Irlams o' th' Height
Encyclopedia
Irlams o' th' Height is an area of Pendleton
, in Salford, Greater Manchester
, England. It is on the extremity of the City of Salford
metropolitan district boundary, and stands next to Swinton
and Pendlebury
. It also has borders with the rest of Eccles
.
One of the main features of Irlams o' th' Height is the A6 dual carriageway running through it, with Bolton Road running parallel to it.
The village is on top of the Irwell Valley
on higher ground that the rest of Pendleton (Hence the name "The Height"), and roads such as Bank Lane go down the valley to Duchy Road. There has been a settlement at Irlams o' th' Height for many centuries, and it is widely accepted that the name derives from the Irlam family (see below) that ran the Pack Horse Inn during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was first recorded in the parish
of Eccles in 1180. The village became prosperous in the 19th century due to the Industrial Revolution
, and became a well established community of handloom weavers
.
Some parts of the area are now designated as a conservation area, centring on Queen Street, King Street and Claremont Road, as these retain the early street pattern. Thirty buildings are recognised as being of archaeological or historic interest in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Register. The conservation area was designated in 1991, and it is 1.02 hectare
s (2.52 acre
s) in size.
Irlams o' th' Height had a railway station
until 1955 when it was closed due to a low number of passengers. It was on the Manchester to Southport Line via Wigan Wallgate. Heading towards Wigan
, the preceding station was Pendleton
(closed in 1994 after Salford Crescent railway station
opening several years previously) and the following station was Pendlebury
, closed in 1960. Pendleton College
, a sixth form college
is situated on Dronfield Road, on the site of the former Pendleton High School for Girls, which closed in 1973. Buile Hill High School
is nextdoor on Eccles Old Road (A576), close to Seedley
. There is a large Co-op
near the junction of the A580
, A6 and A666
close to the start of the East Lancashire Road and the A666 road
to Pendlebury
, Clifton
, Kearsley
, Farnworth
and beyond.
Just over the Pendlebury boundary stands the parish church of St John the Evangelist, which includes a burial ground. Among those buried there is Geoff Bent
, one of eight Manchester United
players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster
in February 1958. Bent was born locally in 1932.http://www.munich58.co.uk/victims/bent/index.asp
St John's is also the resting place of the captain of Swinton Rugby Club
, Jim Valentine
, an England rugby union international during the late Victorian era
. He was killed by lightning at Barmouth
, Wales
on Monday, 25 July 1904 whilst on holiday, four days before his 38th birthday. His 48 tries for "the Lions" in the 1888-89 season still stands as a club record.
Pendleton, Greater Manchester
Pendleton is an inner city area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is about from Manchester city centre. The A6 dual carriageway skirts the east of the district....
, in Salford, 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. It is on the extremity of the City of Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
metropolitan district boundary, and stands next to Swinton
Swinton, Greater Manchester
Swinton is a town within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located on the A6 road it stands on gently sloping ground on the southwest side of the River Irwell, and within the bounds of the orbital M60 motorway. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester...
and Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
. It also has borders with the rest of Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
.
One of the main features of Irlams o' th' Height is the A6 dual carriageway running through it, with Bolton Road running parallel to it.
The village is on top of the Irwell Valley
Irwell Valley
The Irwell Valley extends from the Forest of Rossendale in North West England, through to the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.-Geology:...
on higher ground that the rest of Pendleton (Hence the name "The Height"), and roads such as Bank Lane go down the valley to Duchy Road. There has been a settlement at Irlams o' th' Height for many centuries, and it is widely accepted that the name derives from the Irlam family (see below) that ran the Pack Horse Inn during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was first recorded in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Eccles in 1180. The village became prosperous in the 19th century due to the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, and became a well established community of handloom weavers
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
.
Some parts of the area are now designated as a conservation area, centring on Queen Street, King Street and Claremont Road, as these retain the early street pattern. Thirty buildings are recognised as being of archaeological or historic interest in the Greater Manchester Sites and Monuments Register. The conservation area was designated in 1991, and it is 1.02 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s (2.52 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s) in size.
Irlams o' th' Height had a railway station
Irlams o' th' Height railway station
Irlams o' th' Height railway station was located on the Atherton Line between Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate. The station was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1902, some 14 years after the Atherton Line had opened in 1888. The station closed in 1956 due to low patronage...
until 1955 when it was closed due to a low number of passengers. It was on the Manchester to Southport Line via Wigan Wallgate. Heading towards 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...
, the preceding station was Pendleton
Pendleton railway station
Pendleton railway station was a railway station serving Pendleton, a district of Salford. It was located on Broughton Road just behind St. Thomas' Church . It was about 100 yards further up Broughton Road from Pendleton Bridge railway station and nearer Pendleton Church and Broad Street...
(closed in 1994 after Salford Crescent railway station
Salford Crescent railway station
Salford Crescent is one of two railway stations in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The other station is Salford Central.The station is west of Manchester Victoria and west of Manchester Piccadilly...
opening several years previously) and the following station was Pendlebury
Pendlebury railway station
Pendlebury railway station was a station in the town of Pendlebury in Greater Manchester.The station started life as part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway's Pendleton and Hindley line that grew into the Manchester Victoria to Wigan Wallgate line...
, closed in 1960. Pendleton College
Pendleton College
Pendleton College was a sixth form college in the Pendleton district of Salford, Greater Manchester. As of January 2009 the campus merged with Eccles College and Salford College and is now a part of Salford City College and is situated between the A6 and the A576, between Irlams o' th' Height and...
, a sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
is situated on Dronfield Road, on the site of the former Pendleton High School for Girls, which closed in 1973. Buile Hill High School
Buile Hill High School
Buile Hill High School is an educational secondary school, in Salford, in the north-west of England on the A576 Eccles Old Road.-History:...
is nextdoor on Eccles Old Road (A576), close to Seedley
Seedley
Seedley is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies west of Pendleton and north of Weaste.The area is mostly made up of terraced housing, dating from the late 19th century and early 20th century...
. There is a large Co-op
Co-op UK
The United Kingdom is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers' shop in the northern English town of Rochdale in 1844....
near the junction of the A580
A580 road
The A580 is a primary A road in England that connects Walton, near Liverpool and Salford, near Manchester and known officially as Liverpool-East Lancashire Road. Locally, the road is shortened to the "East Lancs". The road was designed and built to provide better access to the Port of Liverpool for...
, A6 and A666
A666 road
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...
close to the start of the East Lancashire Road and the A666 road
A666 road
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...
to Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
, Clifton
Clifton, Greater Manchester
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford....
, Kearsley
Kearsley
Kearsley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it lies about 7½ miles northwest of Manchester,5.5 miles south-west of Bury, and about 3¾ miles south of Bolton.It is bounded on the west by Walkden, the east by...
, Farnworth
Farnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
and beyond.
Just over the Pendlebury boundary stands the parish church of St John the Evangelist, which includes a burial ground. Among those buried there is Geoff Bent
Geoff Bent
Geoffrey "Geoff" Bent was an English footballer and one of the eight Manchester United players who lost their lives in the Munich air disaster.-Career:...
, one of eight Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
players who died as a result of the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
in February 1958. Bent was born locally in 1932.http://www.munich58.co.uk/victims/bent/index.asp
St John's is also the resting place of the captain of Swinton Rugby Club
Swinton Lions
Swinton Lions is an English professional rugby league club from Swinton, Greater Manchester. The club has won the Championship six times and three Challenge Cups. They currently play in the Championship.-Early years:...
, Jim Valentine
James Valentine (rugby union)
James "Jim" Valentine was a rugby union and semi-professional Northern Union footballer of the 1880s, 1890s and 1900s who at representative level played rugby union for England, and at club level for Swinton, playing at centre, i.e. number 12 or 13, and at club level played rugby league for...
, an England rugby union international during the late Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. He was killed by lightning at Barmouth
Barmouth
Barmouth ; Y Bermo ) is a town in the county of Gwynedd, north-western Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Mawddach and Cardigan Bay.The town is served by Barmouth railway station.- History :...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
on Monday, 25 July 1904 whilst on holiday, four days before his 38th birthday. His 48 tries for "the Lions" in the 1888-89 season still stands as a club record.