Eccles, Greater Manchester

Eccles is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is around to the west of Manchester City Centre.

Historically a part of Lancashire, Eccles was formerly an important industrial centre on the Manchester Ship Canal. Eccles is perhaps best known today for being credited as the birthplace of the Eccles cake.

History

Toponymy

The name Eccles first appears c. 1200, and is derived from the Old English eclēsia, meaning church, a word borrowed from the Greek ecclesia. The likely explanation is that it denoted the site of a building recognised by the Anglo-Saxons as a Christian church, something for which there was no word in their own language.

Early history

The early history of Eccles appears to have been uneventful. There was a skirmish at Woolden during the English Civil War, and the Jacobite army passed through in 1745, in its advance and subsequent retreat. Coal mines have been worked in the area since at least the 16th century, encouraged in the 18th century by the construction of the Bridgewater Canal. The construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in the late 19th century required that Brindley's original aqueduct on the canal be replaced by a metal aquedeuct, which could be swung to allow ships to pass along the canal; it weighs tons, including 800 tons of water.

James Nasmyth established the Bridgewater Foundry in 1836, in Patricroft, naming it 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.

Until it was abolished by the Home Secretary in 1877, there was a local annual celebration known as "Eccles Wakes". It included contests for ladies with a wooden leg and for eating apple dumplings.

Eccles has seen a number of firsts. On 15 September 1830, Eccles played a part in world's first railway accident. During a stop at Parkside, near Newton-le-Willows, to take on water, William Huskisson, Member of Parliament for Liverpool, had his leg crushed by Stephenson's Rocket; at the time he was in conversation with the Duke of Wellington, who was opening the railway, and did not get out of the way of the train in time. Although Huskisson was taken to Eccles for treatment he died of his injuries. A cricket match played in Eccles in 1861 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, and so an umpire borrowed a white coat to wear to help the batsman to see the ball.

Eccles became the first municipal corporation in England to operate a motorised fire engine in 1901. It was supplied to Eccles Corporation by a local firm, the Protector Lamp and Lighting Co., also known for manufacturing Miners' Safety Lamps. Barton Aerodrome, the first municipal airport in UK, was opened in January 1930, on a site at Barton-on-the-Moss. In 1933 Barton Moss became part of the borough of Eccles, although the airport continued to be owned by Manchester Corporation.

Governance

Eccles was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1892. In 1974 the borough was abolished and its area transferred to Greater Manchester, forming part of the City of Salford.

Eccles is made up of Peel Green, Patricroft, Barton-upon-Irwell, Winton, Monton and Ellesmere Park plus Eccles itself.

Transport

Eccles has been served by the world's first railway for fee paying passengers since 1830 - George Stephenson's Liverpool to Manchester line, upon which the Rocket locomotive achieved fame after winning the Rainhill trials. During the line's opening day one of its main supporters, Liverpool MP William Huskisson, was struck at Parkside station near Newton-le-Willows and was taken to Eccles for emergency treatment in the Parish Church where he later died, making Huskisson the first person in world history to be fatally injured in a railway accident. A memorial to Huskisson still stands at the site of Parkside station, although the station itself has been demolished.

In addition to Eccles station, in the town centre, there is also Patricroft which formerly neighboured one of the area's foremost locomotive works, although the works have long since closed and the site has since been developed as a business park. Patricroft was also the starting point of two branch lines – the Tyldesley Loop Line via Monton, Worsley and Ellenbrook to Leigh, and; the Radcliffe Line which proceeded through the Black Harry Tunnel to emerge near Clifton Junction station.

Patricroft is also the point where the world's first passenger railway passes over the world's first significant man made waterway – the Bridgewater Canal. Queen Victoria alighted from the Royal Train at Patricroft and proceeded to Worsley Hall (now demolished) on the Bridgewater Canal when paying a visit to the Earl of Ellesmere. Eccles been the scene of two serious rail accidents.

Since 2000, Eccles has been served by a branch of the Manchester Metrolink tram system. The terminus is located next to the town's bus station. From here, there are frequent buses to Manchester, either via Eccles Old Road on First Manchester's 67, 68 and 100 services or via Eccles New Road on First's 33 service. The bus services provides better links to Manchester than the Metrolink, as the buses are quicker to the city centre than the trams. There are also frequent services to The Trafford Centre, due to the close proximity between the two places. Services running to the Trafford Centre are buses 22, 100 and 247 plus 556 on Sundays.

The town stands close to the M602 motorway, which links Eccles with Manchester and the M62 and M60 motorways.

Notable people

• Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan was born in Eccles.
• Mayo Clinic founder William Worrall Mayo was born in Eccles.
• Mathematician, astronomer and atmospheric scientist Professor Sydney Chapman, FRS (1888-1970) was born in Eccles
• Mathematician Professor Nick Higham, FRS grew up in Eccles
• Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Sugden on TV soap Emmerdale, was born in Eccles.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Gelling M., Nicolaisen W. F. H., & Richards M. (1970). The Names of Towns and Cities in Britain. B. T. Batsford Ltd.