Discover Chorley, Lancashire

Chorley, Lancashire, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chorley-919.JPG
Author: ProfDEH


Chorley is a market town in south-central Lancashire, England. The main town within the Borough of Chorley, it has a population of 35,000 people (2012 estimate). Chorley was once a major center for the cotton industry which has since seen its demise.

Human habitation in the area around Chorley goes back to the Bronze Age. Ancient artifacts continue to be discovered today, such as a burial urn from 3,500 BC that was discovered in 1963. During the Roman period, the Romans built a road that passed near the settlement. The Romans also established a settlement at Brindle, which is to the north of Chorley.

There is no clear evidence of Chorley being established during the Anglo-Saxon period, but it has certainly existed during the Norman period. It received its market charter in 1250, though today the town has two markets, the Flat Iron Market and the Covered Market.

Chorley had a tradition in weaving and cloth making, but it was the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century that spurred the growth of its textile industry. It was helped, to a large extend, by the coal and iron mining industries. The town was a site of many textile mills, and their chimneys dominated the 19th century skyline of the town.

Chorley Town Hall, Chorley, Lancashire: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chorley_Town_Hall.jpg
Author: Karl1587
The textile industry went into decline since the post World War I years. During the Second World War, Chorley was home to a large munition manufacturer. Today the town has evolved into a dormitory town for workers in nearby Manchester, Preston, Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan.

Visiting Chorley

From Manchester, take the M61 motorway until Exit 8, then continue west to reach Chorley.

Chorley Library: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chorley_Institute-935.JPG
Author: ProfDEH

Places of Interest in and around Chorley

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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