Ashton-under-Lyne
Market town in Greater Manchester, England / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England.[1] The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census.[2] Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Manchester.
Ashton-under-Lyne | |
---|---|
Clockwise, from top:Ashton-under-Lyne town centre; Portland Basin; Market Hall; St Michael and All Angels' Church; Ashton Town Hall | |
Location within Greater Manchester | |
Population | 48,604 (2021 census) |
• Density | 12,374 per mi² (4,777 per km²) |
OS grid reference | SJ931997 |
• London | 160 mi (257 km) SSE |
Metropolitan borough | |
Metropolitan county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE |
Postcode district | OL6, OL7 |
Dialling code | 0161 |
Police | Greater Manchester |
Fire | Greater Manchester |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
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Evidence of Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Viking activity has been discovered in Ashton-under-Lyne. The "Ashton" part of the town's name probably dates from the Anglo-Saxon period, and derives from Old English meaning "settlement by ash trees".[3] The origin of the "under-Lyne" suffix is less clear;[4] it possibly derives from the Brittonic-originating word lemo meaning elm or from Ashton's proximity to the Pennines.[5] In the Middle Ages, Ashton-under-Lyne was a parish and township and Ashton Old Hall was held by the de Asshetons, lords of the manor. Granted a royal charter in 1414, the manor spanned a rural area consisting of marshland, moorland, and a number of villages and hamlets.
Until the introduction of the cotton trade in 1769, Ashton was considered "bare, wet, and almost worthless".[5] The factory system, and textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution triggered a process of unplanned urbanisation in the area, and by the mid-19th century Ashton had emerged as an important mill town at a convergence of newly constructed canals and railways. Ashton-under-Lyne's transport network allowed for an economic boom in cotton spinning, weaving, and coal mining, which led to the granting of municipal borough status in 1847.
In the mid-20th century, imports of cheaper foreign goods led to the decline of Ashton's heavy industries but the town has continued to thrive as a centre of commerce[6] and Ashton Market is one of the largest outdoor markets in the United Kingdom. Ashton Town Centre is now home to the 140,000-square-foot (13,000 m2), two-floored Ashton Arcades shopping centre (opened 1995), the outdoor shopping complex Ladysmith Shopping Centre, and a large IKEA store.
In 2018, a large new development opened in Ashton town centre including a new college campus for Tameside College, new council offices and a library. Improvements were also made to the open-air market, including new kiosks and stalls. In 2019, work began on a brand-new transport interchange for the town centre to make getting into the town much easier via bus and Metrolink. This opened in August 2020.