Orrell, Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
Orrell is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
, Greater Manchester
, England. The area is contiguous to the town of Wigan
itself and the centre of the district is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) to the west of the town centre. The area today forms a predominantly residential suburb along with the adjoining area of Pemberton
.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, Orrell was once a centre of a flourishing mining industry, though today no evidence of the area's industrial past is present. The expansion of Wigan has led to the area's suburbanisation. The electoral ward of Orrell has a population of 11,203.
Orrell was also the family name of a number of landowners in the area and various branches of the Orrell family held small estates here for centuries. There are records from 1558 showing William Orrell living at Orrell Hall.
of the Lancashire Coalfield
were mined extensively at the Orrell Collieries between 1740 and 1850. A tramroad modelled on John Blenkinsop
's railway at Middleton
was built in 1812 from the pits to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
at Crooke. Robert Daglish
was its engineer. A cottage nail making industry flourished at the same time. Another main employer was the Sandbrook Cotton mill
where raw cotton was spun into thread and the many women who worked there came home covered in lint. No significant industry is now present in the area, as the area now serves primarily as a residential suburb for commuters.
Divided by the M58 motorway
, the area has developed two unofficial 'sections': the southern section with railway station
and Orrell Rugby Union Club's former 'Edge Hall Road
' ground; and Orrell Post, at the northern side of the M58. The original Orrell 'post', signifying a halt on the turnpike road, is still outside the Stag public house at a crossroads. The area's proximity to Wigan
town centre and its position at a junction of the M6, make it an attractive location from which to commute.
, and lay within the administrative county
of Lancashire.
With the coming of local government reforms
in 1974, Orrell's Urban District status was abolished and the area was amalgamated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
, in Greater Manchester
.
Orrell forms part of the Makerfield parliamentary constituency
, which is represented in the House of Commons by Labour
Member of Parliament
, Yvonne Fovargue
, replacing Ian McCartney
who retired at the 2010 election.
. The M6 motorway passes north-south through the area and the section of Orrell to the east of the M6 directly adjoins the district of Pemberton. Orrell and Pemberton
form one contiguous residential area.
Orrell is one of twenty five electoral wards that make up the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. Orrell is part of the Wigan Urban Area
.
http://www.sjr.ac.uk/ is situated at the northern edge of the Orrell area. St Peter's RC High School http://stpeters.contentman.co.uk/, consistently top of the Wigan schools' league table is located on the adjacent road to Orrell Library. Abraham Guest High http://www.abrahamguest.wigan.sch.uk/ is located on the eastern side of the M6 Motorway.
To the south of the area is Orrell Water Park, a disused water storage reservoir, which has now been turned to leisure use and attracts walkers, fishermen and picnickers.
The broadcasting studios of Wish FM
, radio for the WIgan/St.Helens area, are located in the area. on the eastern side of the M6.
runs north-south through the area. The easily accessible East Lancashire Road and M62
gives access to Manchester
. The M58 provides the Wigan
area with a link to the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton and indirectly the City of Liverpool
. It is proposed that the Orrell area (Junction 26 of the M6) be the starting point of the A5225 Wigan and Hindley bypass road linking the M6 and the M58 with the M61 at Bolton. Orrell railway station
is located at the southern section of the area providing services eastbound to Manchester
(passing through Wigan Wallgate) and westbound to Kirkby (passing through Upholland railway station).
http://www.orrell-rugby.com/home.html. The senior and junior academy sides of Wigan Warriors
http://www.wiganwarriors.com/MidContent.asp?cid=72 rugby league club play their home games at Edge Hall Road. Orrell left Edge Hall Road at the end of the 2006–2007 season and began playing at St John Rigby College.
The Orrell Otters currently ply their trade in the South Lancs Counties Second Division after winning the Third Division championship in their debut season, and are also the current Houghton Memorial Cup holders after winning the trophy in 2010.
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...
, 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. The area is contiguous to the town of Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
itself and the centre of the district is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) to the west of the town centre. The area today forms a predominantly residential suburb along with the adjoining area of Pemberton
Pemberton, Greater Manchester
Pemberton is an area of Wigan, and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Douglas, contiguous to Wigan's town centre, and east of the M6 motorway...
.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part 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...
, Orrell was once a centre of a flourishing mining industry, though today no evidence of the area's industrial past is present. The expansion of Wigan has led to the area's suburbanisation. The electoral ward of Orrell has a population of 11,203.
Toponymy
Orrell derives from the Anglo Saxon ora and hyll, a hill where ore is dug. Its recorded name has varied over the centuries, in recent times it is known as Orrell-in-Makerfield as Orrell is one of the historic Makerfield districts. Orrell is recorded as Horhill in 1202, Horul in 1212, Orel in 1292, Orhull in 1294 and Orul in 1307.Orrell was also the family name of a number of landowners in the area and various branches of the Orrell family held small estates here for centuries. There are records from 1558 showing William Orrell living at Orrell Hall.
Industrial history
The coal measuresCoal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
of the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
were mined extensively at the Orrell Collieries between 1740 and 1850. A tramroad modelled on John Blenkinsop
John Blenkinsop
John Blenkinsop was an English mining engineer and an inventor of steam locomotives, who designed the first practical railway locomotive....
's railway at Middleton
Middleton Railway
The Middleton Railway is the world's oldest continuously working railway. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd...
was built in 1812 from the pits to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of , it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line...
at Crooke. Robert Daglish
Robert Daglish
Robert Daglish was an English steam engineer.Robert Daglish was born in Northumberland but by 1804 had moved to Wigan, Lancashire as engineer and manager of the Haigh Ironworks of the Earl of Balcarres...
was its engineer. A cottage nail making industry flourished at the same time. Another main employer was the Sandbrook 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....
where raw cotton was spun into thread and the many women who worked there came home covered in lint. No significant industry is now present in the area, as the area now serves primarily as a residential suburb for commuters.
Post War
Orrell was also where the last known case of black death occurred in 1973.Divided by the M58 motorway
M58 motorway
The M58 is a motorway passing through Merseyside and Lancashire, terminating in Greater Manchester, England. It is 12 miles long and provides a link between the M6 motorway and the area north of Liverpool.-Route:...
, the area has developed two unofficial 'sections': the southern section with railway station
Orrell railway station
Orrell railway station serves the Orrell area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It is a small two-platform commuter hub on the Wigan to Kirkby branch line....
and Orrell Rugby Union Club's former 'Edge Hall Road
Edge Hall Road
The Co-operative Community Stadium is the Wigan Warriors Rugby League club's high performance training complex and the home ground of the Wigan Warriors Senior Academy and Junior Academy teams and the former home ground of Orrell R.U.F.C.. The ground is located in the Orrell district of the...
' ground; and Orrell Post, at the northern side of the M58. The original Orrell 'post', signifying a halt on the turnpike road, is still outside the Stag public house at a crossroads. The area's proximity to Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
town centre and its position at a junction of the M6, make it an attractive location from which to commute.
Governance
From 1894 to 1974, Orrell formed its own local government district; Orrell Urban DistrictOrrell Urban District
Orrell Urban District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England. Its boundaries were centred on Orrell, but also included parts of Upholland....
, and lay within the administrative county
Administrative counties of England
Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 as the areas for which county councils were elected. Some large counties were divided into several administrative...
of Lancashire.
With the coming of local government reforms
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
in 1974, Orrell's Urban District status was abolished and the area was amalgamated into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...
, 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...
.
Orrell forms part of the Makerfield parliamentary constituency
Makerfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Makerfield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, which is represented in the House of Commons by Labour
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...
Member of Parliament
Member 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,...
, Yvonne Fovargue
Yvonne Fovargue
Yvonne Helen Fovargue is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Makerfield constituency, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester since 2010, replacing the previous Labour MP Ian McCartney, who stepped down due to ill health.Fovargue...
, replacing Ian McCartney
Ian McCartney
Sir Ian McCartney is a former politician, who was the British Labour Party Member of Parliament for the Makerfield constituency between 1987 to 2010, and served in the Cabinet, from 2003 to 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister...
who retired at the 2010 election.
Geography
The area's northern section surrounds junction 26 of the M6 motorwayM6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
. The M6 motorway passes north-south through the area and the section of Orrell to the east of the M6 directly adjoins the district of Pemberton. Orrell and Pemberton
Pemberton, Greater Manchester
Pemberton is an area of Wigan, and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Douglas, contiguous to Wigan's town centre, and east of the M6 motorway...
form one contiguous residential area.
Orrell is one of twenty five electoral wards that make up the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. Orrell is part of the Wigan Urban Area
Wigan Urban Area
The Wigan Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the built-up, or 'urbanised' area containing Wigan in Greater Manchester and Skelmersdale in West Lancashire....
.
Education
St John Rigby CollegeSt John Rigby College (Wigan)
St John Rigby College is a sixth form college in the Orrell district of Wigan, Greater Manchester situated in a estate surrounded by the Lancashire countryside...
http://www.sjr.ac.uk/ is situated at the northern edge of the Orrell area. St Peter's RC High School http://stpeters.contentman.co.uk/, consistently top of the Wigan schools' league table is located on the adjacent road to Orrell Library. Abraham Guest High http://www.abrahamguest.wigan.sch.uk/ is located on the eastern side of the M6 Motorway.
Community facilities
Orrell Library http://www.wlct.org/Libraries/Locations/orrell.htm used to be located on Orrell Rd but was closed in March 2010 and relocated to the new nearby Abraham Guest High School, despite local attempts to keep the original site open.To the south of the area is Orrell Water Park, a disused water storage reservoir, which has now been turned to leisure use and attracts walkers, fishermen and picnickers.
The broadcasting studios of Wish FM
Wish FM
Wish FM is a British Independent Local Radio that serves the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester and the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside...
, radio for the WIgan/St.Helens area, are located in the area. on the eastern side of the M6.
Transport
The area's principal road is the A577 Boothstown to Ormskirk. The M6 motorwayM6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
runs north-south through the area. The easily accessible East Lancashire Road and M62
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
gives access to 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...
. The M58 provides the Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
area with a link to the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton and indirectly the City of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. It is proposed that the Orrell area (Junction 26 of the M6) be the starting point of the A5225 Wigan and Hindley bypass road linking the M6 and the M58 with the M61 at Bolton. Orrell railway station
Orrell railway station
Orrell railway station serves the Orrell area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It is a small two-platform commuter hub on the Wigan to Kirkby branch line....
is located at the southern section of the area providing services eastbound to 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...
(passing through Wigan Wallgate) and westbound to Kirkby (passing through Upholland railway station).
Sport
The area is the home of South Lancashire & Cheshire Division 2 side Orrell Rugby Union Football ClubOrrell R.U.F.C.
Orrell Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union team from the Orrell area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester.The club were founded in 1927, holding a place in the top-tier of rugby union from 1986 to 1997.-1927–1939:...
http://www.orrell-rugby.com/home.html. The senior and junior academy sides of Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
http://www.wiganwarriors.com/MidContent.asp?cid=72 rugby league club play their home games at Edge Hall Road. Orrell left Edge Hall Road at the end of the 2006–2007 season and began playing at St John Rigby College.
The Orrell Otters currently ply their trade in the South Lancs Counties Second Division after winning the Third Division championship in their debut season, and are also the current Houghton Memorial Cup holders after winning the trophy in 2010.
External links
- UK & Ireland Genealogy - Orrell, Genealogy and Gazzetter webspace about Orrell.
- Orrell, Billinge, Winstanley Township, Wigan MBC website.