Monton
Encyclopedia
Monton is an area of Eccles
in the metropolitan borough
of the City of Salford
, Greater Manchester
, England.
of Eccles in the administrative county
of Lancashire
until its abolition in 1974. The name Monton is of Saxon origin.
A Conservation Area includes Monton Green; the Unitarian Church and a former school with caretaker’s house; a lodge, built in 1875 to the Earl of Ellesmere’s former estate, and a club-house with bowling green. The Green, once used as common land, is now formally laid out as gardens and lawns.
originally named the Monton Traders' Association, it was renamed the Monton Village Community Association so that it would include both residents and traders.
The Association has a gardening group that maintains the flowerbeds and greens on a voluntary basis. The Association also organises an annual themed festival on the first Saturday of July each year and a parallel music festival which was in 2008 from 26 June to 6 July. The festival presents all genres of music from classical to Indie.
Monton Church, Monton Green, Eccles;
The present Unitarian Church is the fourth church on the site. It was built in the early 1870s and is renowned for its stained glass windows. The south Transept shows the Sermon on the Mount with four smaller windows beneath depicting
The north transept shows Jesus and Children-‘Suffer the Little Children’; and Jesus and Peter – ‘Feed my Sheep’. The clerestory windows on the north side show famous men from the Greek, Roman, Renaissance and Modern periods. On the south side, the clerestory windows show representatives from the Early Christian, Roman Catholic, Anglican and nonconformist traditions.
History
After the Act of Uniformity 1662
Edmund Jones, Vicar of Eccles, was an ejected minister. He and others continued to meet in the Eccles area including Monks Hall. He was imprisoned for his non-conformity and his congregation reported to the local magistrate. He died in 1674.
The first Chapel
When William and Mary acceded to the throne, the Act of Toleration was passed which allowed nonconformity to be practised under licence. The Eccles Presbyterians appointed a minister and met in a series of private buildings. In 1698 the Lomax and Fildes families, long-term members of the congregation, bought a plot of land at Monton Green. A simple chapel was built and licensed in July 1698.
The second Chapel (1715–1802)
In the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion
a band of over 100 Jacobites, supporters of the Old Pretender, ransacked the church, having previously destroyed Cross Street Chapel in Manchester. The congregation claimed compensation from the government and rebuilt a bigger and better church. The Rev. Jeremiah Aldred was minister until his death in 1729. His tombstone can be seen in the churchyard.
The congregation's religious views changed from Calvinism
through Arianism
to the appointment of their first Unitarian
minister Harry Toulmin in 1786. In 1813 Unitarianism was legalised and the Nonconformists' Chapels Act 1844 secured the places of worship to Unitarians, allowing the congregation at Monton to officially call themselves Unitarians.
The third Chapel
The second chapel was demolished around 1800. The third chapel was built in 1802 and survived until 1875 when the present church was built.
, which was part of the Tyldesley Loopline
, running from Eccles
through Worsley
and Leigh
to Roe Green. The station opened on 1 November 1887 and was closed under the Beeching Axe
on 5 May 1969. Monton Green Station was located on an embankment, just off Monton Green, the railway running parallel with the Bridgewater Canal
. All traces of the station have long since been removed. However, the embankment on which the station was situated is still there and now forms the starting point of the Recreation Pathways scheme, run by Salford City Council.
The village of Monton is now served by rail services passing through the railway stations at Patricroft
and at Eccles
, along the Manchester Victoria-Liverpool Lime Street railway line.
Bus services also serve the village, while the nearest Metrolink station is in Eccles
(approximately 15 minute walk).
.
situated in Ellesmere Park
and there is also a local bowling green
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...
in the metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
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...
, 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.
Geography and administration
It was administered by the municipal boroughMunicipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Eccles in the administrative county
Administrative county
An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
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...
until its abolition in 1974. The name Monton is of Saxon origin.
A Conservation Area includes Monton Green; the Unitarian Church and a former school with caretaker’s house; a lodge, built in 1875 to the Earl of Ellesmere’s former estate, and a club-house with bowling green. The Green, once used as common land, is now formally laid out as gardens and lawns.
Community
The community is represented by the Monton Village Community Association,originally named the Monton Traders' Association, it was renamed the Monton Village Community Association so that it would include both residents and traders.
The Association has a gardening group that maintains the flowerbeds and greens on a voluntary basis. The Association also organises an annual themed festival on the first Saturday of July each year and a parallel music festival which was in 2008 from 26 June to 6 July. The festival presents all genres of music from classical to Indie.
Churches
The Anglican church in Monton is dedicated to St Paul the Apostle.Monton Church, Monton Green, Eccles;
The present Unitarian Church is the fourth church on the site. It was built in the early 1870s and is renowned for its stained glass windows. The south Transept shows the Sermon on the Mount with four smaller windows beneath depicting
- Jesus in the Synagogue
- Jesus with the Lady at the Well
- The Good Samaritan
- The Publican and the Pharisee.
The north transept shows Jesus and Children-‘Suffer the Little Children’; and Jesus and Peter – ‘Feed my Sheep’. The clerestory windows on the north side show famous men from the Greek, Roman, Renaissance and Modern periods. On the south side, the clerestory windows show representatives from the Early Christian, Roman Catholic, Anglican and nonconformist traditions.
History
After the Act of Uniformity 1662
Act of Uniformity 1662
The Act of Uniformity was an Act of the Parliament of England, 13&14 Ch.2 c. 4 ,The '16 Charles II c. 2' nomenclature is reference to the statute book of the numbered year of the reign of the named King in the stated chapter...
Edmund Jones, Vicar of Eccles, was an ejected minister. He and others continued to meet in the Eccles area including Monks Hall. He was imprisoned for his non-conformity and his congregation reported to the local magistrate. He died in 1674.
The first Chapel
When William and Mary acceded to the throne, the Act of Toleration was passed which allowed nonconformity to be practised under licence. The Eccles Presbyterians appointed a minister and met in a series of private buildings. In 1698 the Lomax and Fildes families, long-term members of the congregation, bought a plot of land at Monton Green. A simple chapel was built and licensed in July 1698.
The second Chapel (1715–1802)
In the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion
a band of over 100 Jacobites, supporters of the Old Pretender, ransacked the church, having previously destroyed Cross Street Chapel in Manchester. The congregation claimed compensation from the government and rebuilt a bigger and better church. The Rev. Jeremiah Aldred was minister until his death in 1729. His tombstone can be seen in the churchyard.
The congregation's religious views changed from Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
through Arianism
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
to the appointment of their first Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister Harry Toulmin in 1786. In 1813 Unitarianism was legalised and the Nonconformists' Chapels Act 1844 secured the places of worship to Unitarians, allowing the congregation at Monton to officially call themselves Unitarians.
The third Chapel
The second chapel was demolished around 1800. The third chapel was built in 1802 and survived until 1875 when the present church was built.
Transport
There was a railway station in Monton called Monton GreenMonton Green railway station
Monton Green railway station is a closed station in Eccles.Opened on 1 November 1887, Monton Green was the first station on the London and North Western Railway's Manchester and Wigan Railway, which connected Eccles with Wigan and the Tyldesley Loopline which connected Tyldesley, Leigh and Kenyon...
, which was part of the Tyldesley Loopline
Tyldesley Loopline
The Tyldesley Loopline was the London and North Western Railway's Manchester and Wigan Railway line from Eccles to the junction west of Tyldesley station and its continuance south west via Bedford Leigh to Kenyon Junction on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The line opened on September 1st 1864...
, running from Eccles
Eccles railway station
Eccles railway station serves the town of Eccles in the City of Salford district of Greater Manchester.The station is next to the M602 motorway and is 400 metres away from the Eccles Metrolink station...
through Worsley
Worsley railway station
Worsley railway station was opened in 1864 to serve the town of Worsley in Greater Manchester. The Tyldesley Loopline and all its stations closed in 1969 as a result of the Beeching Axe.-History:...
and Leigh
Leigh railway station
Leigh railway station is on the Redhill to Tonbridge Line and serves Leigh in Kent, England. It opened as "Leigh Halt" in 1911; was renamed "Lyghe Halt" in 1917; "Leigh Halt" again about 1960; and "Leigh" in 1969...
to Roe Green. The station opened on 1 November 1887 and was closed under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
on 5 May 1969. Monton Green Station was located on an embankment, just off Monton Green, the railway running parallel with the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
. All traces of the station have long since been removed. However, the embankment on which the station was situated is still there and now forms the starting point of the Recreation Pathways scheme, run by Salford City Council.
The village of Monton is now served by rail services passing through the railway stations at Patricroft
Patricroft railway station
Patricroft railway station serves the Patricroft district of Eccles, England. The station is located on Green Lane, Patricroft just north of the junction with Cromwell Road...
and at Eccles
Eccles railway station
Eccles railway station serves the town of Eccles in the City of Salford district of Greater Manchester.The station is next to the M602 motorway and is 400 metres away from the Eccles Metrolink station...
, along the Manchester Victoria-Liverpool Lime Street railway line.
Bus services also serve the village, while the nearest Metrolink station is in Eccles
Eccles Metrolink station
Eccles Interchange is an interchange comprising a single platform Manchester Metrolink station and a small bus station serving Eccles town centre.The interchange opened as part of the second stage of the Eccles extension in July 2000....
(approximately 15 minute walk).
Landmarks
The local landmarks include the Unitarian Church and the locally named "Old Man's Shelter" both on Monton Green. A more recent addition is The Lighthouse built in recent years next to the Bridgewater CanalBridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
.
Sport
The local cricket club is Monton & Weaste C.C.Monton & Weaste C.C.
Monton & Weaste Cricket Club, based at Ellesmere Park in Eccles, City of Salford, Greater Manchester, are a cricket club in the Central Lancashire League, who have fielded a First and Second team since joining the league in 2005...
situated in Ellesmere Park
Ellesmere Park
Ellesmere Park is an area of Eccles, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, Ellesmere Park today is an affluent, predominantly residential area.- History:Ellesmere Park grew up around the turn of the 20th century...
and there is also a local bowling green