Kearsley
Encyclopedia
Kearsley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
, in Greater Manchester
, England. Historically within Lancashire
, it lies about 7½ miles (12 km) northwest of Manchester
,5.5 miles (8.9 km) south-west of Bury
, and about 3¾ miles (6 km) south of Bolton
.
It is bounded on the west by Walkden
, the east by Whitefield
, the north by Farnworth
and the south by Clifton
.
Kearsley was once a township
in the ancient ecclesiastical parish
of Deane
, in the Hundred of Salford
of Lancashire
. Kearsley was an urban district
of Lancashire
from 1894 until 1974. In 1933, part of Clifton was added to Kearsley Urban District. Part of Outwood, Radcliffe
became part of Kearsley in line with the 1933 Lancashire Review.
Kearsley lay within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire and was mentioned as an industrial area in 1752, when James Brindley
worked on water drainage problems at the Wet Earth Colliery
on the borders of Kearsley and Clifton. In 1780, a mill was built at the point where the River Croal
meets the River Irwell
In 1830 it was described as:
"Kersley, a township in the parish of Deane, Hundred of Salford, 7 miles N.W. from Manchester. Inhabitants 1833. In this township is Kearsley Moor, an extensive common, under the surface of which there are many valuable coalmines".
In the Industrial Revolution
a papermill, cotton mill
s, chemical works, an iron foundry, a quarry, and 15 coal mines operated within its boundaries.
There is a small shopping precinct and some isolated shops along Manchester Road (A666
).
In the mid-19th century, the area was busy with the coal mining industry. Several street names such as Moss Colliery Road (in nearby Clifton
) bear testimony to this. The largest coal mine was the Unity Brook Colliery. On 12 March 1878 an explosion in the mine killed 43 men and boys. Nineteen of the dead were buried in the Parish Church. By 1900 the coal mining industry had all but disappeared from the area.
On the area now known as Nob End
, a chemical works was built by Benjamin Rawson producing soda ash (sodium carbonate) utilising the Leblanc process
.
In the late 1920s a coal fired power station was built. Kearsley Power Station
used water for cooling taken from the River Irwell
. The power station closed, and was later demolished, on 12 May 1985. The power station had a railway line, which has since been removed and forms part of a pedestrian trail.
from Manchester to Bolton passes through Kearsley. Today it lies on the A666 at a point where the Kearsley Roundabout connects it and Farnworth to the M61 motorway
via the Kearsley Spur link road.
Kearsley railway station
is located on the aptly named Station Road, from here there is a service westbound to Wigan Wallgate
and southbound to Rochdale railway station
via Manchester Victoria. In 1878, the mineral railway line to Kearsley was opened, at a cost of £100.
It is on the main bus route from Bolton to Manchester. In earlier days, it was on the main tram
route. On 3 June 1881, trams ran the full length of the system: Town Hall Square, Bolton to Farnworth & Kearsley. the main bus routes that run through Kearsley are the numbers 8 (to Shudehill, Manchester
) and 22 (to Stockport
).
A United Reformed church, founded before 1890. It is now closed. The New Jerusalem church on Bolton Road was founded in 1836, the church has a disused graveyard. St John Fisher Roman Catholic Churchwas founded in 1969 on Manchester Road. Kearsley Mount Methodist Church was founded in 1836 and a Wesleyan Sunday School was built overlooking the Irwell Valley opposite the parish church.
The first chapel was built in 1870. In 1914 this chapel was demolished due to mining subsidence and the present building was opened in 1916. A Wesleyan day school was built next to the church building in 1879 and this was extended in 1890. This school was demolished in 2009 and replaced by a block of apartments by St Vincent,s Housing Association.
After two years planning and ten months building, the Schoenstatt Shrine was dedicated on 1 October 2000 by Bishop Terence Brain
of Salford
. The opening was attended by visitors from Mexico
, Australia
and South America
and Schoenstatt members from Ireland
, Scotland
and Germany
.
The area has two nursery schools, Rompers, which is a private nursery taking 33 children and Spindle Point School. During 2009, Rompers Nursery was demolished for a housing development project. On Sunday 3 January 2010, the luxury apartment site was on fire for several hours with police closing Manchester Road to give the firemen room to put out the fire.
There are four primary schools all under the direction of Bolton Education,
Kearsley West Primary School (pupils 249 Ofsted
Id 105/105186, Dfes Number 2061), St John's Church of England Primary School (pupils 176 Ofsted
Id 105/105241, Dfes Number 3355), Spindle Point School (pupils 247 Ofsted
Id 105/105196, Dfes Number 2075) and the church attached St. Stephen's Church of England Primary School (pupils 222, Ofsted Id 105/105240,
Dfes Number: 3354).
There is one secondary school in Kearsley. Formerly George Tomlinson School, named after the Secretary for Education at the time of its construction
, it was rebranded Kearsley Academy, and is located on Springfield Road. (Pupils 541, Ofsted Id 105/105268, Dfes Number: 5402). Its age rage is 11–16 years of age, extending to 18 with the introduction of a sixth form in 2012, and allows male and female students.
for the Ward is Dr Brian Iddon
(Labour Party
).
The local councillors for Kearsley in 2007 are Councillor John Rothwell and Councillor Margaret Rothwell, both Liberal Democrats
.
Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Bolton, but covers a far larger area which includes Blackrod, Farnworth, Horwich, Kearsley and Westhoughton, and a suburban and rural element from the West Pennine...
, 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. Historically within 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...
, it lies about 7½ miles (12 km) northwest of 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...
,5.5 miles (8.9 km) south-west of 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...
, and about 3¾ miles (6 km) south 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...
.
It is bounded on the west by Walkden
Walkden
Walkden is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester....
, the east by Whitefield
Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Whitefield is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the south bank of the River Irwell, south-southeast of Bury, and to the north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, the north by Farnworth
Farnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
and the south by 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....
.
Kearsley was once a township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
in the ancient ecclesiastical parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Deane
Deane, Greater Manchester
Deane is an area of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about south west of Bolton and northwest of the city of Manchester.Historically a part of Lancashire, the Parish of Deane was once one of four parishes within the hundred of Salford and covered roughly half of the present...
, in the Hundred of Salford
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
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...
. Kearsley was an 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....
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...
from 1894 until 1974. In 1933, part of Clifton was added to Kearsley Urban District. Part of Outwood, 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...
became part of Kearsley in line with the 1933 Lancashire Review.
History
James Brindley
James Brindley was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century.-Early life:...
worked on water drainage problems at the 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...
on the borders of Kearsley and Clifton. In 1780, a mill was built at the point where the River Croal
River Croal
The River Croal is a river located in Greater Manchester, England. It is a tributary of the River Irwell.Rising at the confluence of Middle Brook and Deane Church Brook, it flows eastwards through Bolton, collecting Gilnow Brook and the larger River Tonge at Darcy Lever...
meets 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...
In 1830 it was described as:
"Kersley, a township in the parish of Deane, Hundred of Salford, 7 miles N.W. from Manchester. Inhabitants 1833. In this township is Kearsley Moor, an extensive common, under the surface of which there are many valuable coalmines".
In the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
a papermill, cotton mill
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....
s, chemical works, an iron foundry, a quarry, and 15 coal mines operated within its boundaries.
Economy
Today Kearsley has little industry, the one remaining mill is now a multi occupancy building housing both retail and light engineering. There are three small industrial estates concerned mainly with the transport industry.- Europa Industrial Estate, Stoneclough Road
- Fishbrook Industrial Estate, Stoneclough Road
- Lion Industrial Estate, Moss Road
There is a small shopping precinct and some isolated shops along Manchester 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,...
).
In the mid-19th century, the area was busy with the coal mining industry. Several street names such as Moss Colliery Road (in nearby 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....
) bear testimony to this. The largest coal mine was the Unity Brook Colliery. On 12 March 1878 an explosion in the mine killed 43 men and boys. Nineteen of the dead were buried in the Parish Church. By 1900 the coal mining industry had all but disappeared from the area.
On the area now known as Nob End
Nob End
Nob End is the site of a former waste tip, and now a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Kearsley, Bolton, England.Standing at the confluence of the River Irwell and River Croal it was used around 1850-70 as a tip for alkaline waste from the production of sodium carbonate by the Leblanc...
, a chemical works was built by Benjamin Rawson producing soda ash (sodium carbonate) utilising the Leblanc process
Leblanc process
The Leblanc process was the industrial process for the production of soda ash used throughout the 19th century, named after its inventor, Nicolas Leblanc. It involved two stages: Production of sodium sulfate from sodium chloride, followed by reaction of the sodium sulfate with coal and calcium...
.
In the late 1920s a coal fired power station was built. Kearsley Power Station
Kearsley Power Station
Kearsley Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Stoneclough, near Kearsley, Greater Manchester, England. It was designed in 1927 by Dr H.F.Parshall for The Lancashire Electric Power Company. The original installation was known as Kearsley 'A', comprising two British Thomson-Houston ...
used water for cooling taken from 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 power station closed, and was later demolished, on 12 May 1985. The power station had a railway line, which has since been removed and forms part of a pedestrian trail.
Transport
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,...
from Manchester to Bolton passes through Kearsley. Today it lies on the A666 at a point where the Kearsley Roundabout connects it and Farnworth to 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....
via the Kearsley Spur link road.
Kearsley railway station
Kearsley railway station
Kearsley railway station serves the Greater Manchester town of Kearsley and the villages of Stoneclough, Prestolee and Ringley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in North West England...
is located on the aptly named Station Road, from here there is a service westbound to Wigan Wallgate
Wigan Wallgate railway station
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
and southbound to Rochdale railway station
Rochdale railway station
Rochdale railway station serves the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The Manchester and Leeds Railway opened a station serving the town in the 19th century...
via Manchester Victoria. In 1878, the mineral railway line to Kearsley was opened, at a cost of £100.
It is on the main bus route from Bolton to Manchester. In earlier days, it was on the main tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
route. On 3 June 1881, trams ran the full length of the system: Town Hall Square, Bolton to Farnworth & Kearsley. the main bus routes that run through Kearsley are the numbers 8 (to Shudehill, Manchester
Shudehill Interchange
Shudehill Interchange, known locally as just Shudehill, is a transport interchange located between Manchester Victoria station and the Northern Quarter in Manchester.It comprises a Manchester Metrolink station and a bus station.-Bus station:...
) and 22 (to Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
).
Landmarks
The main church being the parish church of St. Stephen's. Located on Manchester Road, the Anglican St Stephen's Church, Kearsley Moor, was the vision of Harrison Blair. who owned the chemical works at Moss Lane. The church has a graveyard which hold the remains of 19 miners killed in the Unity Brook Colliery disaster, The church was founded in 1870 erected in 1870–71 by the family of the Harrison Blair who died before his vision could be finished. It cost £3,600 and has seating for 538 parishioners. The Bishop of Manchester, Dr Fraser consecrated the church on 1 July 1871.A United Reformed church, founded before 1890. It is now closed. The New Jerusalem church on Bolton Road was founded in 1836, the church has a disused graveyard. St John Fisher Roman Catholic Churchwas founded in 1969 on Manchester Road. Kearsley Mount Methodist Church was founded in 1836 and a Wesleyan Sunday School was built overlooking the Irwell Valley opposite the parish church.
The first chapel was built in 1870. In 1914 this chapel was demolished due to mining subsidence and the present building was opened in 1916. A Wesleyan day school was built next to the church building in 1879 and this was extended in 1890. This school was demolished in 2009 and replaced by a block of apartments by St Vincent,s Housing Association.
After two years planning and ten months building, the Schoenstatt Shrine was dedicated on 1 October 2000 by Bishop Terence Brain
Terence Brain
Terence Brain is the current Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford.-Education:Brain attended King Henry VIII Grammar School and Cotton College before training for the priesthood at Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield...
of Salford
Bishop of Salford
The Bishop of Salford is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford in the Province of Liverpool, England.With the gradual abolition of the legal restrictions on the activities of Catholics in England and Wales in the early 19th century, Rome decided to proceed to bridge the gap of the...
. The opening was attended by visitors from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Schoenstatt members from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Education
The schools in Kearsley are under the control of Bolton Education Department.The area has two nursery schools, Rompers, which is a private nursery taking 33 children and Spindle Point School. During 2009, Rompers Nursery was demolished for a housing development project. On Sunday 3 January 2010, the luxury apartment site was on fire for several hours with police closing Manchester Road to give the firemen room to put out the fire.
There are four primary schools all under the direction of Bolton Education,
Kearsley West Primary School (pupils 249 Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
Id 105/105186, Dfes Number 2061), St John's Church of England Primary School (pupils 176 Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
Id 105/105241, Dfes Number 3355), Spindle Point School (pupils 247 Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
Id 105/105196, Dfes Number 2075) and the church attached St. Stephen's Church of England Primary School (pupils 222, Ofsted Id 105/105240,
Dfes Number: 3354).
There is one secondary school in Kearsley. Formerly George Tomlinson School, named after the Secretary for Education at the time of its construction
George Tomlinson
George Tomlinson was a British Labour Party politician.Born in Rishton, Lancashire, he was a conscientious objector in the First World War, and worked on the land....
, it was rebranded Kearsley Academy, and is located on Springfield Road. (Pupils 541, Ofsted Id 105/105268, Dfes Number: 5402). Its age rage is 11–16 years of age, extending to 18 with the introduction of a sixth form in 2012, and allows male and female students.
Political
Kearsley Ward is in the Parliamentary district of Bolton South East. In 2007, the Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Ward is Dr Brian Iddon
Brian Iddon
Brian Iddon is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton South East from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
(Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
).
The local councillors for Kearsley in 2007 are Councillor John Rothwell and Councillor Margaret Rothwell, both Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
.