Visit Atherton, Greater Manchester Places

Welcome to Visit Atherton, Greater Manchester Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Atherton, Greater Manchester

  

Atherton, Greater Manchester Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Atherton, Greater Manchester

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Atherton, Greater Manchester history

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Toponymy

Atherton was recorded as Aderton in 1212 and 1242 in 1259. Opinions differ as to the derivation of the name as it is bounded by brooks to the west and south. The western boundary is Hindsford Brook, originally named Goderic Brook after a Saxon saint.

Early history

The Roman road between Manchester and Wigan is shown on the 1849 6″ OS map crossing Miller’s Lane at 90 degrees about halfway down. The site of Gadbury Brickworks at Gibfield Colliery has been excavated.

Manor

The Atherton family held the manor from the de Botelers, whose chief manor was at Warrington. The last direct male descendant of the Athertons is remembered for two events; his expulsion of the congregation from the first Chapel in 1721, and building Atheron Hall on a grand scale, to designs by architect William Wakefield. Work on the hall started in 1723 and was not finished until 1743.

Two battles

In 1642, men of Chowbent were on their way to Leigh Church when word came that James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby’s Royalist troops were marching through Leigh, probably en route for Manchester. The men armed themselves and drove the Earl’s men back to Lowton Common, killing some, wounding others and taking prisoner about 200 men. In 1715, during the Jacobite rising the supporters of the Old Pretender were marching on Preston.

Industrial history

Atherton, along with neighbouring Shakerley, was associated with coal mining and nail manufacture. Alexander Naylor was taxed on his goods in 1332, showing the industry was present for at least 600 years. The nail industry developed into the manufacture of nuts and bolts.

Atherton, Greater Manchester culture & places

Atherton Botanical Garden Club, which is today a social club, was formed in 1850. A public library was opened in 1905 with an Andrew Carnegie grant. Central Park, a 10-acre (4.0 ha) public park, was created in 1912.

Atherton, Greater Manchester landmarks

There are several historic listed buildings in and around Atherton, some, but not all, in the area referred to as Chowbent. They include the 17th-century Alder House, Chowbent Chapel, St John the Baptist’s Church and Chanters Farmhouse. The name “Chanters” derives from a chantry granted by the Bishop of Lichfield in 1360 to Sir William de Atheron.

Atherton, Greater Manchester geography / climate

At 53°31′23′23″N 2°29′44″W / 53.52306°N 2.49556°W / 53.52306; -2.4955° (53.5231°) At 53.523°, Atherton is 171 miles (275 km) northwest of central London. The southwest of the town is 100 feet (30 m) above sea level, rising to 250 feet (76 m) in the north.

You can visit Atherton, Greater Manchester places with Walkfo Atherton, Greater Manchester to hear history at Atherton, Greater Manchester’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Atherton, Greater Manchester has 74 places to visit in our interactive Atherton, Greater Manchester map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Atherton, Greater Manchester, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Atherton, Greater Manchester places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Atherton, Greater Manchester & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 74 audio facts unique to Atherton, Greater Manchester places in an interactive Atherton, Greater Manchester map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Atherton, Greater Manchester Places Map
74 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Atherton, Greater Manchester historic spots	Atherton, Greater Manchester tourist destinations	Atherton, Greater Manchester plaques	Atherton, Greater Manchester geographic features
Walkfo Atherton, Greater Manchester tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Atherton, Greater Manchester

  

Best Atherton, Greater Manchester places to visit

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Atherton, Greater Manchester has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Atherton, Greater Manchester’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Atherton, Greater Manchester’s information audio spots:

Parsonage Colliery Parsonage Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Lancashire Coalfield . It was sunk between 1913 and 1920 by the Wigan Coal and Iron Company . For many years its shafts to the Arley mine were the deepest in the country .

Mather Lane Mill Mather Lane Mills was a complex of cotton mills built by the Bridgewater Canal in Bedford, Leigh in Lancashire . The No 2 mill and its former warehouse are grade II listed buildings .

Howe Bridge Colliery Howe Bridge Colliery was part of Fletcher, Burrows and Company’s collieries at Howe Bridge in Atherton, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire .

Leigh Spinners Leigh Spinners or Leigh Mill is a Grade II* listed double cotton spinning mill in Bedford, Leigh, Greater Manchester . The mill was built in the 1930s .

Garrett Hall Garrett Hall or The Garrett is a former manor house in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester. The hall was designated a grade II listed building in 1987.

Great Boys Colliery Great Boys Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield in the second half of the 19th century. It was sunk on Great Boys farm, which in 1778 was described as a “messuage with eight Cheshire acres of land” The offices and lamproom for the pit occupied the building that is now the Colliers Arms public house, on Sale Lane.

Damhouse Damhouse or Astley Hall is a Grade II* Listed building in Astley, Greater Manchester. It has served as a manor house, sanatorium and sanatorium. Since restoration in 2000, it houses offices, a clinic, nursery and tearooms.

St Stephen’s Church, Astley St Stephen’s Church is an active Anglican church in Astley, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1968 and part of Leigh deanery in the archdeaconry of Salford and diocese of Manchester.

Higher Folds Higher Folds is 10 miles from Manchester in the unparished area of Leigh, in the Wigan district. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 2,770. Shaun Keaveny grew up in the town and grew up there.

Tyldesley Top Chapel Top Chapel was built in 1789 on a site of 1,300 square yards at the top of Tyldesley Banks opposite the Square. The site and building materials were all provided by Thomas Johnson. It was properly known as “The Lady Huntingdon Chapel” but became known as Top Chapel because of its position.

Visit Atherton, Greater Manchester plaques