Chorley
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Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, England, south of Preston. It is the seat for the borough of Chorley and has been twinned with the former Hungarian capital, Székesfehérvár since 1991.
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History
A settlement has existed at Chorley since at least the bronze age. A farmer at Astley Hall Farm found a pottery burial urn from this period in 1963. This find was followed up with further excavations, with further artifacts being found. Objects from these excavations are on display at the hall's museum.
A market charter was granted to the town in the 1250s, and there is evidence from 1498 that the market was actually taking place. Nowadays, the town has two markets, the Flat Iron Market and the Covered Market. For one weekend each year, French market traders sell their produce in the town, with Chorley's merchants returning the favour in France.
Sirloin steak was officially knighted by James I at [Hoghton Tower (http://www.hoghtontower.co.uk/)], a large stately home on the outskirts of the town, where William Shakespeare once worked. Astley Hall is a more central stately home, set in the middle of the town's largest park, Astley Park. Here, Oliver Cromwell visited on his trek through the region.
In the 1970s, Chorley was designated as part of Central Lancashire new town, together with Preston and Leyland. The original aim of this project was to combine the three settlements into a single city with a population of around half a million. Although this never came to pass, and the project has since been abandoned, Chorley benefited from the urban renewal commonly associated with new towns. Examples include a bypass of the town centre, and the Market Walk shopping centre.
Sport
Chorley is home to the semi-professional football team, Chorley F.C., also known as the magpies due to their black and white strip. Founded as a rugby team in 1875, they switched to playing football eight years later. Since then they have had limited success, with their most memorable moments being two appearances in the second round of the FA Cup, and two seasons in the Football Conference in the late 1980s. They currently play in the Northern Premier League First Division.
Until 2004, Chorley also boasted a rugby league side, Chorley Lynx, who played in league two of the national league. However, the club was forced to close in 2004 due to small crowds and the withdrawal of funding by backer Trevor Hemmings. Many of the club's players and staff joined the newly formed Blackpool West Coast Panthers, operating out of nearby Blackpool.
Media
Chorley has two local newspapers: the Chorley Guardian and the Chorley Citizen.
A British television show, Phoenix Nights, sited its fictional radio station, Chorley FM, in Chorley. A real station based in Chorley broadcast for only a few weeks.
Places of interest nearby
- Astley Hall
- Heskin Hall
- Leeds & Liverpool Canal
- Park Hall
- Yarrow Valley Park
- Winter Hill TV Mast is visible from most points in the town.
Famous residents
- Dave Spikey (comedian)
- Jason Queally (olympic cyclist)
- Kevin Simm from Liberty X (pop group)
- Ken Morley (actor)
- Michael Jennings (boxer)
- Phil Cool (comedian)
- Bill Beaumont (former England rugby captain)
- Starsailor (pop group)
- Myles Standish (former of the Pilgrim Fathers)
- Charles Lightoller (Highest ranking crew member to survive the RMS Titanic)
- Sir Henry Tate (sugar magnate and founder of the Tate Gallery in London)
- Steve Royle (comedian)
- David Unsworth (footballer)
- Paul Grayson (England rugby union player)
External links
- Chorley Borough Council (http://www.chorley.gov.uk/)
- Chorley Online (http://www.chorleyonline.com/)
- Chorley FC (http://www.chorleyfc.com/)
- Chorley and District Natural History Society (http://www.philkirk.clara.net/cdnhs/)