Ashton-under-Lyne
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Template:GBmap Ashton-under-Lyne is a town in Greater Manchester with a population of 44,400 (2001 estimate). Ashton is the administrative headquarters of the borough of Tameside, and is located north-east of Manchester. The town was traditionally in Lancashire.
Famous people from Ashton include the footballer Geoff Hurst and the politician Margaret Beckett,
The town was formerly the centre of a large textile (cotton spinning) and coal mining industry. Ashton's industries today include: engineering, food processing, leather, plastics, textiles, brewing, and the manufacture of diesel, gas, and oil engines.
The River Tame and the Ashton Canal both run through the town. A major tourist attraction in Ashton is the Portland Basin Museum, which is based in a former warehouse next to the canal. Another place of interest in the town is the Museum of the Manchester Regiment.
If it gets the go-ahead, an extension of the Manchester Metrolink tram system will be built to Ashton, possibly by 2010, but funding for this extension currently looks uncertain.
External link
- Ashton-under-lyne.com (http://www.ashton-under-Lyne.com/)