Rainford
Encyclopedia
Rainford is a village and civil parish within Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
, in Merseyside
, England. It is around 5 miles (8 km) north of St Helens
. At the 2001 Census
the population of the civil parish was 8,344.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, it is unknown when Rainford was founded, but the name of the village is in the Domesday Book
, thus making Rainford older than the maritime city of Liverpool
, which dominates the region. Rainford formerly constituted an urban district
.
Until the mid 1960s, it was also a location for sand excavation, for use in the glass
factories of St Helens
.
One of the noteworthy buildings in Rainford is The Rookery, a large 17th century manor house situated off the 'Pottery Padds'; the house was formerly a school and workhouse and has since become home to a tenant.
The village consists of two main sections - the main body of the village, centred around the parish church; and Rainford Junction, a smaller settlement which has grown up around Rainford railway station
. The two parts of the village are separated by a band of farmland, although they come close to meeting at the village's north-western end.
There are three smaller villages which are near to Rainford - King's Moss to the east, Crawford to the north-east and Crank to the south-east.
From the mid 17th century Rainford was a centre of clay pipe manufacture. CJ Berry speculates that this may have been due to the prevalence of Catholics in the industry, and Rainford's history of Nonconformism
and religious tolerance, in contrast to the persecution Catholics received in much of the country in the era. The type of clay used was only generally found in Devon and Cornwall, and was thus imported. The industry in the area peaked during the period c.1800-40, in which there was little else in the village besides the clay pipe industry. Whilst other towns in the area made pipes, the industry in Rainford started earlier and continued longer. The last two pipe manufacturers retired in 1956. The clay industry continued in the area thereafter, though, with the Rainford Potteries (established 1890) making earthenware drainpipes from local clay.
's Skelmersdale Branch
and St. Helens Railway, and is now home to the village's only railway station. The station is on the Kirkby
- Manchester Victoria via Wigan
line. Passengers wishing to travel to Liverpool must change at Kirkby onto the Merseyrail
electrified line. Rainford Village railway station
, located on Crosspit Lane, served the centre of the village from 1858 until 1951. It was on the line to St. Helens's Shaw Street station
.
Rainford sits alongside the A570
(Rainford Bypass), a dual carriageway constructed in the late 1930s to supplant the original route running through the village centre. The A570 connects at one end to the East Lancashire Road
and, at the other end, the M58 motorway
. This results in excellent road links, and the village is therefore mainly inhabited by people who commute to the nearby cities of Liverpool
and Manchester
, and to St Helens.
There are bus services in Rainford, Arriva
run service 38 which connects the village and Rainford Junction to St Helens every 30 minutes. Evening and Sunday journeys on this service are numbered 356 and go via Crank approximately hourly. Strawberry bus operate the 319 from St Helens to Ormskirk via Rainford. The service provides an extended link to Southport during the summer months and there are also several shortened versions of the 319 running throughout the day serving just St Helens to Rainford via Coal Pit Lane, Higher Lane and Old Lane. The 152 is operated by Cumfy Bus and runs along Higher Lane to St. Helens via Crank hourly. The 157 goes to Ashton and is currently operated by Warrington Coachways.
Rainford's Silver Band is highly regarded, and has won many contests A 'walking day' takes place every year in June and a fairground
is set up behind the Golden Lion public house, in which the Silver Band participate. A well-supported Rainford Show is held each year in early September in the old Rainford Urban District Council offices, with competitive classes for handicrafts, flowers, vegetables, floral art, photography etc.
, and was a stronghold of Recusancy
from the reformation
until the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1832.
Primary School and Rainford Corpus Christi
Catholic Primary School. The high school and sixth form operate jointly as Rainford High Technology College
, and serve to educate students not just from Rainford, but from throughout St. Helens and beyond. Many students continue to university each year. The high school has recently been partnered with Guangdong
University, in southern China
.
Rainford also has various sports clubs; Rainford Tennis Club, Rainford Rangers Football Club, Rainford Eagles football club, Rainford North End Football Club and Rainford Cricket Club. Rainford Cricket Club recently gained promotion to the Liverpool & District ECB Premier League.
A speedway training track was operational at some time in the early 1950s.
Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
The Metropolitan Borough of St Helens is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It is named after its largest town St Helens, and covers an area which includes the settlements of Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown, Haydock, Rainhill, Eccleston, Clock Face, Billinge and...
, in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England. It is around 5 miles (8 km) north of St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
. At the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the population of the civil parish was 8,344.
Historically
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...
a part 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...
, it is unknown when Rainford was founded, but the name of the village is 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...
, thus making Rainford older than the maritime city of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, which dominates the region. Rainford formerly constituted an 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....
.
History
Rainford is well known for its industrial past when it was a major manufacturer of clay smoking pipes. The nearby coal mines became worked out and closed prior to World War Two.Until the mid 1960s, it was also a location for sand excavation, for use in the glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
factories of St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
.
One of the noteworthy buildings in Rainford is The Rookery, a large 17th century manor house situated off the 'Pottery Padds'; the house was formerly a school and workhouse and has since become home to a tenant.
Geography
Rainford lies on a fertile agricultural plain and is effectively an urban island surrounded by large scale farming, mainly arable, but with some livestock herds.The village consists of two main sections - the main body of the village, centred around the parish church; and Rainford Junction, a smaller settlement which has grown up around Rainford railway station
Rainford railway station
Rainford railway station is situated in the village of Rainford, Merseyside, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail.- History :...
. The two parts of the village are separated by a band of farmland, although they come close to meeting at the village's north-western end.
There are three smaller villages which are near to Rainford - King's Moss to the east, Crawford to the north-east and Crank to the south-east.
Industry
Agriculture has been a constant since time immemorial around Rainford.From the mid 17th century Rainford was a centre of clay pipe manufacture. CJ Berry speculates that this may have been due to the prevalence of Catholics in the industry, and Rainford's history of Nonconformism
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
and religious tolerance, in contrast to the persecution Catholics received in much of the country in the era. The type of clay used was only generally found in Devon and Cornwall, and was thus imported. The industry in the area peaked during the period c.1800-40, in which there was little else in the village besides the clay pipe industry. Whilst other towns in the area made pipes, the industry in Rainford started earlier and continued longer. The last two pipe manufacturers retired in 1956. The clay industry continued in the area thereafter, though, with the Rainford Potteries (established 1890) making earthenware drainpipes from local clay.
Transport
Rainford Junction is so called because it contained the junction between the Liverpool and Bury RailwayLiverpool and Bury Railway
The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching of to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan and Bolton to Bury.In 1846 the line merged with the...
's Skelmersdale Branch
Skelmersdale Branch
The Skelmersdale Branch railway connected the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway at Ormskirk with Rainford Junction . At Rainford it connected with the Liverpool and Bury Railway and the St. Helens Railway. It was built by the East Lancashire Railway, which was taken over by the Lancashire...
and St. Helens Railway, and is now home to the village's only railway station. The station is on the Kirkby
Kirkby railway station
Kirkby railway station is situated in Kirkby, Merseyside, England. The station is an interchange between Merseyrail services from Liverpool Central and Northern Rail services from Manchester Victoria via Wigan Wallgate....
- Manchester Victoria via Wigan
Wigan Wallgate railway station
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
line. Passengers wishing to travel to Liverpool must change at Kirkby onto the Merseyrail
Merseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
electrified line. Rainford Village railway station
Rainford Village railway station
Rainford Village railway station was a station on the railway line from Rainford Junction to St Helens, Lancashire, later Merseyside.-Opening and early history:...
, located on Crosspit Lane, served the centre of the village from 1858 until 1951. It was on the line to St. Helens's Shaw Street station
St Helens Central railway station
St Helens Central railway station is a railway station serving the town of St Helens, Merseyside, England. It is on the Liverpool to Wigan Line from Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan North Western...
.
Rainford sits alongside the A570
A570 road
The A570 is a primary route in northern England, that runs from St Helens to Southport. The road begins at junction 7 of the M62 motorway in Merseyside, and runs in a northerly direction as a dual carriageway through the centre of St Helens, meeting the A58 road, then the A580 road to the north of...
(Rainford Bypass), a dual carriageway constructed in the late 1930s to supplant the original route running through the village centre. The A570 connects at one end to the East Lancashire Road
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...
and, at the other end, the M58 motorway
M58 motorway
The M58 is a motorway passing through Merseyside and Lancashire, terminating in Greater Manchester, England. It is 12 miles long and provides a link between the M6 motorway and the area north of Liverpool.-Route:...
. This results in excellent road links, and the village is therefore mainly inhabited by people who commute to the nearby cities of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and 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 to St Helens.
There are bus services in Rainford, Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
run service 38 which connects the village and Rainford Junction to St Helens every 30 minutes. Evening and Sunday journeys on this service are numbered 356 and go via Crank approximately hourly. Strawberry bus operate the 319 from St Helens to Ormskirk via Rainford. The service provides an extended link to Southport during the summer months and there are also several shortened versions of the 319 running throughout the day serving just St Helens to Rainford via Coal Pit Lane, Higher Lane and Old Lane. The 152 is operated by Cumfy Bus and runs along Higher Lane to St. Helens via Crank hourly. The 157 goes to Ashton and is currently operated by Warrington Coachways.
Culture and recreation
Rainford has many noted public houses, including the Bottle and Glass, the Star Inn, the Derby Arms, the Golden Lion, the Eagle and Child and the Bridge Inn. It is also home to the George Wright Brewery.Rainford's Silver Band is highly regarded, and has won many contests A 'walking day' takes place every year in June and a fairground
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
is set up behind the Golden Lion public house, in which the Silver Band participate. A well-supported Rainford Show is held each year in early September in the old Rainford Urban District Council offices, with competitive classes for handicrafts, flowers, vegetables, floral art, photography etc.
Religion
Rainford currently has four functioning churches, with the Catholic, Church of England, Methodist and United Reform denominations having one each. There is also a nondenominational chapel in nearby Crank. The area has a history of NonconformismNonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
, and was a stronghold of Recusancy
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
from the reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
until the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1832.
Education
Rainford is also noted for its schools. It currently has three primary schools and a secondary school with a large sixth form. The primary schools are Rainford Brook Lodge County Primary School, Rainford C of EChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Primary School and Rainford Corpus Christi
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
Catholic Primary School. The high school and sixth form operate jointly as Rainford High Technology College
Rainford High Technology College
Rainford High Technology College is a community secondary school and sixth form college located in Rainford, Merseyside, England. The school has been awarded specialist Technology College status. It has a notable tradition of producing competitive sports teams, most notably in Rugby...
, and serve to educate students not just from Rainford, but from throughout St. Helens and beyond. Many students continue to university each year. The high school has recently been partnered with Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
University, in southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Sports
There is currently a golf-course called The Northwest National Golf Club alongside the A570 dual carriageway. This new course contains 27 holes, a golf academy, restaurant and conference centre and was opened in the summer of 2009.Rainford also has various sports clubs; Rainford Tennis Club, Rainford Rangers Football Club, Rainford Eagles football club, Rainford North End Football Club and Rainford Cricket Club. Rainford Cricket Club recently gained promotion to the Liverpool & District ECB Premier League.
A speedway training track was operational at some time in the early 1950s.
Notable people
- William BirchWilliam Birch (footballer)William Birch was an English footballer. He played for Blackpool, Nottingham Forest, Reading, Grimsby Town, Gainsborough Trinity and Rotherham County.-References:...
, professional footballer - Denis Mee, former village Policeman
General
Schools
- Rainford Brook Lodge County Primary School
- Rainford C of E Primary School
- Rainford Corpus Christi Primary School
- Rainford High Technology College