Tonge is an outlying area of Bolton

Bolton

Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...

, in 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. The name is supposed to be derived from the Old English "tang" or "twang" meaning a fork in a river. Tonge comprises two areas, namely Tonge Fold and Tonge Moor. Tonge Fold sits upon the River Tonge

River Tonge

The River Tonge is a short river flowing close to Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England.The Tonge is formed at the Meeting of the Waters, where Astley Brook, flowing from the Smithills area in the west, meets the southerly-flowing Eagley Brook...

, a region of whose banks is a geological site of special scientific interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 (SSSI).

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 was once part of the township

Township (England)

In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...

 of Tonge with Haulgh

Tonge with Haulgh

Tonge with Haulgh was a township of the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Bolton le Moors in the Salford hundred of Lancashire, England.-Toponymy:...

. By the end of the 19th century Tonge was home to a coal mine.

Economy

Tonge is one of the most economically deprived areas in the UK. In the latest Index of Multiple Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

The Indices of deprivation 2004 is a Deprivation index at the small area level, created by the British Department for Communities and Local Government....

 this area was ranked 6,102 out of 32,482 in England, where 1 was the most deprived and 32,482 the least.

Education

There are three primary schools in Tonge. These are Moorgate country primary school, Tonge Moor county primary school and Castle Hill Primary School. Tonge does not have any secondary schools within its borders.

Landmarks

A noteworthy building in Tonge is Hall i' th' Wood

Hall i' th' Wood

Hall i' th' Wood is an early 16th century manor house in Bolton, Greater Manchester . It is a Grade I listed building and is currently used as a museum by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council. The original building is timber framed and has a stone flagged roof; there were later additions to the...

, an early 16th century manor house, and once the home of Samuel Crompton

Samuel Crompton

Samuel Crompton was an English inventor and pioneer of the spinning industry.- Early life :Samuel Crompton was born at 10 Firwood Fold, Bolton, Lancashire to George and Betty Crompton . Samuel had two younger sisters...

 in the 18th century. The building was bought by William Lever

William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme

William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician....

 (later Lord Leverhulme) in 1899, and after it was restored, he gave it to the Corporation of Bolton

County Borough of Bolton

Bolton was, from 1838 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England, conterminate with the town of Bolton.-History:Bolton was created a free borough in 1253 when William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby granted a charter. However the borough did not develop into a self-governing...

in 1900.