Eccles, Greater Manchester
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Eccles is a small town in the northwest of England, within the traditional borders of Lancashire. It is in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford but not, traditionally, part of Salford. The southern border is bounded by the Manchester Ship Canal and to the northwest and north are Swinton and Worsley, to the east is Salford and to the west and south west are Chat Moss and Irlam.
Up until 1974, Eccles was a borough in itself, but became part of the council area of the City of Salford when the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester was created.
There are several different areas that make up Eccles, these are Peel Green, Patricroft, Barton/Barton-upon-Irwell, Winton, Monton and Ellesmere Park plus Eccles town centre itself.
Over the recent years, Eccles has succumbed to social deprivation in particularly Brookhouse Estate in Peel Green, Westwood Park in Winton, and the Patricroft area. Crime in the area is higher than the national average.
Eccles, at this time, is in need of investment and it is hoped the recently built Metrolink station will help bring investment to the town.
A well known British pastry, the Eccles cake is believed to have been first made here. Eccles cakes are now made in Ardwick, an area of the City of Manchester.
Since 2000 Eccles has been served by a branch of the Manchester Metrolink tram system.
History
c.600 AD - The name "Eccles" derives ultimately from the Latin word "ecclesia" or church. This Latin word was adopted by the Celtic people who lived in Roman Britain and appears in modern Welsh as "eglwys". For "Eccles" to have become the name of the place means that when English settlers entered the area, about 600 AD, they found a church here and heard the Celtic word for it.c.1086 AD - Domesday Book. This refers to two churches in Manchester and neighbourhood, one of which may have been the parish church of Eccles, St. Mary the Virgin. The earliest parts of the church date from the 13th century though most of the building was constructed from the 15th century onwards.
1761 - Opening of the aqueduct of the Bridgewater Canal over the River Irwell. The part of the Canal from Worsley to Manchester passes through Eccles. The construction of the Canal was undertaken by the third Duke of Bridgewater (1736-1803) and was so successful that it inspired the building of others throughout the country in the "Canal Age". One local benefit was that by it coal was brought cheaply to Manchester. Once, when the Duke's coach bringing him from Hertfordshire arrived in Manchester, the horses tired from the journey, the people are said to have removed them from the coach and pulled it to Worsley themselves.
South of Eccles the Canal crossed the River Irwell by an aqueduct designed by the engineer James Brindley (1716-1772). It was the first time in England that water had been made to pass over water and became a wonder of the age.
1796 - Eccles cakes. First reference to the business of William Birch, a confectioner in Eccles, which became known for making Eccles cakes, a pastry with raisins. They became so popular that in the 19th century they were being exported all over the world.
1817 - Reference to "Eccles wakes". This annual celebration included contests for ladies with a wooden leg and for eating apple dumplings. It was abolished by order of the Home Secretary in 1877.
1830 - Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. This was the first railway in the world built to carry passengers and to use locomotives along its whole length. Eccles was the site of one of the original stations on the line. The first fatality in a railway accident, William Huskisson, M.P. (1770-1830), was brought to the old vicarage, Eccles, for treatment but died there.
1836 - The engineer James Nasmyth (1808-1890) established the Bridgewater Foundry. This was named after the third Duke. Its most famous product was the steam hammer, which made possible building projects and metalworking on a far larger scale than ever before, but later the Foundry was adapted to making railway locomotives which were exported all over the world.
1861 - Cricket. A match in Eccles is said to have started a cricket tradition. A batsman complained that he could not see the flight of the ball because the light was bad. An umpire borrowed a white coat to wear to help the batsman to see the ball.
1892 - Eccles received a charter from Queen Victoria to become the Borough of Eccles.
1894 - Opening of the Manchester Ship Canal. Earlier an ox had been roasted in Eccles to celebrate the passing of the Act for the building of the Canal. For this Canal Brindley's aqueduct was replaced by a metal aqueduct which could be swung to allow ships to pass along the Canal; it weighs 1450 tons including 800 tons of water.
1901 - First motorised fire engine to be supplied to a municipal corporation in England. This was supplied to Eccles Corporation by a local firm, the Protector Lamp and Lighting Co., also known for manufacturing miner's safety lamps.
1933 - Barton Moss became part of the Borough of Eccles. Here had opened in 1930 Barton Aerodrome. Owned by Manchester Corporation, it was the first municipal airport in the country.
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