Higher End or Billinge Higher End is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan

Metropolitan Borough of Wigan

The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...

, Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...

, England.

Governance

Billinge lies within the historic county boundaries

Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

 of Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

. After being divided into two townships, Billinge Chapel End and Billinge Higher End in the Wigan Poor Law Union, in 1872 Billinge Local Board of Health was established for the area of these two townships and two detached parts of Winstanley

Winstanley, Greater Manchester

Winstanley is a area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. The area serves primarily as a residential suburb, and has a total population of 15,849.-Transport:...

 township (one known as Blackley Hurst and the other situated in the Carr Mill area, both lying within the area of Billinge Chapel End township).

In 1894 the area of the Local Board (together with the remaining area of Winstanley township) became Billinge Urban District and in 1927 the Urban District

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

 was renamed Billinge-and-Winstanley Urban District

Billinge and Winstanley Urban District

Billinge was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England....

.

In 1974 most of Billinge Higher End (excepting Billinge Hill)) and most of Winstanley became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, with Billinge (including the remainder of Winstanley) becoming part of St. Helens Metropolitan Borough in Merseyside.

Geography

Adjacent places include:

• Ashton in Makerfield
• Billinge, Merseyside
• Crank
  Crank, Merseyside
  Crank is a village near Rainford, Merseyside, England in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens. It is known locally for its ghost stories 'The White Rabbit of Crank' and 'Crank Caverns'.-See also:*Crank Caverns...
  
  
• Orrell
  Orrell, Greater Manchester
  Orrell is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The area is contiguous to the town of Wigan itself and the centre of the district is situated to the west of the town centre...
  
  
• Winstanley
  Winstanley, Greater Manchester
  Winstanley is a area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. The area serves primarily as a residential suburb, and has a total population of 15,849.-Transport:...
  
  

Billinge Higher End encompasses Longshaw

Longshaw

Longshaw is a small residential and agricultural area within Billinge Higher End at the western boundary of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is situated at the northern foot of Billinge Hill on the B5206 road...

.

Transport

Higher End sits on the B5206. Train services to Wigan

Wigan

Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...

 town centre, Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 and Kirkby

Kirkby

Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...

 are available from the nearby Orrell railway station

Orrell railway station

Orrell railway station serves the Orrell area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. It is a small two-platform commuter hub on the Wigan to Kirkby branch line....

.