undergone redevelopment as part of Bolton Council's Children's Strategy.[32] There is also Ellesmere Park on the west side of the town centre, Bradford Street Recreation Ground in New Bury, and Doe Hey Playing Fields in Harper Green.[32]

Royal Bolton Hospital (formerly known as the Fishpool Institution, Townleys Hospital, and Bolton General Hospital) is in Farnworth. An Emergency Department was added when Bolton Royal Infirmary in Bolton closed in the early 1990s and moved to the Farnworth site.

St Gregory's Catholic Club in Farnworth was used to film television comedy Phoenix Nights.

Transport

Farnworth is north of junctions 3 and 4 of the M61 motorway. The main roads run through the town are the A666 (Farnworth and Kearsley By-Pass), the A575 (Egerton St/Albert Rd/Worsley Rd), the A5082 (Buckley Lane/Long Causeway), the A6053 (Bolton Rd/Market St/Manchester Rd), and the B6199 (Plodder Lane).

Farnworth and Moses Gate railway stations are served by Northern which operates services on the Manchester to Preston Line.

Education
See also: List of schools in Bolton and Farnworth Grammar School

Farnworth has nine primary schools and three secondary schools. Harper Green School is home to the Alan Ball Sports Hall,[33] as well as the Peter Kay Theatre.[34] In 2006, Peter Kay filmed a music video at Harper Green with the Scottish band Texas.[34]

SchoolType/StatusOfSTEDWebsite
All Saints' C of E Primary School Primary 105238 website
Highfield Primary School Primary 105182 website
Our Lady of Lourdes' RC Primary School Primary 105245 website
Queensbridge Primary School Primary 133925 website
St. Peter's C of E Primary School Primary 105239 website
St Gregory's RC Primary School Primary 105244 website
St James's C of E Primary School Primary 105208 website
The Ferns Primary Academy (formerly known as Plodder Lane Primary School) Primary 105183 website
The Orchards Federation (Green Fold Special School, Cherry Tree Primary School and The Orchard's Nursery) Primary 105187 website
Harper Green School Secondary 105257 website
Mount St Joseph School Secondary 105263 website
St James's C of E School and Sports College Secondary 105266 website

Religious sites
St John the Evangelist's Parish Church, Farnworth

The Anglican Diocese of Manchester has three active places of worship in Farnworth. The oldest is the Parish Church of St John the Evangelist on Church Street and was consecrated in 1826.[35] The two other active Anglican churches in Farnworth are St Catharine's LEP Church, Highfield Road, Dixon Green, which is shared with the Methodist Church, and St George's Church, Daisy Avenue, just off Plodder Lane.[36]

There had been other Anglican churches in the town but have closed: St Thomas' Church, Church Walk, Dixon Green, opened in 1878 and closed in 1996 but reopened by Farnworth Christian Fellowship in 2008;[37] All Saints' Church, Moses Gate, opened in 1909 and closed c. 2007; St Peter's Church, Bradford Street, New Bury, opened in 1886, closed in 2007, and demolished in 2012; St James' Church, New Bury, opened in 1864/5 and closed in 2013.[38][39]

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford has only one church in Farnworth, Our Lady of Lourdes' Church on Plodder Lane.[40] There had been another, St Gregory the Great's Church on Presto Street, but it closed in 2004.[40]

Other Christian places of worship in the town include Farnworth Christian Fellowship on Church Walk,[41] Trinity Methodist Church on Market Street,[42] Farnworth Baptist Church on Trafford Street,[43] the United Reformed Church on Albert Road,[44] and the Salvation Army Citadel on Brackley Street.[45]

The Sughra Mosque on Granville Street, the only mosque in Farnworth, serves the Muslim community.[46]

Sports

Farnworth F.C. is a youth football that plays its home games at Darley Park, with winter training taking place at Harper Green School.[47]

Farnworth Cricket Club, founded in 1870, plays its home games at Bridgeman Park. It participates in the Bolton Cricket League, as do Farnworth Social Circle.

Farnworth's Harper Green playing field also hosts the home games of Bolton Hockey Club men's section.

See also

References
  1. "Greater Manchester Gazetteer". Greater Manchester County Record Office. Places names - D to F. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  2. "Census 2001 Key Statistics - Urban area results by population size of urban area", ons.gov.uk, Office for National Statistics, KS01 Usual resident population , 22 July 2004, retrieved 18 June 2007
  3. "Area: Farnworth (Ward)". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  4. "Area: Harper Green (Ward)". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  5. Mills (1998), p. 135
  6. Farrer, William; Brownbill, J, eds. (1911), "Farnworth", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, British History Online, pp. 34–39, retrieved 19 March 2010
  7. Ashmore (1969), p. 139
  8. Dyson, Simeon (1881). Rural congregationalism; or Farnworth as it was fifty to seventy years ago: with humorous sketches and anecdotes, illustrating Lancashire manners and customs. p. 81. JSTOR 60239410.
  9. "Workhouse". workhouses.org.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  10. "Links in a Chain : Farnworth 1863-1974". boltonsmayors.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  11. "Farnworth CP/Ch: Relationships and changes". visionofbritain.org.uk. Great Britain Historical GIS. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  12. "Boundary Map of Farnworth UD/MB". visionofbritain.org.uk. Great Britain Historical GIS. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  13. "People:Elected Members". bolton.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  14. Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council elections 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, and 1979.
  15. "Area Profile:Farnworth" (PDF). bolton.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  16. "Area Profile:Harper Green" (PDF). bolton.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  17. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
  18. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
  19. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"
  20. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 4)
  21. "Area: Farnworth (Ward): Dwellings, Household Spaces and Accommodation Type, 2011". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  22. "Area: Harper Green (Ward): Dwellings, Household Spaces and Accommodation Type, 2011". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  23. Tatton, Pauline. Local population statistics 1801–1986. Bolton Central Library Archives.
  24. "Farnworth CP/Ch: Parish-level Unit". visionofbritain.org.uk. Great Britain Historical GIS. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  25. "Farnworth USD: Sanitary District". visionofbritain.org.uk. Great Britain Historical GIS. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  26. "Farnworth UD/MB: Local Government District". visionofbritain.org.uk. Great Britain Historical GIS. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  27. The 1939 population is estimated from the number of identity cards issued in Farnworth, which were required under the National Registration Act 1939. The 1941 census did not take place because of the Second World War.
  28. Historic England. "Farnworth Carnegie Library (1113256)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  29. "Farnworth Little Theatre". farnworthlittletheatre.weebly.com. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  30. "Farnworth Leisure Centre". bolton.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  31. "Harper Green Community Leisure Centre". bolton.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  32. "Parks, pitches and courts". bolton.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  33. Harper Green School. URL accessed 22 February 2008.
  34. School in tribute to comedian. Bolton Evening News, first published 30 June 2006.
  35. "The Church of St John the Evangelist, Farnworth". stjohnsfarnworth.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  36. "The Seven Saints Team". sevensaintsparish.wordpress.com. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  37. "Farnworth Christian Fellowship". fcf.org.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  38. OnLine Parish Clerks. "Farnworth-with-Kearsley". OnLine Parish Clerks for the County of Lancashire. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  39. Genuki. "Farnworth". Genuki. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  40. "Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Gregory the Great, Farnworth". farnworthrc.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  41. "Farnworth Christian Fellowship". fcf.org.uk. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  42. "Trinity Methodist in Farnworth". trinitymethodistfarnworth.wordpress.com. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  43. "Farnworth Baptist Church". farnworthbaptist.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  44. "Farnworth". directory.urc.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  45. "Farnworth Salvation Army". salvationarmy.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  46. "Sughra Mosque, Farnworth". mosquedirectory.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  47. Farnworth F.C.. URL accessed 24 February 2008.

Bibliography

Further reading
  • Barton, Benjamin Thomas (1887). History of Farnworth and Kersley (sic). Bolton: The Daily Chronicle.

Hylda Baker (1905–1986) – actress, comedian and music hall star, born in Farnworth[12][13]

Alan Ball (1945–2007) – professional footballer, member of the 1966 Football World Cup winning side, born in Farnworth[14][15]

Tommy Banks (born 1929) – Bolton Wanderers and England footballer, born in Farnworth[18]

Jack Bond (born 1932) – cricketer, born in Kearsley

Fred Dibnah (1938–2004) – steeplejack, engineer and TV presenter,[46][47] born in Farnworth

Frank Finlay (1926–2016) – Farnworth-born stage, film and television actor[54][55]

Paul Heathcote (born 1960) – chef and restaurateur, born in Farnworth

Peter Kay (born 1973) – comedian, actor, writer and producer,[89][90] born in Farnworth

Roy Lancaster (born 1938) – gardener and broadcaster, Gardeners' World, born in Farnworth[101]

Tommy Lawton (1919–1996) – professional footballer, Burnley, Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea and England, born in Farnworth[104

Paul Mariner (born 1953) – former professional footballer with Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town, Arsenal and Portsmouth, born in Farnworth.

Mike Pollitt (born 1972) – goalkeeper coach for Wigan Athletic, born in Farnworth.[142]

David Potts (born 1970) – musician and songwriter, born in Farnworth[143]

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