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Ashton-Under-Lyne
*** Shopping-Tip: Ashton-Under-Lyne
Image:Ashton-under-Lyne town hall.jpg thumb|right|230px|Ashton's town hall
{{GBmap|Ashton-Under-Lyne - Tameside|SJ939989}}
'''Ashton-under-Lyne''' is a town in
Greater Manchester with a population of 43,236 (2001 census). It is the administrative centre of the borough of
Tameside. Traditionally Ashton was part of
Lancashire.
Ashton is located roughly 7 miles (11km) north-east of
Manchester city centre. The
River Tame, Yorkshire River Tame and the
Ashton Canal both run through the town.
Places of interest
A major tourist attraction in Ashton is the
Portland Basin Museum, which is based in a former warehouse next to the canal. The basin is the point at which the Ashton Canal, the
Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the
Peak Forest Canal join together.
Another place of interest in the town is the
Museum of the Manchester Regiment[http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/museum.htm]. A large street market is held in the town centre, reputedly one of the largest in England
History
In the
middle ages Ashton, was centred around the parish church of St Michael's, which was probably mentioned in the
domesday book of
1086.
The 'Ashton' part of its name probably derives from "settlement surrounded by Ash trees". The 'under-Lyne" part of its name was only added in the mid
19th century to distinguish it from other towns called 'Ashton' (such as
Ashton-in-Makerfield). It possibly refers to the old boundary between Lancashire and
Cheshire, or the forest of Lyme which once covered the area.
Ashton's growth occurred from the early 19th century, during the
industrial revolution, with the development of
cotton mills and
coal mines. By the mid 19th century Ashton had a population of over 30,000. Ashton was incorporated as a
parliamentary borough in
1832 and a
municipal borough with an elected council in
1847 under the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835.
Ashton's industries today include: engineering, food processing, leather, plastics, textiles, brewing, and the manufacture of diesel, gas, and oil engines. .
Recent devlopments
Construction on Ashton Retail Park was completed in 2003. The park houses a
Cineworld cinemas multiplex, a Hollywood Bowl ten-pin bowling alley, Frankie & Benny's restaurant, Chiquito restaurant, a chinese buffet restaurant,
Nando's restaurant,
Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC and
Brewers Fayre pub/restaurant.
By
October 2006 Ashton will also become home to the second
Ikea store in the northwest of
England (the other being in
Warrington) and only the fifteenth in
Britain.
Transport
Ashton is near the
M60 motorway, and is served by regular rail services on the
Huddersfield Line between Manchester (
Manchester Victoria station Victoria) and
Huddersfield. If it gets the go-ahead, an extension of the
Manchester Metrolink tram system will be built to Ashton, possibly by 2010, but funding for this extension currently looks uncertain.
Sport
Ashton-under-Lyne's most prominent football teams are
Ashton United F.C. and Curzon Ashton FC. Richmond Park Athletics Stadium is a synthetic running track and is home to the East Cheshire Harriers and Tameside AC.
Night Life
The town centre houses many bars, pubs and clubs and it is a very popular spot for nights out. With weekends being particularly busy, there is often a large police presence at night. In recent years there has been concern over the
binge drinking culture and violence exhibited by youths. In 2002 Stephen Baba-Tunde Amos was shot dead outside a nightclub [http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/s/13/13936_united_star_mourns_shot_pal.html].
Famous locals
Famous people from Ashton include the footballers
Geoff Hurst and
Simone Perrotta, the politician
Margaret Beckett and journalist
Simon Hoggart.
External links and references
-
Ashton-under-lyne.com
-
Ashton and Tameside
-
Tameside Council
Category:Towns in Greater Manchester
see
Ashton-under-Lyne
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