Withnell is a village and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Borough of Chorley

Chorley (borough)

Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, the town of Chorley.-Creation:...

, 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...

, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,631. Withnell is about five miles (8 km) north-east of Chorley

Chorley

Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...

 itself and about 5 miles (8 km) away from Blackburn. It constituted 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....

 from 1894 to 1974. It was originally called 'Withinhull' around 1160, later appearing as 'Withinhulle' in the 1332 Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire, meaning 'a hill where willow trees grow'. It borders the villages of Brinscall

Brinscall

Brinscall is a village in the borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England. Located approximately five miles north-east of Chorley, Brinscall borders the similar-sized villages of Withnell and Abbey Village. Brinscall is part of the civil parish of Withnell but does not have its own boundaries...

 and Abbey Village

Abbey Village

Abbey Village is a village in the English county of Lancashire and the constituency of Chorley. It is located on the A675 road, six miles from Blackburn, eight miles from Chorley, nine miles from Preston and ten miles from Bolton....

.

Geography

Withnell Local Nature Reserve roughly traces the path of a now disused railway cutting for around 2/3 of a mile. Since 1966, a large number of wildflowers, native trees and heathers have been planted in the 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) site. The public are free to walk through this Reserve, designated as a Local Nature Reserve by Chorley Borough Council.

Amenities in Withnell include St. Joseph's Catholic school and church, and St Paul's Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 church There is a newsagent (Post Office recently closed on May 8 2008 as part of the Post Office Network Change Program).
There is a GP surgery for Withnell and surrounding villages, a village grocer's shop, a fish and chip/Chinese takeaway and a beauty parlour.

Withnell railway station

Withnell railway station

Withnell railway station was a railway station that served Abbey Village and Withnell, in Lancashire, England.-History:The station was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. It was on the Blackburn to Chorley Line. In January 1960, the station was closed following the withdrawal of the...

served the village, but it closed in 1960.

External links

• Withnell, Chorley Borough Council.
• History of Withnell Township, British History Online.