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!colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Metropolitan Borough of Wigan !colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
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The '''Metropolitan Borough of Wigan''' is a ] of ], in ]. It is twinned with ] in ]. The historic town of '']'' is the largest Town, and gives rise to the name, of this Metropolitan Borough. The '''Metropolitan Borough of Wigan''' is a ] of ], in ]. It is named after its largest town, ], and covers a number of nearby towns.
==The Metropolitan Borough==
The Township Programme has been set up to make it easier for residents to get involved in planning the future of their communities. The Borough has been divided into ten Township areas. Each area has a Township Manager and Township Co-ordinator who are working to co-ordinate the way in which public services are delivered locally and to encourage improvements in services, where they are needed.<Ref>Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref>



They will also be encouraging local people to have a greater involvement in the borough's Community Plan by helping people to identify local issues and action. Each of the ten townships has a Township Forum - made up of a number of agencies, organisations, local Councillors and local groups. Township Forums are responsible for producing local action plans that reflect the long-term vision for the future of the Township area. The action plans are based around eight themes; community safety, economy, education, environment, health, leisure and recreation, neighbourhood development and traffic and transport. These plans detail what the Forum feels are important issues for the Township. Township Staff work closely with the Forums in a supporting and advising role and to encourage improvements in services where needed<Ref>Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref>
==Extent==

Towns and villages in the borough include ] itself, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

The current boundaries of ] were set by the ], which on ], ] formed the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan from the former ] of Wigan, along with the ] of Leigh, the ]s of Abram, ], Atherton, Hindley, Ince-in-Makerfield, Orrell, ], Tyldesley, part of the urban districts of ], ], ], and part of ].

==Identity==

According to an opinion poll, 26% of 299 residents surveyed felt they belonged "very strongly" or "fairly strongly" (4% very strongly) to Greater Manchester, 64% (28% very strongly) to the borough of Wigan, and 63% (31% very strongly) to ]. <ref> December 2003 - February 2004</ref>.

==Subdivisions==

The borough has three civil parishes: ], ] and ], which all came from the ]. The rest of the borough is an ].

===Area committees===


'''The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan''' ''Townships'' are:<ref>Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref> '''The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan''' ''Townships'' are:<ref>Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref>
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*''Wigan South'' Township, (Goose Green, Hawkley Hall, Kitt Green, Lamberhead, Marsh Green, Marus Bridge, Newtown, Norley Hall, Pemberton, Poolstock, Worsley Hall, Worsley Mesnes). <ref> Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref> *''Wigan South'' Township, (Goose Green, Hawkley Hall, Kitt Green, Lamberhead, Marsh Green, Marus Bridge, Newtown, Norley Hall, Pemberton, Poolstock, Worsley Hall, Worsley Mesnes). <ref> Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref>


Each Township has a manager and a co-ordinator; their roles being to work with Councillors and local residents to develop more opportunities for local people to have a say about their area.<Ref>Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref> Each township has a manager and a co-ordinator; their roles being to work with Councillors and local residents to develop more opportunities for local people to have a say about their area.<Ref>Accessed 5 November, 2006</ref>


Each of the township areas also has a forum. The forum is made up of a number of agencies, organisations, local councillors and local groups. Township forums are responsible for producing local action plans that reflect the long-term vision for the future of the township area. The action plans are based around eight themes; community safety, economy, education, environment, health, leisure and recreation, neighbourhood development and traffic and transport. These plans detail what the forum feels are important issues for the Township. Township Staff work closely with the Forums in a supporting and advising role and to encourage improvements in services where needed.
Towns and villages in the borough include the Town of ''Wigan'' itself, ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ].

The current boundaries of ] were set by the ], which on ], ] formed the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan from the former ] of Wigan, along with the ] of Leigh, the ]s of Abram, ], Atherton, Hindley, Ince-in-Makerfield, Orrell, ], Tyldesley, part of the urban districts of ], ], ], and part of ].

According to an opinion poll, 26% of 299 residents surveyed felt they belonged "very strongly" or "fairly strongly" (4% very strongly) to Greater Manchester, 64% (28% very strongly) to the borough of Wigan, and 63% (31% very strongly) to ]. <ref> December 2003 - February 2004</ref>.

===Parishes and unparished areas===
====Parishes====
Showing former status (prior to 1974):

# ]
# ]
# ]

====Unparished areas====
], showing former status (prior to 1974):

# ] (Urban District)
# ] (Urban District) (part)
# ] (Urban District)
# ] (Urban District)
# ] (Urban District) (part)
# ] (Urban District) (part)
# ] (Urban District)
# ] (Urban District)
# ] (Municipal Borough)
# ] (Urban District)
# ] (Urban District)
# ] (Urban District)
# ''Wigan'' (County Borough)

==The town of Wigan==
'''Wigan''' is the largest Town in the ''Metropolitan Borough of Wigan'', and lies within the ] of ].

It is roughly equidistant from the cities of ], ] and ]. Towns nearby are ], ], ] and ].

===Etymology===
Wigan's place-name meaning has a rather doubtful etymology. Some sources suggest the name is a Celtic one named after a person called Wigan; this would be a ] place-name, e.g. ] in ] or ] in Devon but other sources suggest the etymology is from ] ''wig'' / ''wiga'' 'warrior' (not meaning the same as modern English ]!) or ''wicga'' 'insect', but this is not backed up by most written sources.
The name was recorded as ''Wicgen'' in 1286.{{fact}}

===Early history===

The first people reported to have settled in the Wigan area were the ].{{fact}} It is believed by some Wigan residents that the ] took over "Chochion", as it was then known, in around 79 AD during one of many ]s with the ] and renamed the settlement “Coccium”, however, there is no proven evidence of this claim being true. Indeed, contents of the 'Antonine Itinerary' (written evidence of Roman roads and stations) prove the 'Coccium' claim unfounded. However, some evidence of Roman occupation has been found in the area, the most recent finding being a hypocaust system discovered during the construction of the foundations for a new shopping centre in the town centre.

By the time of the Middle Ages, Wigan had become a constituent manor of the Barony of Makerfield. It received its Royal Charter from King Henry III in 1246 when it was made into a Borough in its own right. Its new status as a Royal Borough is reflected in the insignia of the town Coat of Arms.

The earliest incorporation of the town is actually mentioned in the report of the Norry King of Arms in 1613, that "The Towne and Bourrough of Wiggin was antiently incorporated by the most noble Kinge, Kinge Hen, the first, in the first year of his raygne," i.e. the year 1100. If so, this would make the borough the oldest in the region, and one of the oldest in the country.

Owing to its loyalty to the Crown during the Civil War, the motto, "Ancient and Loyal", was bestowed on the town by Royal decree. It is the oldest such motto in the English language.

===Civic history===

Wigan was one of the few industrial towns of the ] to be have already received charter as a borough. It was reformed by the ], and was one of the boroughs to be granted the status of ] by the ]; giving it independence from Lancashire County Council. The former area of ] was annexed to the borough in 1904. In 1974 the county borough was abolished and its former area transferred from Lancashire to Greater Manchester to form part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan.

===Industry and comerce===

Wigan, primarily a ], was once important for ] ] production. The Leeds-Liverpool ] was diverted from its original planned course, at the request of the mill owners, to transport coal from the Lancashire coalfield pits into Wigan for the mills and was used extensively to transport local produce. In 1818 William Woods introduced the first power ]s to the Wigan cotton mills. These mills swiftly became infamous for their dangerous and unbearable conditions, low pay and use of ]. After the 1914-18 war there was a boom followed by a slump from which Wigan's textile industry did not recover. The last working cotton mill, the ], closed in 1980. The novel ''Rose'' by ] is centred around the ] coal mining in Lancashire, not far from Wigan.

In 1937, Wigan was prominently featured in ]'s ], which dealt, in large part, with the living conditions of England's working poor. The town has enjoyed a complex relationship with this association. Wigan has occasionally embraced the Orwellian link, as it has provided the area with a modest tourist base over the years. However, most regard the insinuation that Wigan is in fact no better now than it was as the Victorian era slum with objection and frank hostility. A recent TV documentary about Orwell visited Wigan, and made a comparison to less-affluent areas such as ] and ], commenting that not much had changed. This was met with widespread local disapproval.

===Music===
Wigan has been well known for its ] since the days of ] and ]. It was the birthplace of ] a dancing troupe who gave the young ] his professional debut. One of the troupe was a John Willie Jackson, The "John Willie" to whom George Formby would often refer in his songs.

Local bands that gained wider repute include The Railway Children, ], The Tansads, ] of ] and (more recently) ]. More recently, ] were one of the most important British rock groups of the 1990s, finding success in the UK and abroad (even touring on the USA's famous ] alternative rock festival). The band was formed when the members met at Winstanley College in the Billinge area of the town.
The ] was, from 1973, the location for Wigan's weekly ] all-nighters (most being DJed by famous ] & northern soul DJ ]), until it was demolished in ].

Wigan remains a centre of popular music for young people, with a number of alternative pubs/clubs in the town centre. The town also has a music collective which exists to promote the scene and help out local musicians and bands. They host weekly gigs at The Tavern and also host various other activities such as the annual ] music festival, recording sessions and gig advice for young musicians.

=== Labour clubs ===
Wigan has traditionally part of the heartland of the ''National Union of Labour Clubs''; having thirty Labour Clubs at its highest, and about twenty currently. The NULSC has used Haigh Hall for its annual festival.

===Sport===
Wigan's main contributions to sport are:

*] (]),
*] (]),
*] (]).
*] Swimming Club

Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors share the ]. While Orrell play at Edge Hall Road.

As Wigan RLFC, the "Warriors" were England's leading ] team in the ] and ].

Wigan Athletic were elected to the ] in ] - and to the ] in the 2005/06 season; getting to the League Cup Final in February 2006.

Wigan has an international-standard Swimming Pool in the town centre, but the Pool has never been used for any official Olympic sanctioned competition. The resident swimming club, Wigan B.E.S.T., has produced Olympic standard swimmers, such as ].

==Transport and communications==

===Canals===
The ] was extended from ] to the middle of ''Leigh'' in 1795, and in 1819 the ''Leigh branch canal'' was cut from the ] at Poolstock, ''Wigan'', to meet the Bridgewater at Leigh Bridge, giving access from Leigh to all parts of Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Midlands.

===Rail===
There are two main rail stations in ''Wigan''. These are located virtually across the street from each other in ''Wallgate'', on the southern fringe of ''Wigan Town Centre''.

* ] is on the ] north-south ].<br>] provides express trains to ], ], ], ], ] and ]. ] has trains to ] and ] and a regular local service along the line to ] and ].

* ] serves lines running east and west from Wigan.<br>] provides trains to ] and ] (with connections to ] and the ] system). A frequent local service also operates to ] and ] (] and ]), with most trains from Wigan continuing through to other destinations such as ], ], ] and ].

In addition to the two Wigan town centre stations, there are stations served by local trains at ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

''Leigh'' was the southern ] of the ] and Leigh Railway (7.5 miles: 12km). ] carried out the survey for the line. It opened for freight on August 1st 1828 and for passengers on June 13th 1831. The first locomotive on the line was an ] called The ]. The town station was at West Leigh. Later the line was extended southwards to Pennington. The line was closed to passenger traffic on 29th March 1954, and later closed completely.

The second ] to serve the town of ''Leigh'' was a branch line from the ] - ] - ] line. It joined the earlier railway at Pennington: there was a station, originally named ''Leigh and Bedford'' to serve the town. It was closed in May 1969, leaving the town without a passenger railway. Numerous freight-only lines crossed the town, but with the closure of the ] these were no longer required.

Today the nearest railway station to ''Leigh'' is at ], three miles to the north. Leigh is the second largest town in ] without a railway station; second only to ] in ].

===Buses===
A network of local buses serves Wigan and district, co-ordinated by ] and departing from a bus station in the town centre, which is also served by ] long distance services.

Since deregulation and privatisation of the bus industry in the 1980s and 90s, a number of different companies have operated in Wigan, some big, some small.<br>At present the two larger national operators are:-
* ], which operates routes generally to the north-east, east and south-east of the town, including buses to ], ] and ].
* ], which operates north and west of Wigan to ], ], ], ] and ].

] also provide services around the borough of Wigan.

The large bus station in ''Leigh'' is now that town's main public transport hub.

==Notable people==
*], Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee.
*], TV Newscaster
*], trade union leader
*], engineer and the the first passenger train driver in the world, was from Tyldesley, Salford, (now in Wigan borough).
*], former Great Britain Rugby League captain and Wigan Warriors captain, now at Saracens Rugby Union.
*], comedian, Ukulele player and Isle of Man TT racer on a 'Shuttleworth Snap'. Arguably the most famous person who 'Genuinely' came from Wigan.
*], (Ashton in Makerfield), former miner and president of the ']'.
*], Comedy actor
*],Chris Hamill, pop singer (Pemberton)
*], Journalist/Broadcaster
*], Hollywood actor
*], actress
*], actress
*], comedian
*], comedian
*], professional wrestler. Held various ] championships (Golborne, Warrington, but now under Wigan Borough).
*], actress, is NOT from Wigan.
*], fictional ] characters created by ] in Preston, Lancashire.
*],Yorkshireman from Bradford, businessman and owner of the Wigan Warriors, Wigan Athletic, Orrell RUFC and JJB Sports.
*], founder of the 17th century ]

Business connections to the town include ] the home of the baked bean, formaly 57 varieties,the largest food manufacturer in Europe. ], ] and ] who are in ] which is in the Wigan borough, their head office being in ] and countless others including Yates's Fish and Chip Shop in Goose Green.

Thomas ], sold his 'Beechams Pills' in Wigan for a short time, before moving to ] where he founded, what was to become, the worlds largest pharmacutical producer. The ] art connoisseurs are connected with the town.


==References== ==References==
<references/> <references/>

==External links==
*
* - Wigan Observer, Wigan Recorder, Wigan Evening Post
* - photographs
*


{{Greater Manchester}} {{Greater Manchester}}

{{NW_England}} {{NW_England}}


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Revision as of 23:05, 5 November 2006

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Find sources: "Metropolitan Borough of Wigan" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Wigan
Geography
Status: Metropolitan Borough
Region: North West England
Ceremonial County: Greater Manchester
Area:
- Total		 Ranked 194th
188.19 km²
Admin. HQ: Wigan
ONS code: 00BW
Demographics
Population:
- Total (2022)
- Density		 Ranked

/ km²
Ethnicity: 98.7% White
Politics
Arms of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council
Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council
http://www.wiganmbc.gov.uk
Leadership: Leader & Cabinet
Executive:  
MPs: Andrew Burnham, Barbara Keeley, Ian McCartney, Neil Turner

The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Wigan, and covers a number of nearby towns.


Extent

Towns and villages in the borough include Wigan itself, Abram, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Aspull, Astley, Atherton, Billinge with Winstanley, Bryn, Golborne, Haigh, Hindley, Ince-in-Makerfield, Leigh, Lowton, Orrell, Pemberton, Platt Bridge, Standish, Shevington and Tyldesley.

The current boundaries of Wigan were set by the Local Government Act 1972, which on April 1, 1974 formed the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan from the former County Borough of Wigan, along with the municipal borough of Leigh, the urban districts of Abram, Aspull, Atherton, Hindley, Ince-in-Makerfield, Orrell, Standish-with-Langtree, Tyldesley, part of the urban districts of Ashton-in-Makerfield, Golborne, Billinge-and-Winstanley, and part of Wigan Rural District.

Identity

According to an opinion poll, 26% of 299 residents surveyed felt they belonged "very strongly" or "fairly strongly" (4% very strongly) to Greater Manchester, 64% (28% very strongly) to the borough of Wigan, and 63% (31% very strongly) to Lancashire. .

Subdivisions

The borough has three civil parishes: Haigh, Shevington and Worthington, which all came from the Wigan Rural District. The rest of the borough is an unparished area.

Area committees

The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan Townships are:

  • Hindley, Abram Township, (Hindley, Hindley Green, Low Hall, Platt Bridge, Abram, Bickershaw, Bamfurlong, Spring View),
  • Bryn, Ashton Township, (Landgate, Bryn, Ashton, Ashton Heath, Stubshaw Cross, Town Green),
  • Standish, Aspull, Shevington Township, (Aspull, Appley Bridge, Crooke Village, Haigh, New Springs, Shevington, Shevington Vale, Shevington Moor, Standish, Whelley),
  • Tyldesley, Astley Township, (Mosley Common, Shakerley, Gin Pit Village, Astley Green (inc. Higher & Lower Green), New Hall Farm Estate),
  • Atherton Township, (Hag Fold, Howe Bridge, Hindsford),
  • Orrell, Billinge, Winstanley Township, (Orrell, Far Moor, Billinge, Highfield, Marus Bridge, Winstanley),
  • Golborne, Lowton Township, (Golborne, Lowton, Lowton St Lukes, Lowton St Mary's),
  • Leigh Township,( Pennington, Westleigh, Bedford, Higher Folds, Siddow Common, Lilford),
  • Wigan North Township, (Beech Hill, Lower Ince, Higher Ince, Scholes, Swinley, Wigan Town Centre, Whitley),
  • Wigan South Township, (Goose Green, Hawkley Hall, Kitt Green, Lamberhead, Marsh Green, Marus Bridge, Newtown, Norley Hall, Pemberton, Poolstock, Worsley Hall, Worsley Mesnes).

Each township has a manager and a co-ordinator; their roles being to work with Councillors and local residents to develop more opportunities for local people to have a say about their area.

Each of the township areas also has a forum. The forum is made up of a number of agencies, organisations, local councillors and local groups. Township forums are responsible for producing local action plans that reflect the long-term vision for the future of the township area. The action plans are based around eight themes; community safety, economy, education, environment, health, leisure and recreation, neighbourhood development and traffic and transport. These plans detail what the forum feels are important issues for the Township. Township Staff work closely with the Forums in a supporting and advising role and to encourage improvements in services where needed.

References

  1. MORI local government and identity opinion poll December 2003 - February 2004
  2. Wigan council site/Townships.Accessed 5 November, 2006
  3. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  4. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  5. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  6. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  7. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  8. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  9. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  10. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  11. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  12. Wigan Council site, individual Township. Accessed 5 November, 2006
  13. Wigan council site.Accessed 5 November, 2006
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