Besses o' th' Barn

Besses o' th' Barn (/ˌbɛsɪz ət ˈbɑːrn/ BESS-iz ət BARN) is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 10,664.^[1] It lies between Radcliffe and Prestwich.

Besses o' th' Barn
Besses o' th' Barn Location within Greater Manchester
Population	10,664 (2011)
OS grid reference	SD815055
Metropolitan borough	Bury
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MANCHESTER
Postcode district	M45
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Bury South
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53.546019°N 2.278473°W / 53.546019; -2.278473

Besses o' th' Barn tram stop is on the electrified line from Manchester Victoria to Bury. The station closed for eight months for conversion to Metrolink use, re-opening on 6 April 1992.

A three-layer bridge enables Bury Old Road to run under the Manchester Metrolink line by the Metrolink station and over the M60 motorway near Junction 17.^[2] McDonald's and Aldi have stores on the retail park where Bury New Road and Bury Old Road cross, while Besses United Reformed Church, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, stands nearby. Near the McDonald's and Aldi used to stand a Co-op but it was knocked down in 2019 to make way for the larger Aldi.

The area is the home of Besses o' th' Barn Band, a brass band formed in 1818.^[3] Notable people who lived in the area include John Horsefield,^[4] Thomas Thorp^[5] and John Warburton.^[6] The area was also at one time the location of Whitefield Brewery.^[7]

References

1. "Bury Ward population 2011". Retrieved 4 January 2015.
2. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004). Lancashire: Manchester And The South-East. Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England. Yale University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-300-10583-4. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
3. "Besses o' th' Barn Band". Retrieved 9 July 2012.
4. Secord, Anne (2004–2012). "Horsefield, John (1792–1854), botanist and weaver". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 July 2012. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
5. "Report of the Council to the Ninety-fifth Annual General Meeting". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. LXXV (4): 250–251. February 1915. Bibcode:1915MNRAS..75..250.. doi:10.1093/mnras/75.4.250.
6. Broome, J. R. (1996). John Warburton: Servant of a Covenant God. Gospel Standard Trust. p. 95. ISBN 1-897837-05-4. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
7. Richmond, Lesley; Turton, Alison, eds. (1990). The Brewing Industry: A Guide to Historical Records. Manchester University Press. p. 371. ISBN 978-0-7190-3032-1. Retrieved 9 July 2012.

External links

• BBC Domesday Reloaded: Besses o' th' Barn, including an explanation of the possible origin of the area's name