Local Area Information

It is very important to choose the area you live in carefully. If you do not like your neighbourhood, you will never feel at home in your new property. To help you decide where to buy/let, we have put together area guides which we hope you will find useful.

Abram

Abram is in the borough of Wigan, it is a former mining village located alongside the Leeds Liverpool Canal between Ashton-in-Makerfield and Hindley. In 1908 seventy five miners died in an explosion at the Maypole Colliery, one of the best documented of all pit disasters. The village has an historic association of traditional morris dancing and is home to Abram Morris Dancers. The Abram Circle dance also comes from Abram and is renowned to Morris Dancers. You can see the Morris Dancers logo on the boundary signs at each entrance to the village.

Ashton-in-Makerfield

Ashton-in-Makerfield is an historic market town under the local authority of Wigan Metropolitan Borough. It has excellent transport networks and the cities of Manchester and Liverpool are easily accessible by the M6 motorway, rail network and A580 East Lancashire Road. The Manchester International Airport and the Liverpool John Lennon Airport are within half and hour’s drive.

The flourishing town boasts many excellent restaurants and bars and has local places of interest including the ‘Three Sisters Recreation Park’ at Bryn, which is popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

Bamfurlong

Bamfurlong was originally a small mining village set around the Mains Colliery between Dover Lock and Bolton Road. In December 1892 there was an underground fire which led to sixteen men and boys losing their lives. The colliery closed in 1960. The village is situated on the main A49 thoroughfare between Ashton-in-Makerfield and Wigan.

Bickershaw

This small village is situated close to nearby villages of Abram and Platt Bridge. Until 1992 mining took place at nearby Bickershaw Colliery. Now much of the surrounding area is agricultural or reclaimed land, including part of the wildlife reserve known as Wigan Flashes.

Billinge

Billinge is an ancient settlement on the slopes of a moderately prominent hill, rising to nearly 600 feet above sea level. It is roughly half way between the towns of Wigan and St. Helens and indeed falls partly between the two council districts. Although originally a rural area with a farming economy the area now has several large housing estates and a population approaching 20,000.

Two local beauty spots are Billinge Hill, with fine views across the Lancashire plain, and the tranquil Billinge Plantations - an important local nature reserve.

Billinge boasts one of the borough’s oldest surviving halls. Bispham Hall, built around 1560 for the family of the same name, it was gutted by fire in 1978 but has now been restored.

Billinge is close to the local motorway networks, especially the M6 and the main A580 East Lancashire Road and is close to nearby Garswood.

Blackbrook

Blackbrook is an area of St Helens situated to the north of the town prior to entering Haydock. The A58 runs directly through the area and is one of the major roads in and out of the town. However, during peak periods this road gets very busy and the new Blackbrook diversion scheme road has been designed to alleviate some of these congestion problems and link the area to the A580 East Lancashire Road.

Blackbrook is also located close to the historic Sankey Valley Park which follows the 15 mile course of England’s oldest canal, linking St. Helens with Warrington through to Widnes by footpath and cycleway. Today this extensive, lush green corridor of woodlands, grasslands and water features is of immense value both for wildlife and recreation. Walkers and cyclists can follow the Trans Pennine Trail or explore the footpath network.

Bold

Bold is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, near the borders with Halton and Warrington, to the east of St Helens town centre. The parish extends southwards a good way and includes the hamlet of Bold Heath along with the Clock Face area of St Helens.

Burtonwood

The village of Burtonwood is located in the outermost suburbs of Warrington and is well known for the RAF airbase and also for its brewery, which brews the Burtonwood ales. The Air Base was also used by the United States Air Force in the early 1950s and was the biggest US airbase in Europe.

The village is fairly small with a population of around 11,000, which has risen in recent years due to housing development on the old air base site. Much of the surrounding area is rural farmland with the nearest railway station being some 1.7 miles away in nearby Earlestown.

Collins Green

Collins Green is a small former pit village just outside Newton le Willows. The colliery was closed many years ago, and Collins Green is now a quiet residential area. The famous Burtonwood RAF base was close to Collins Green, which is also very close to the south edge of the Sankey Valley Park.

Croft

Croft is a village within the district of Warrington about five miles north of Warrington town centre. It has a population of around 3,000 and is a typical rural, residential district. The village is on the northern edge of the borough of Warrington, north of the interchange of the M6 and M62 motorways (known as the Croft Interchange).

In terms of the local area, it borders Culcheth to the east, Lowton to the north, Winwick to the west and Risley to the South.

Dentons Green

This area to the North West of St Helens town centre is mainly residential and quite densely populated. It is located very close to the main A580 East Lancashire Road and therefore enjoys easy commuting to both Liverpool and Manchester.

Earlestown

Earlestown forms the western part of the former urban district of Newton-le-Willows, but is now in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens

The town is named after Hardman Earle (11 July 1792 - 25 January 1877) who was the Chairman of the London and North Western Railway. The railway leased the Viaduct Foundry from Messrs. Jones and Potts.

Earlestown has a famous market, an impressive town hall and a railway station with frequent services to Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington and North Wales. Earlestown is also well located as far as the road network is concerned being close to the M62, M6 and A580 East Lancashire Road.

Earlestown also has a town centre containing many shops, a scattering of pubs and even a nightclub.

Garswood

Garswood is a village between Wigan and St Helens. It is often associated with the nearby town of Ashton-in-Makerfield and has enjoyed considerable expansion since the mid 1960s due to population movement from the nearby cities of Liverpool and Manchester to the less urban areas of South Lancashire.

Garswood railway station provides direct rail links to Liverpool and Wigan, there are also commuter services to Manchester and Preston.

Good road links are provided by the village’s proximity to the M6 and the A580 East Lancashire Road, and it benefits from being equidistant from St.Helens and Wigan.

Golborne

Golborne is situated within the postal district of Warrington and was until recently dominated by its colliery, scene of a tragic explosion in 1979 in which several miners died. Closure just ten years later has meant the chance to reclaim the site and its giant spoil heap for leisure and new industries.

The name Golborne means ‘golden stream’ where yellow flowers grew in abundance. The site of the town is one of the claimants to the battle of Maserfield in which Penda, pagan King of Mercia was victorious over the Christian King (and later saint) Oswald; the name is mentioned by the Anglo-Saxon chronicler Bede.

Over the last few years Golborne has seen a number of new housing developments built within close proximity to the town centre, which is located very close to the A580 East Lancashire Road.

Goose Green

Goose Green is a suburb of Wigan, which is next to Marus Bridge. It is most famous for its nightlife at the Goose Green Labour Club. It has good public transport to nearby Wigan and plenty of amenities within easy reach.

Hawkley Hall

Hawkley Hall is next to Goose Green and Winstanley. As well as being home to one of Wigan’s retail parks, it also has a popular Travel Inn which is convenient for the M6 motorway. Hawkley Hall has a large residential housing area, good public transport to Wigan and also has a major leisure centre within its boundaries.

Haresfinch

Haresfinch is located close to the A580 East Lancashire Road and is a residential suburb to the North of St Helens.

Haydock

Haydock is known nationally for its race-course, and as a regional road transport hub. Situated close to Ashton-in-Makerfield and at the meeting point of the M6 and A580 East Lancashire Road, it is close to within 20 miles of both Manchester and Liverpool.

The village is often referred to by the colloquial name of ‘Yick’, and its inhabitants may be referred to/refer to themselves (affectionately) as ‘Yickers’.

Highfield

Highfield is in between Winstanley and Pemberton. Mostly comprising residential areas, Highfield also boasts a large pub/restaurant - The Venture

Hindley

Hindley borders the towns of Ince, Leigh and Westhoughton, and has a population of around 24,000. Hindley town centre is located on the historic route between Wigan and Bolton, approximately three miles to the east of Wigan and four miles to the north-west of Leigh. Much residential development has taken place here in recent years

Hindley has its own baths, railway station and also a sports centre, which it shares with a local high school. It has always shared many connections with neighbouring Abram, most notably Hindley and Abram Grammar School -now an educational resource centre for teachers.

The area to the north is particularly attractive, including the picturesque Borsdane Wood and Hindley golf course, centred on 18th century Hindley Hall. Hindley.

Hindley Green

Hindley Green is a small residential district located to the South of Hindley, on the route between Hindley and Atherton the A577 Atherton Road.

Ince-in-Makerfield

Ince-in-Makerfield, usually known just as Ince is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. It has a railway station and a good bus service to Wigan. Formerly a mining village, over the last couple of years there has been considerable development and investment in the area.

Kitt Green

Kitt Green is best known for the Heinz factory which opened in 1958. Close to Orrell and next to Marsh Green, it has good public transport links to Wigan and has had a number of new housing developments over the last decade.

Leigh

Leigh is a very old Parish, located just off the A580 East Lancashire Road and is around six miles north east of Warrington and the same distance south-east of Wigan. Leigh is the second largest town in the borough of Wigan. Once an important jewel in the industrial crown of the North West it has a distinguished industrial heritage of mining, mills, engineering and transport.

The Town Centre offers a variety of independent and national retail outlets for the shopper and a choice of ambling through the ‘Spinning Gate’ shopping centre or the pedestrianised heart of the Town.

Lowton

Lowton is a village close to Leigh, and is within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. It is located around three miles from Leigh, five miles north of Warrington and nine miles south of Wigan. The settlement lies across the A580 East Lancashire Road and Lowton is part of the Warrington postal area.

Marsh Green

Marsh Green is next to Kitt Green and is a residential area close to Wigan. It has a thriving community based around the Marsh Green community centre.

Moss Bank

Moss Bank is an area to the North of St Helens across the A580 East Lancashire Road from the neighbouring Haresfinch. It is located close to the Carr Mill Dam, which is Merseyside’s largest body of inland water.

Once simply a mill pond built to power Carr’s Mill, this was hugely expanded in the 1750s to provide water to the Sankey Navigation, (Sankey Canal), about a mile away. The lake is a firm favourite, busy with anglers & water sports enthusiasts. It’s also a great place for birdwatchers - herons, great crested grebes, coots & various species of duck and gull can be found here.

Newton-le-Willows

Newton-le-Willows is to the East of St Helens and the North of Warrington within the borough of St Helens. The old centre of Newton is on the A49 road and has a number of Georgian buildings, and is an attractive residential area. Newton boasts high quality restaurants, a busy high street, and a railway station with a direct line to both Manchester and Liverpool which makes it a popular place to live for people needing to commute to work. It is also close to the A580 East Lancashire Road and the M6 motorway network.

Newtown

Newtown is located close to the centre of Wigan. Historically, at Newtown there were cotton mills and iron works, however, in present times, Newtown is home to one of the largest ASDA stores in the country. Nearby Robin Retail park houses many famous chain names, including Halfords, McDonalds and many smaller high street retailers. It has excellent public transport links and is close to Wigan’s train stations.

Orrell

Orrell is an area and residential suburb of Wigan. The area is situated three miles to the west of Wigan and covers some 647 hectares. The areas northern section surrounds junction 26 of the M6 motorway. Orrell and the adjoining district of Pemberton form one contiguous residential area.

Lying to the west of Wigan close to the junctions of the M6 and M58, Orrell was originally known as Orrell-in-Makerfield, to distinguish it from Orrell-in-Sefton, Liverpool.

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

Parr

Parr is a neighbourhood within the borough of St Helens located to the East of St Helens. it has recently seen considerable investment and development with many newly built properties. Parr benefits from having a swimming baths and St Helens fire station is also within its boundary.

Peasley Cross

This area is within the borough of St Helens and is located to the South of St Helens town centre it is mainly residential and is home to St Helens hospital.

Pemberton

Pemberton is an area and residential suburb in the borough of Wigan, situated between Orrell and Wigan. It is contiguous to Wigan, being separated by the River Douglas. Pemberton and its adjoining district of Orrell are essentially one continuous residential area. The Robin Park complex is also part of the Pemberton neighbourhood.

Historically, there were several collieries in the area, and sandstone was also quarried. A well at Lamberhead Green (Pingate) was noted for its excellent water quality. In present day, the village of Pemberton has a thriving community and high street served by many small shops, the area also has its own railway station.

Platt Bridge

Platt Bridge is an area and residential suburb in the borough of Wigan. It is situated two miles south of Wigan town centre along the spine of the A573.

Platt Bridge borders Abram, Bryn, Bamfurlong, Hindley and Ince. Platt Bridge’s border with Bamfurlong is marked by the Leigh Canal, a branch off the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, linking with the Bridgewater Canal. Some areas of Platt Bridge are currently undergoing development with a number of new housing estates.

Poolstock

Poolstock is an area in the borough of Wigan and is the area next to Worsley Mesnes and close to Wigan town centre. The main road running through it B5238 Poolstock Lane is the main thoroughfare to Wigan from nearby Ashton-in-Makerfield.

St Helens

St Helens is a town in the metropolitan county of Merseyside. It gives its name to the borough of St Helens, and is the largest town within it. The population of the town is approximately 103,000.

The town was built both physically and metaphorically on coal: the original motto on the borough coat of arms was “Ex Terra Lucem” and local collieries employed up to 5,000 men as late as the 1970s.

One-time cradle of the industrial revolution, today’s St.Helens is transforming itself into a destination of choice for all kinds of visitors to England’s Northwest.

Three indoor shopping centres meet at Church Square: the LaGrange Arcade, St Mary’s Arcade and the Hardshaw Centre. Other main shopping streets include Bridge Street, Westfield Street and Duke Street.

From the multi award-winning World of Glass heritage attraction to premier racing at Haydock Park, high octane power boating, & the all-conquering “Saints” rugby club, spanning countryside trails, vibrant nightlife, a growing cultural offer, & one of the UK’s top 10 jazz & blues venues, “destination St.Helens” has a host of hidden delights, for young & old, by day & by night.

Scholes

Scholes is to the North East of Wigan town centre and has its own shopping precinct. It has a number of high rise blocks of flats and the town centre is very easily accessible on foot.

Skelmersdale

Skelmersdale is a new town, by far the largest town in the district of West Lancashire with a population of around 39,000. Skelmersdale became a designated new town in 1961, the first in the second wave of designations. Due to the arrival of a large number of former Liverpool council house tenants, the town retains a strong association with Liverpool to which it is linked via the vastly underused M58 motorway.

West Lancashire has one of the lowest recorded crime rates in England. Furthermore, 90% of the district’s planned economic expansion is to be targeted at the town, no doubt a consequence of its road infrastructure - no point in the town is more than five minutes away from the motorway system.

Skelmersdale has a number of different areas within its boundaries including Birch Green, Elmers Green, Tanhouse, Pennylands and Ashurst all of which are linked by a series of roads and roundabouts that are built around the town centre. Skelmersdale has a thriving community centered around the Concourse Shopping Centre which is the hub of activity in the district.

Springfield

Springfield is the area to the North of Wigan town centre. This area was formerly home to Springfield Park, the football ground for Wigan Athletic, until the club moved to the new JJB stadium at the end of the 1999 season.

Within easy reach of the town centre it is situated close to Whitley and Beech Hill and is also near to Wigan’s Hospital.

Sutton

Sutton is a district of St Helens. Derived from Sud Tun, the Old English for South Town, Sutton is located in the south of St Helens and dates back hundreds of years. It was originally a Saxon village and its rich seams of coal transformed it from an area of moorland and forest into a thriving community. Mining proved an important part of life in Sutton from the sixteenth century right up until 1991 when the Sutton Manor Colliery closed down. Its history has been largely industrial with occupations such as glass blowing, clay digging, nail making, linen weaving and brewing.

The Sutton Brook navigation reached north Sutton in St Helens in the 1770s bringing with it improved communications and the transportation of fuel. Industries such as the British Plate Glass Company, Sidac and the Sutton Alkali Works sprang up making it a thriving community. The closure of the mines (at Sherdley, Lea Green, Clock Face and Sutton Manor) as well as many of the other traditional industries, drastically changed the landscape and economy of the area.

In their places wildlife parks and areas of outstanding beauty have flourished in what is a heavily residential district of St Helens. Sutton also benefits from having its own railway station - St Helens Junction.

Thatto Heath

Thatto Heath is an area of the town of St Helens. It is located to the south-west of the town centre. It is known locally as a rugby league hotbed, having a number of amateur teams. It is served by a railway station on the Liverpool to Wigan Line.

Toll Bar

Toll bar is an area within the borough of St Helens it is located to the South West of the town centre and is a densely populated residential area. It is located on the main A58 Prescott Road and is close to nearby Thatto Heath.

Upholland

Upholland, is a civil parish and small town in Lancashire, England, situated approximately three miles East of Skelmersdale and two miles West of the Orrell area of Wigan. The town is situated on a small hill rising above the West Lancashire plains. There are views towards Ormskirk and to Southport in the North-West and towards Manchester and on to the High Peak of Derbyshire in the East.

The name Upholland differentiates it from another place locally called Downholland, 10 miles to the West (on the other side of Ormskirk). Both derive their names from the manor of Holland, a possession of the de Holland family until 1534. One of Upholland’s claims to fame is that George Lyon, reputed to be one of the last English highwaymen, is said to be buried in the churchyard of the Church of England parish church of St. Thomas the Martyr. In present times, Upholland is a popular residential area next to the affluent area of Orrell.

Upholland has good transport links with the nearby M58 motorway and Upholland Railway Station as well as the main A577 which runs through the town.

Wigan

Wigan is one of the four oldest boroughs in Lancashire. Wigan was a key battleground during the Civil War in the 17th Century and Cromwell was known to have passed through the town twice. The town stayed loyal to the king, and was later rewarded with a ceremonial sword. Until local government reorganisation in 1974 its motto was ‘Ancient and Loyal’.

In the 1960s and 70s Wigan Casino was the home of ‘Northern Soul’ music attracting thousands to its famous all-nighters. The town has since gained a reputation as a centre for jazz and now hosts an international jazz festival every summer.

Wigan Town Centre offers a good choice of shops in a high quality environment, providing both covered shopping malls and specialist clusters located close to the towns' pedestrianised centre. A multi-million pound refurbishment and pedestrianised scheme has transformed the town centre in recent years.

In sport Wigan is famous for its Rugby League Club (the Warriors) and its recently promoted football club (Wigan Athletic). Both teams play at the magnificent JJB Stadium on the Robin Park Complex. Wigan is also home to the famous swimming club (the Wigan Wasps).

Winstanley

Winstanley has given its name to a popular residential area which is situated within the district of Wigan. It is located close to the M6 and A580 East Lancashire Road close to the areas of Goose Green and Highfield.

Winstanley is home to Winstanley Hall which dates from the mid 16th century and was occupied by the Bankes family for nearly 400 years until 1984, although it has now been sold for conversion to upmarket apartments.

Winwick

Winwick is a village in the town of Warrington. It is situated about three miles north of Warrington town centre, near Junction 22 of the M6 and Junction 9 of the M62. Winwick was the site of a battle in the English Civil War in 1649, where Oliver Cromwell defeated a mainly Scottish royalist army. Winwick Hospital closed down nearly 8 years ago, and a smaller hospital called Hollins Park is now situated on the site. Hollins Park House is also the headquarters for the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust.

Whilst Winwick is adjacent to two motorways, it is still a relatively compact village set in a rural location. The village also includes a council estate and Winwick Park with houses ranging from £200,000 to £500,000. Several celebrities are known to live in Winwick. It is also home to a car boot sale site that runs on green belt land that also occasionally hosts a circus and touring fair.

Worsley Hall

Situated between Norley Hall and Newtown, Worsley Hall is on a main bus route to Wigan and close to the village of Pemberton. This area is mostly residential with lots of council and ex-council housing.

Worsley Mesnes

Worsley Mesnes is next to Poolstock and on the main thoroughfare to Wigan; therefore it is well served by public transport. Traditionally there has been a lot of council housing in the area, however, there has been a number of new private housing developments over the last decade.