Leyland, Lancashire
Encyclopedia
Leyland is a town in the South Ribble borough
of Lancashire
, England, approximately six miles (10 km) south of the city of Preston.
Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the community has seen a large growth in industry
, population
and farming, due to the establishment of Leyland Motors, housing developments
and the surrounding usable arable land
.
The name of the town is of old Anglo-Saxon
origin, meaning "untilled land".
to Walton-le-Dale
.
It was left undisturbed for many centuries until rediscovered shortly after the Battle of Hastings
(1066). Leyland is mentioned in the Domesday Book
(1085). In 1066 King Edward the Confessor
presided over the whole of Leyland. The manor was divided into three large ploughlands, which were controlled by local noblemen. In the 1100s, it came under the barony of Penwortham
.
The area of Worden, which is now Worden Park
, was one of nine oxgang
s of land granted to the Knights Hospitaller
, by Roger de Lacy
, in Lancashire
, but the land was not assigned to any individual and a local man, who was a very close friend of de Lacy, Hugh Bussel, was assigned holder of the land in 1212.
Notable features that remain include the St Andrew's Parish Church
, built around 1200 AD and the large stone Leyland Cross, thought to date back to Saxon times
.
, Standard-Triumph and Rover
, culminating in the massive British Leyland company, which still operates today and is owned by Paccar
.
Leyland is also home to one of the UK's leading maintenance and utility companies, Enterprise Plc
on Centurion Way.
A large Tesco
superstore was built in 2002, and it stands near the police station
. The old BTR Factory
was knocked down to make way for new housing in 2004 and in 2006, the town was installed with a Morrisons
, a Homebase
and an Argos
store.
The Leyland Band
have also recently moved to the town, after several years in various other rehearsal locations, and now have a permanent home in Farington Business Park.
is on the West Coast Main Line
, the very placement of which moved the civic centre of the town briefly, including Leyland Police Station
.
There is a marker adjacent to the old Leyland Motors Spurrier works declares the halfway point on the railway journey between Glasgow
and London
, some 198 miles in either direction.
John Fishwick & Son serve the town's public transport needs. They also connect the town to Chorley
and Preston.
, a smaller high school, with positive reviews, and the most improved school in Leyland for the 2nd year running, is situated to the south west of the town. Wellfield Business & Enterprise College and Leyland St Mary's High School is also in Leyland.
is Runshaw College
. The college received the best Ofsted
report, for any further education college in the UK, for the year of 2005.
, detached and bungalow
categories. There are a few modern housing estate
s, but about 65% of the accommodation in the town were built in the 1970s.
, Turpin Green and the Wade Hall estate.
South Ribble
South Ribble is a non-metropolitan district and borough of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland.In May 2007, the council was officially declared "Excellent" by the Audit Commission, gaining its place among the best 5 district councils in the country,-Overview:On 4 October 2007, a...
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...
, England, approximately six miles (10 km) south of the city of Preston.
Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the community has seen a large growth in industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
and farming, due to the establishment of Leyland Motors, housing developments
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
and the surrounding usable arable land
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
.
The name of the town is of old Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
origin, meaning "untilled land".
History
Before the control of the English Leyland was an area of fields, with Roman roads passing through, from ancient WiganWigan
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...
to Walton-le-Dale
Walton-le-Dale
Walton-le-Dale is a village in the Borough of South Ribble, in Lancashire, England. It lies on south bank of the River Ribble, and the south-side of the city of Preston, adjacent to Bamber Bridge.-Toponymy:...
.
It was left undisturbed for many centuries until rediscovered shortly after the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
(1066). Leyland is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
(1085). In 1066 King Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
presided over the whole of Leyland. The manor was divided into three large ploughlands, which were controlled by local noblemen. In the 1100s, it came under the barony of Penwortham
Penwortham
-Landmarks:Penwortham Priory was built for the Rawsthorne family and redesigned by the Cumbrian architect George Webster. The priory was demolished due to the rapid expansion of the area and the need for new housing...
.
The area of Worden, which is now Worden Park
Worden Park
Worden Park is a large area of parkland situated on the outskirts of Leyland, a town in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. It is less than a quarter of a mile from the town centre, yet is a peaceful and relaxed environment.-History:...
, was one of nine oxgang
Oxgang
An oxgang or bovate is an old land measurement formerly used in Scotland and England. It averaged around 20 English acres, but was based on land fertility and cultivation, and so could be as low as 15.Skene in Celtic Scotland says:...
s of land granted to the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
, by Roger de Lacy
Roger de Lacy
Roger de Lacy, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a Marcher Lord on the Welsh border.- Lineage :He was son of Walter de Lacy , a retainer of William fitzOsbern. Roger was a castle builder, particularly at Ludlow Castle....
, in 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...
, but the land was not assigned to any individual and a local man, who was a very close friend of de Lacy, Hugh Bussel, was assigned holder of the land in 1212.
Notable features that remain include the St Andrew's Parish Church
St Andrew's Church, Leyland
St Andrew's Church is an Anglican church in Leyland, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Blackburn...
, built around 1200 AD and the large stone Leyland Cross, thought to date back to Saxon times
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
.
Industry
The town is famous primarily for the bus and truck manufacturer Leyland Motors, which between the 1950s and 1970s expanded and grew to own several British motor manufacturers, including BMCBritish Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
, Standard-Triumph and Rover
Rover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
, culminating in the massive British Leyland company, which still operates today and is owned by Paccar
PACCAR
PACCAR Inc is the third largest manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks in the world , and has substantial manufacture in light and medium vehicles through its various subsidiaries.-History:...
.
Leyland is also home to one of the UK's leading maintenance and utility companies, Enterprise Plc
Enterprise Plc
Enterprise plc is a support services company based in Farington in Lancashire, England. Its core markets are local authorities and utility sectors.-History:...
on Centurion Way.
A large Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
superstore was built in 2002, and it stands near the police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
. The old BTR Factory
BTR Industries
BTR plc was a British industrial conglomerate, which merged with Siebe in 1999 to form BTR Siebe plc, later renamed Invensys. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
was knocked down to make way for new housing in 2004 and in 2006, the town was installed with a Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, a Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
and an Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
store.
The Leyland Band
Leyland Band
The Leyland Band is a brass band based in Lancashire in the UK.-History:The Leyland Band was established in 1946 in the heart of industrial Lancashire as the Leyland Motors Band, taking its name from the world famous truck and bus company...
have also recently moved to the town, after several years in various other rehearsal locations, and now have a permanent home in Farington Business Park.
Transport
Leyland railway stationLeyland railway station
Leyland railway station serves the town of Leyland in Lancashire, England. It was formerly "Golden Hill", the name of the street and area in which the station is based, but was re-named Leyland soon after opening...
is on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, the very placement of which moved the civic centre of the town briefly, including Leyland Police Station
Leyland police station
Leyland Police Station was originally located on Towngate in Leyland, Lancashire. In 1882 a new police station was built on Golden Hill.The police station was built around 100 yards from the newly constructed Leyland railway station, on the West Coast Mainline, for the convenience of the officials...
.
There is a marker adjacent to the old Leyland Motors Spurrier works declares the halfway point on the railway journey between Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, some 198 miles in either direction.
John Fishwick & Son serve the town's public transport needs. They also connect the town to Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
and Preston.
High schools
To the south west of the community, is the Balshaw's Church of England High School which currently stands at the top of the Leyland schools in the Lancashire GCSE league table. Worden Sports CollegeWorden Sports College
Worden Sports College is situated in Leyland, Lancashire in the South Ribble district.Opened in 1955 as Worden County Secondary School, it became Worden High School in 1972 with the introduction of the Comprehensive System to Lancashire and the abolition of the 11-plus examination.-Developments:In...
, a smaller high school, with positive reviews, and the most improved school in Leyland for the 2nd year running, is situated to the south west of the town. Wellfield Business & Enterprise College and Leyland St Mary's High School is also in Leyland.
Colleges
To the east of Worden ParkWorden Park
Worden Park is a large area of parkland situated on the outskirts of Leyland, a town in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. It is less than a quarter of a mile from the town centre, yet is a peaceful and relaxed environment.-History:...
is Runshaw College
Runshaw College
Runshaw College is a further and higher education college based at three centres in Leyland and Chorley, Lancashire, England.-History:The college was founded in Leyland when the sixth forms of Parklands High School and Balshaw's CE High School were amalgamated in 1974 to make a sixth form college...
. The college received the best Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report, for any further education college in the UK, for the year of 2005.
Architecture
Most of the housing in Leyland falls under the semi-detachedSemi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
, detached and bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
categories. There are a few modern housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s, but about 65% of the accommodation in the town were built in the 1970s.
Areas
Leyland is made up by six different areas, the town centre itself counts as the main retail side, with the railway station, library and shops nearby. The other areas include Broadfield, Moss Side, Worden ParkWorden Park
Worden Park is a large area of parkland situated on the outskirts of Leyland, a town in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. It is less than a quarter of a mile from the town centre, yet is a peaceful and relaxed environment.-History:...
, Turpin Green and the Wade Hall estate.
Geography
People
The following is a list of notable people who have grown up, or lived in Leyland:- Trevor HemmingsTrevor HemmingsTrevor James Hemmings CVO is a British businessman, he was born in London, and grew up in Leyland, Lancashire He currently resides in the Isle of Man, but has homes in Jersey and Ireland....
, multi-millionaire philanthropist spent his teenage years in Leyland - Tom Bidwell, Academy Award nominated screenwriter of the 2009 film, Wish 143Wish 143Wish 143 is a British live action short film. The film's run time is approximately 24 minutes. It was written by Tom Bidwell, directed by Ian Barnes, and produced by Samantha Waite....
- Mark StrangeMark StrangeMark William Strange is an English actor, film producer and martial arts action performer. Strange has worked on a number of feature films including The Medallion and The Twins Effect along with Jackie Chan and Batman Begins to name but a few...
, martial arts expert and film producer - William BennettWilliam Bennett (footballer)William Bennett was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. Born in Leyland, Lancashire, he was spotted by Football League First Division side Sheffield United while playing non-league football with Leyland Motors...
, 1920s footballer - Fred Beardsworth, footballer, who emigrated to America to play in the NAFBL
- Allen HillAllen HillAllen Hill played in the first-ever cricket Test, taking the first wicket. Hill also went on to umpire in the Test match played at Lord's in 1890....
, played in the first ever cricket Test - Frank Moss, football manager and former player, known for his six year contract with ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
- Mike SalmonMike SalmonMichael "Mike" Salmon is an English football player and coach.-Career:During his playing days, Salmon was a goalkeeper, best known for his ten year spell at Charlton Athletic. He started as a trainee with Blackburn Rovers, making his debut in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea...
, retired goalkeeper, who currently works as a football manager - John WoodcockJohn Woodcock (martyr)John Woodcock was born in Leyland, Lancashire, in England. His parents, Thomas and Dorothy Woodcock, the latter a Catholic, were of the middle class...
, executed by the Stuarts in 1646, for his Catholicism - Phil JonesPhil Jones (footballer)Philip Anthony "Phil" Jones is an English footballer who plays for Manchester United and the England national team. Before joining Manchester United, Jones played for Blackburn Rovers at both youth and senior levels...
, England international footballer
See also
- Leyland Motors LtdLeyland Motors LtdLeyland Motors Limited was a British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. It gave its name to the British Leyland Motor Corporation formed when it merged with British Motor Holdings, later to become British Leyland after being nationalised...
- Leyland police stationLeyland police stationLeyland Police Station was originally located on Towngate in Leyland, Lancashire. In 1882 a new police station was built on Golden Hill.The police station was built around 100 yards from the newly constructed Leyland railway station, on the West Coast Mainline, for the convenience of the officials...
- Leyland railway stationLeyland railway stationLeyland railway station serves the town of Leyland in Lancashire, England. It was formerly "Golden Hill", the name of the street and area in which the station is based, but was re-named Leyland soon after opening...
- Leyland BandLeyland BandThe Leyland Band is a brass band based in Lancashire in the UK.-History:The Leyland Band was established in 1946 in the heart of industrial Lancashire as the Leyland Motors Band, taking its name from the world famous truck and bus company...
External links
- Leyland Historical Society
- Leyland Round Table no.665
- South Ribble Borough Council
- Leyland Lancashire - A Community website
- Leyland Online - Community news and information
- Enterprise PlcEnterprise PlcEnterprise plc is a support services company based in Farington in Lancashire, England. Its core markets are local authorities and utility sectors.-History:...
http://www.enterprise.plc.uk - The Leyland Project, Community support on the Wade Hall Estate