Lowton

Coordinates: 53°28′16″N 2°34′11″W / 53.4712°N 2.5698°W / 53.4712; -2.5698

Lowton
Lowton  Lowton shown within Greater Manchester
OS grid reference	SJ622973
Metropolitan borough	Wigan
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WARRINGTON
Postcode district	WA3
Dialling code	01942 / 01925
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Leigh
List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester

Lowton is a village, part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is around 3 miles (4.8 km) from Leigh and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Wigan. The settlement lies across the A580 East Lancashire Road.

Historically a part of Lancashire, Lowton's early history is marked by its presence of Byrom Manor, the ancestral home of Byroms, the family that included poet John Byrom who invented a system of shorthand.

History

Lowton has an unclear toponymy: it is from Old English tun "farm, village" with an uncertain first element (The first element is from lhe old English for high point IE Wornoth Low near Stockport is the highest hill in the area, and Lowton is the highest point locally.) A record of the name as Liewetune in 1176 suggests Old English hleowe "lee", although this is not a certain etymology.

Byrom Hall, ancestral home of the Byrom family

Lowton was one of the berewicks of the Royal Manor of Newton, later being one of the members of the Barony of Makerfield.^[1] Byrom Manor, later to feature the ancestral home of the poet John Byrom and was constructed during the 18th century, is recorded as early as 1212,^[1] where the family prospered for centuries. Byrom Hall at one time featured a moat.^[2]

The Hare and Hounds public house, built in the 17th century, was once used as a place to hold trials of local criminals, including murders.^{[citation needed]}

In 1830 Parkside, Newton-le-Willows, near Lowton, was the site of the world's first fatal passenger train crash, when Liverpool MP William Huskisson was killed after being hit by George Stephenson's Rocket locomotive during the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.^[3]

The former Lowton railway station was used as a resting point for the royal train.^[4]

Lowton had a toffee factory,^[5] along with other sites of heavy industry. In common with many parts of the United Kingdom, many of these factories have now closed and been replaced with some light industry.

Governance

Between 1894 and 1974, Lowton was part of the Golborne Urban District, in the administrative county of Lancashire.

In 1974 as part of the local government reorganisation enacted in the Local Government Act 1972 it became part of Greater Manchester with the boundary at Newton-le-Willows marking the edge of the new county of Merseyside.

Transport

Situated on the A580 East Lancashire Road, the village has direct access to the cities of Liverpool to the west and Manchester to the east. From this road, the M6 motorway runs north and south, and the M60 connects with the M62 across the Pennines. The nearest railway station is Newton-le-Willows on the Chester to Manchester Line and Liverpool to Manchester Line. Public transport in Lowton is co-ordinated by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and is served by buses to Manchester, Wigan, Leigh and Newton-le-Willows. Buses: X34 Lowton/Leigh-Manchester (First Manchester).

Environment

To the south of Lowton is Highfield Moss, part of which has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The 52.6 acres (21.3 ha) site was designated in 1986 for its biological interest. The interest is predominantly mire communities of which it is the best example in Greater Manchester.^[6]

Community

Schools

• Lowton High School
• Lowton Primary School
• Lowton St. Marys Primary School (Church of England)
• Lowton West Primary School
• St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School
• St. Lukes Church of England Primary School

Religion

In 1635 the Puritan clergyman, Richard Mather, and his family left for New England as a result of religious intolerance.

Lowton has six churches:

• St Mary's (Anglican)
• St. Luke's (Anglican)
• St Catherine's (Roman Catholic)
• Lane Head (Methodist) (closed 2010)
• Lowton Independent Methodist (Independent Methodist Connexion) http://www.lowtonimchurch.co.uk
• Lowton Christian Fellowship http://www.lowtoncommunitychurch.org.uk

The churches organise certain activities jointly, including ecumenical services. Their joint charity work included the Lowton Churches Romania Appeal, formed after the collapse of the Communist regime in Romania during 1990. It initially supported an orphanage in Lugoj but its remit has expanded to include several ongoing projects in Romania.

Media

Lowton falls inside the circulation areas of these newspapers and websites:

• Wigan Evening Post
• Wigan Reporter
• Leigh Reporter
• Leigh, Tyldesley and Atherton Journal
• Manchester Evening News

Notable people

• Richard Mather who became an American Congregational clergyman.
• John Byrom was an English poet who at times lived in Byrom Hall, Slag Lane.
• Peter Kane born in Heywood, was a flyweight world boxing champion in the 1930s. Although not a resident, he maintained a job as a blacksmith in Lowton even when he was at his fighting peak.
• Katie White, singer with pop group The Ting Tings, lived in Slag Lane,^[7] Lowton,^[8] prior to fame and was a pupil at Lowton High School.^[9]
• Warrington RLFC hooker Jon Clarke grew up and schooled in Lowton before making his name with Wigan RLFC, for whom he made his debut in 1997. He left Wigan for London Broncos in 2000 but joined Warrington a year later.
• Lady Ann - socialite and charity fund raiser

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Nixon, Alan (2004). A Piece of Lowton History. www.lulu.com/lowton. 
• Worsley, Bert (1993). Pictoral History of Old Lowton. H.Worsley. ISBN 0-9511102-2-5. 

External links

• A Piece of Lowton History
• Community info
• Links to many Lowton interest websites
• 1st Lowton St Marys Scout Group