Skelmersdale
Encyclopedia
Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire
, England. It lies on high-ground on the River Tawd
, 6 miles (10 km) to the west of Wigan
, 13 miles (21 km) to the northeast of Liverpool
, 15 miles (24 km) south-southwest of Preston. As of 2006, Skelmersdale had a population of 38,813, down from 41,000 in 2004. The town is known locally as Skem.
The first recorded use of the name Skelmersdale appears in the Domesday Book
of 1086. It was under the rule of Uctred as part of the hundred of West Derby
.
The urbanisation and development of Skelmersdale largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution
. Industrial scale coal mining began in the early 19th century and continued to expand during that century to give rise to Skelmersdale as an important colliery village.
Skelmersdale was designated as a new town
in 1961.
flows through Skelmersdale into a country park. The main country park is at Ashurst Beacon, a hillside location that is also home to a golf club.
personal name Skjaldmarr + probably Old Norse dalr (or Old English dæl) "dale, valley". The name was recorded as Skalmeresedel in 1136. One placename book suggests that it may be of Celtic origin, with the placenames being in Celtic placename order: "Element/personal name/word", rather than "Personal name/word/element", as with Old English placenames
.
It is known locally as "Skem", with a further distinction being made between "Old Skem" (the area which was a small mining town prior to 1961) and the broader swathe of development which has now developed.
, an ancient subdivision of Lancashire, covering the southwest of the county.
In the mid-14th century, the manor
of Skelmersdale was held by William Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
.
Skelmersdale's population in 1851 was only 760, but 50 years later it had increased to 5,699. It was a busy coal mining town. Sadly, there were over 100 fatalities in Skelmersdale collieries from 1851 to 1900, according to the Reports of the Inspectors of Coal Mines, and an unknown number of serious injuries. In 1880 there were 14 Skelmersdale colleries – most of them closed in the 1920s and '30s.
The miners, many of whom were Welsh
immigrants, brought with them their own brand of Nonconformist Christianity. By the start of the 20th century there were at least six dissenting chapels in the town: two Wesleyan (Berry Street, closed in the 1920s, and Liverpool Road, closed 1969), an independent Methodist, a Primitive Methodist, a Congregational, and a Welsh Chapel (closed in 1963).
Today, there is little to remind people that the town was ever associated with the once great Lancashire Coalfield
.
There were also numerous brickworks
in the area, and in the early-20th century Victoria County History
, Skelmersdale was described as "a particularly bare, unpleasing district" owing to its coal mines and brickworks
.
in 1961, designed to house overspill population from the north Merseyside
conurbation. The town was the first in the second wave of designations.
Due to the arrival of a large number of former Liverpool
residents, the town retains a strong cultural association with Liverpool.
Skelmersdale endured mixed economic fortunes during the last three decades of the 20th century. With the economic downturn in the late 1970s large industrial employers left the town en masse, resulting in an increase in crime, drug abuse and poverty. Today, West Lancashire has a crime rate well below the national average.
2006 was to see a regeneration drive for the town coordinated through English Partnerships
and the Northwest Regional Development Agency and publicly headed by the designer Wayne Hemingway
. Among the proposals was a new central focus for the entertainment and commerce for the town in the evening.
, Army Cadet Force
and Sea Cadet Corps. These units take part in the local community life and are routinely seen attending the Remembrance Sunday parade in the old town.
, Air Cadets, formed at Upholland Grammar School in 1941 as 'The Beacon Squadron' and provided airmanship training for young men and those about to join the RAF in time for the Battle of Britain. The Squadron continues to provide airmanship training to young men and women in addition to other activities.
The layout of the town is unique for the oversized roundabouts (the largest of which is "Half Mile Island") and a complete absence of traffic lights. Skelmersdale's road system has improved with better signage, although visitors still frequently get lost.
The M58 motorway
(Liverpool – Wigan Motorway) runs along the south of Skelmersdale from the nearby M6 motorway
to the Switch Island
interchange at Liverpool. The A570
and the A577
both provide connections.
The New Town areas of Skelmersdale have a road-naming system where "Road" and "Street" are rarely used and single-name roads are common, e.g. Abbeywood, Fairburn, Brierfield, Thornwood. "Road", "Street", "Lane" and "Drive" do appear in road names, but only in the parts of the town (bordering on Ormskirk
, St. Helens
and Wigan
) that pre-date the New Town development. The road names in New Town areas are also arranged in a loosely alphabetical format with large areas being defined by a single letter, for example Larkhill, Leeswood, Ledburn and Lindens all connect to Ashley Road in the Ashurst area.
Roads in the industrial estates and the main roads in the town such as Gillibrands Road follow the usual naming conventions, although the industrial estates do feature street names beginning with the same letter (such as Pikelaw Place, Penketh Place, Pinfold Place, Priorswood Place) all forpart of the Pimbo Industrial Estate.++
, closed their depot in Skelmersdale, which employed 129 people. The depot was first constructed for Ribble Motors in the 1970s, and the premises will now be sold. Skelmersdale is now served by buses from Arriva depots in St. Helens, Bootle and Southport.
in 1956, the town has become the second most populous town in the North West Region without a railway station. The nearest railway station is Upholland railway station on the Wigan Wallgate
to Kirkby
branch line (historically part of the Liverpool and Bury Railway
line.) The Skelmersdale Branch
previously connected Skelmersdale to Ormskirk
and Rainford Junction.
In March 2009, Network Rail
proposed to extend the existing quarter-hourly Liverpool Central to Kirkby service, to terminate at a new station in the centre of Skelmersdale. Rainford will then become an interchange station for services to and from Wigan Wallgate. In June 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies
published a report, Connecting Communities, which also recommended the opening of a new rail link to Skelmersdale. This time the recommendation was via the Skelmersdale Branch from Ormskirk.
West Lancashire College has a campus in the centre of the town. The college merged with Newcastle College
in 2007 and was recently graded as 'outstanding' in a recent OFSTED
inspection.
There is a Transcendental Meditation movement
community within Skelmersdale, called "European Sidhaland". It has a Maharishi School
that has performed well in OFSTED and school league tables. In 2011, it was one of 24 schools that applied for and received government funding as a flagship free school
.
Skelmersdale also is home to a large public library whose facilities include free internet access and an extensive local history section.
(Skelmersdale's single largest employer), distribution centres for Asda
and P&G, a Walkers
snack food factory, the international headquarters and UK manufacturing centre of Turtle Wax
and many others. Skelmersdale houses the corporate base and a distribution centre for Matalan
, the discount clothing and homewares store. Frederick's Dairies
is located in Skelmersdale who make ice cream for Cadbury
supermarket.
There are an abundance of smaller shopping parades in Skelmersdale which include Sandy Lane, Digmoor Parade and Ashurst Shopping Center.
One of the biggest shops in skelmersdale is Retail Bargains
, plays in the Unibond Northern Premier League Division One North
and was a FA Vase
winner in 1971. One of its former players was Steve Heighway
, who went on to play for Liverpool F.C.
for many years. Everton's, Leon Osman, lives in Skelmersdale and sent his son to St James Catholic primary School in Ashurt.
The town is also host to an archery
club, The Bowmen of Skelmersdale whose collective members hold 19 county records and 14 World Records held by three individuals from the same family (Melissa-Jane Daniel
, Harriet Daniel and Gary Daniel), 6 of which were claimed at the National Flight Championships on 19 August 2006 held at RAF Church Fenton
.
West Lancashire
West Lancashire is a non-metropolitan district with the status of a borough in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Ormskirk. The other town in the borough is Skelmersdale....
, England. It lies on high-ground on the River Tawd
River Tawd
The River Tawd flows through Skelmersdale and Lathom in West Lancashire.The Tawd Bridge carried Ormskirk Road, the main arterial road from Wigan to Ormskirk and Southport. This is well-known to Upholland locals as the place where highwayman George Lyons held up his victims during the 18th century....
, 6 miles (10 km) to the west of 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...
, 13 miles (21 km) to the northeast 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...
, 15 miles (24 km) south-southwest of Preston. As of 2006, Skelmersdale had a population of 38,813, down from 41,000 in 2004. The town is known locally as Skem.
The first recorded use of the name Skelmersdale appears 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...
of 1086. It was under the rule of Uctred as part of the hundred of West Derby
West Derby (hundred)
The hundred of West Derby was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in northern England. It was sometimes known as West Derbyshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of West Derby .It covered the southwest of Lancashire, containing the ancient...
.
The urbanisation and development of Skelmersdale largely coincided with 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...
. Industrial scale coal mining began in the early 19th century and continued to expand during that century to give rise to Skelmersdale as an important colliery village.
Skelmersdale was designated as a new town
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
in 1961.
Geography
The River TawdRiver Tawd
The River Tawd flows through Skelmersdale and Lathom in West Lancashire.The Tawd Bridge carried Ormskirk Road, the main arterial road from Wigan to Ormskirk and Southport. This is well-known to Upholland locals as the place where highwayman George Lyons held up his victims during the 18th century....
flows through Skelmersdale into a country park. The main country park is at Ashurst Beacon, a hillside location that is also home to a golf club.
Toponymy
Skelmersdale means "Skjaldmarr's valley", from the Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
personal name Skjaldmarr + probably Old Norse dalr (or Old English dæl) "dale, valley". The name was recorded as Skalmeresedel in 1136. One placename book suggests that it may be of Celtic origin, with the placenames being in Celtic placename order: "Element/personal name/word", rather than "Personal name/word/element", as with Old English placenames
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
.
It is known locally as "Skem", with a further distinction being made between "Old Skem" (the area which was a small mining town prior to 1961) and the broader swathe of development which has now developed.
Early history
Until the creation of Skelmersdale Urban District Council at the end of the 19th century, the town was part of the Parish of Ormskirk in the West Derby hundredWest Derby (hundred)
The hundred of West Derby was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in northern England. It was sometimes known as West Derbyshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of West Derby .It covered the southwest of Lancashire, containing the ancient...
, an ancient subdivision of Lancashire, covering the southwest of the county.
In the mid-14th century, the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Skelmersdale was held by William Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
William Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
William Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre was an English peer. In the final months of his life he was also 3rd Baron Multon of Gilsland...
.
Skelmersdale's population in 1851 was only 760, but 50 years later it had increased to 5,699. It was a busy coal mining town. Sadly, there were over 100 fatalities in Skelmersdale collieries from 1851 to 1900, according to the Reports of the Inspectors of Coal Mines, and an unknown number of serious injuries. In 1880 there were 14 Skelmersdale colleries – most of them closed in the 1920s and '30s.
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...
immigrants, brought with them their own brand of Nonconformist Christianity. By the start of the 20th century there were at least six dissenting chapels in the town: two Wesleyan (Berry Street, closed in the 1920s, and Liverpool Road, closed 1969), an independent Methodist, a Primitive Methodist, a Congregational, and a Welsh Chapel (closed in 1963).
Today, there is little to remind people that the town was ever associated with the once great Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
.
There were also numerous brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
in the area, and in the early-20th century Victoria County History
Victoria County History
The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 and was dedicated to Queen Victoria with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of...
, Skelmersdale was described as "a particularly bare, unpleasing district" owing to its coal mines and brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
.
New town
Skelmersdale was designated a New TownNew towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
in 1961, designed to house overspill population from the north 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...
conurbation. The town was the first in the second wave of designations.
Due to the arrival of a large number of former 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...
residents, the town retains a strong cultural association with Liverpool.
Skelmersdale endured mixed economic fortunes during the last three decades of the 20th century. With the economic downturn in the late 1970s large industrial employers left the town en masse, resulting in an increase in crime, drug abuse and poverty. Today, West Lancashire has a crime rate well below the national average.
2006 was to see a regeneration drive for the town coordinated through English Partnerships
English Partnerships
English Partnerships was the national regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by Regional Development Agencies on a regional level...
and the Northwest Regional Development Agency and publicly headed by the designer Wayne Hemingway
Wayne Hemingway
Wayne Andrew Hemingway, MBE is an English fashion designer and co-founder of Red or Dead. He is also chairman of the South Coast Design Forum, and chair of Building For Life .Hemingway is the son of Canadian Mohawk chief and former wrestler Billy Two Rivers...
. Among the proposals was a new central focus for the entertainment and commerce for the town in the evening.
Cadet Forces
Skelmersdale has units of the Air Training CorpsAir Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
, Army Cadet Force
Army Cadet Force
The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...
and Sea Cadet Corps. These units take part in the local community life and are routinely seen attending the Remembrance Sunday parade in the old town.
Air Training Corps
1439 (Skelmersdale) Squadron1439 (Skelmersdale) Squadron
1439 Squadron is an element of the Air Training Corps. It serves Skelmersdale and the surrounding area. A large number of former cadets have gone on to join the Royal Air Force and this has enabled the Sqn to have good working links with the parent service...
, Air Cadets, formed at Upholland Grammar School in 1941 as 'The Beacon Squadron' and provided airmanship training for young men and those about to join the RAF in time for the Battle of Britain. The Squadron continues to provide airmanship training to young men and women in addition to other activities.
Army Cadet Force
The Army Cadets are part of 'S' Company of the Lancashire Force. They are based at Daniels Lane.Sea Cadet Corps
The Sea Cadets are also well established in Skelmersdale as "Skelmersdale and West Lancs District" and are based at Tawd Road.Road
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:...
(Liverpool – Wigan Motorway) runs along the south of Skelmersdale from the nearby M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
to the Switch Island
Switch Island
Switch Island is a road junction south of Maghull and near Aintree in Merseyside, England on the Liverpool rural-urban fringe. The junction is at the western terminus of both the M57 and M58 motorways, which converge on the A59 trunk road, the north-south route from Liverpool...
interchange at Liverpool. 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...
and the A577
A577 road
- Route :The A577 starts at A572 in Boothstown, where it climbs uphill and over the A580 and into Tyldesley. It meets the A5082, then climbs up to Atherton. The road then meets A579 and passes the A578. The road heads into Hindley, crossing the A58 and goes into Wigan. It passes the JJB Stadium...
both provide connections.
The New Town areas of Skelmersdale have a road-naming system where "Road" and "Street" are rarely used and single-name roads are common, e.g. Abbeywood, Fairburn, Brierfield, Thornwood. "Road", "Street", "Lane" and "Drive" do appear in road names, but only in the parts of the town (bordering on Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
, 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...
and 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...
) that pre-date the New Town development. The road names in New Town areas are also arranged in a loosely alphabetical format with large areas being defined by a single letter, for example Larkhill, Leeswood, Ledburn and Lindens all connect to Ashley Road in the Ashurst area.
Roads in the industrial estates and the main roads in the town such as Gillibrands Road follow the usual naming conventions, although the industrial estates do feature street names beginning with the same letter (such as Pikelaw Place, Penketh Place, Pinfold Place, Priorswood Place) all forpart of the Pimbo Industrial Estate.++
Bus
From September 2011, the company providing most of Skelmersdale's bus services, ArrivaArriva
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...
, closed their depot in Skelmersdale, which employed 129 people. The depot was first constructed for Ribble Motors in the 1970s, and the premises will now be sold. Skelmersdale is now served by buses from Arriva depots in St. Helens, Bootle and Southport.
Rail
Since the closure of Skelmersdale railway stationSkelmersdale railway station
Skelmersdale railway station was a station located on the Skelmersdale Branch at Skelmersdale, England. The station was originally named Blague Gate, having its name changed to Skelmersdale on 8 August 1874.-Recreation proposals:...
in 1956, the town has become the second most populous town in the North West Region without a railway station. The nearest railway station is Upholland railway station on the Wigan Wallgate
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...
to 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....
branch line (historically part of the Liverpool and Bury Railway
Liverpool 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...
line.) The 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...
previously connected Skelmersdale to Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
and Rainford Junction.
In March 2009, Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
proposed to extend the existing quarter-hourly Liverpool Central to Kirkby service, to terminate at a new station in the centre of Skelmersdale. Rainford will then become an interchange station for services to and from Wigan Wallgate. In June 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies
Association of Train Operating Companies
The Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
published a report, Connecting Communities, which also recommended the opening of a new rail link to Skelmersdale. This time the recommendation was via the Skelmersdale Branch from Ormskirk.
Education
Skelmersdale has a number of primary schools, and has three high schools. These are Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic High School an Engineering College, Lathom High School a Technology College and Glenburn Sports College.West Lancashire College has a campus in the centre of the town. The college merged with Newcastle College
Newcastle College
Newcastle College is a Further Education and Higher Education college in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the largest mixed economy College in the country and claims to offer more courses in more subjects than any of its geographical competitors....
in 2007 and was recently graded as 'outstanding' in a recent 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 ....
inspection.
There is a Transcendental Meditation movement
Transcendental Meditation movement
The Transcendental Meditation movement is a world-wide organization, sometimes characterised as a neo-Hindu new religious movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s...
community within Skelmersdale, called "European Sidhaland". It has a Maharishi School
Maharishi School
The Maharishi School is a non-academically selective school in Lathom, Lancashire, UK.-Description:...
that has performed well in OFSTED and school league tables. In 2011, it was one of 24 schools that applied for and received government funding as a flagship free school
Free school (England)
A Free school is a school in England funded by the taxpayer, non-selective and free to attend but not controlled by local authorities. The concept of free schools is based upon a similar model found in Sweden as well as US charter schools....
.
Skelmersdale also is home to a large public library whose facilities include free internet access and an extensive local history section.
Economy
Although consisting predominantly of housing estates, Skelmersdale's industry includes the Co-operative BankCo-operative Bank
The Co-operative Bank plc is a commercial bank in the United Kingdom and Guernsey, with its headquarters in Manchester.The bank markets itself as an ethical bank, and refuses to invest in companies involved in the arms trade, global climate change, genetic engineering, animal testing and use of...
(Skelmersdale's single largest employer), distribution centres for Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
and P&G, a Walkers
Walkers (snack foods)
Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer operating mainly in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and to a lesser extent on the European continent. They are best known for manufacturing crisps. They hold 47 per cent of the British crisp market...
snack food factory, the international headquarters and UK manufacturing centre of Turtle Wax
Turtle Wax
Turtle Wax is a manufacturer of automotive appearance products. The company was founded by Benjamin Hirsch in 1941 and is currently headquartered in Willowbrook, Illinois...
and many others. Skelmersdale houses the corporate base and a distribution centre for Matalan
Matalan
Matalan is a British retailer that specialises in shoes and clothes. It was founded by John Hargreaves in 1985. It currently has 200 stores across the UK. The 200th store opened on 22 September 2006 in Croydon...
, the discount clothing and homewares store. Frederick's Dairies
Frederick's Dairies
Frederick's Dairies is an ice cream manufacturer that holds the license to make a number of branded ice cream products and variations. The company currently owns the license to make a range of Del Monte and Cadbury's ices, including a number of Flake branded cones to compete with Wall's Cornetto,...
is located in Skelmersdale who make ice cream for Cadbury
Shopping centres
Skelmersdale's town centre is made up of The Concourse Shopping Centre, colloquially known as "The Conny", and an AsdaAsda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
supermarket.
There are an abundance of smaller shopping parades in Skelmersdale which include Sandy Lane, Digmoor Parade and Ashurst Shopping Center.
One of the biggest shops in skelmersdale is Retail Bargains
Sports
The town's football team, Skelmersdale UnitedSkelmersdale United F.C.
Skelmersdale United F.C. are a football club from Skelmersdale, West Lancashire competing in the Northern Premier League Division One North. The club is a member of both the Liverpool F.A. and the Lancashire County Football Association.-The first 75 years:...
, plays in the Unibond Northern Premier League Division One North
Northern Premier League Division One North
Division One North is one of the two second-tier divisions of the Northern Premier League. It is at tier 4 of the National League System, tier 8 of the English football league system...
and was a FA Vase
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System...
winner in 1971. One of its former players was Steve Heighway
Steve Heighway
Stephen Derek "Steve" Heighway is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
, who went on to play for Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
for many years. Everton's, Leon Osman, lives in Skelmersdale and sent his son to St James Catholic primary School in Ashurt.
The town is also host to an archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
club, The Bowmen of Skelmersdale whose collective members hold 19 county records and 14 World Records held by three individuals from the same family (Melissa-Jane Daniel
Melissa-Jane Daniel
Melissa-Jane Daniel is a British archer who is currently studying a degree in Sociology at The University of Nottingham.Daniel, born in Preston, Lancashire, is a member of the Bowmen of Skelmersdale and has been a participant in the sport of archery since the age of six...
, Harriet Daniel and Gary Daniel), 6 of which were claimed at the National Flight Championships on 19 August 2006 held at RAF Church Fenton
Church Fenton
Church Fenton is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is home to many commuters and is served by a railway station; Church Fenton railway station. Neighbouring villages include Cawood and Ulleskelf. It is about from Tadcaster and from...
.
Further reading
- Wilson, L. Hugh (1964) Skelmersdale new town planning proposals : report on basic plan prepared for the Skelmersdale Development Corporation by L. Hugh Wilson, Hugh Wilson & Lewis Womersley Chartered Architects & Town Planners, with a foreword by A.J. Kentish Barnes, Chairman of the Skelmersdale Development Corporation, Skelmersdale Development Corporation;
- Riley, Frank (1986) People in Need of a Future: A Survey of the Long-term Unemployed in Skelmersdale Ecumenical Centre, Northway, Skelmersdale;
- Howe, Don and Frank Riley (1982) Skem – The Broken Promise: Unemployment in Skelmersdale New Town Liverpool Industrial Ecumenical Mission;
External links
- Skelmersdale Heritage Society website
- Potential Rail Improvements in North Western England – Evidence presented to the Transport Select Committee, 2002–03
- Ormskirk & Skelmersdale Advertiser
- Champion Newspapers