Pendlebury

Pendlebury is one half of the historic borough of Swinton and Pendlebury, which was amalgamated into the City of Salford in 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. Pendlebury sits almost midway between Manchester and Bolton and is neighboured by Irlam o' th' Heights, Clifton and Swinton in the county of Greater Manchester, England.

Pendlebury's records go back to 1201 when it was linked with the Manor of Shoresworth. Nowadays it is a Council Ward with 3 seats.

An area once rich in coal mining and cotton spinning in more modern times it is probably best known for the site of the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and the headquarters of - Greater Manchester Fire Service.

Pendlebury was once home to two pre-eminent names in the arts, who for many years were next door neighbours on Station Road - painter L. S. Lowry (1887 to 1976) and actor Sir Ben Kingsley.

In addition to the famous 'one hit wonder' by Brian and Michael, Lowry's life has been celebrated by construction of the - Lowry Art Centre at the regenerated former Manchester Docks - Salford Quays. His name has also been adopted for a neighbouring shopping centre - the Lowry Outlet and Greater Manchester's only 5 star hotel - the Lowry Hotel. Although it has to be said that the grandious nature of these developments may well have passed the man himself by!

Lowry lived in Pendlebury for 40 years, after his parents moved from the Victoria Park area of Rusholme in south Manchester when he was 9. Kingsley (real name Krishna Bhanji) was born in Scarborough, but undertook his education at Manchester Grammer School whilst living in Pendlebury. One of Kingsley's two sisters and his mother still live in the area.

It was during his years in Pendlebury that Lowry produced the majority of his famous works, having been inspired by the industrial scenes about him. It has been reported that, having missed a train from Pendlebury station, Lowry came across the changing of shifts at Acme Mill and marvelled at the spectacle - this being the moment he decided that industrial scenes were fitting for further work. His picture 'Pendlebury scene' showed an aspect of Acme Mill from George Street.

In the world of sport, St Johns Church in Pendlebury is the resting place of Geoff Bent, former resident of the town and one of the Busby Babes at Manchester United who perished in the Munich Air Disaster on 6th February 1958. Pendlebury was also the area where United's most decorated player ever Ryan Giggs was brought up, having come to the area when his father Danny Wilson signed for Swinton Lions RLFC from Cardiff RUFC. As a junior Giggs learned his trade at Deans FC in neighbouring Swinton, who also produced current professional Dean Holden.

The architectural highlight of the town is the Grade 1 listed gothic style St Augustines church, which was built by George Fredrick Bodley between 1871 and 1874 and is widely acknowledged as his finest work. The church contains a memorial to the 139 people who lost their lives in the Clifton Hall Colliery disaster of 1885 and became known as the 'miners cathedral'. The vicar at the time of the disaster was said to have conducted funerals all day. In May 2006, St. Augustines became the focal point of a campaign by English Heritage to save 19 places of worship in Greater Manchester from falling into delapidation.

Another interesting building in the area was Agecroft Hall which was erected of half-timbering on a stone base by Sir Robert Langley in the 16th century. This handsome building stood until 1924 but in that year it was purchased by a Mrs Williams, dismantled and shipped by her across the Atlantic and re-erected at Windsor Farms in Virginia, where it is now a museum.

The northern edge of Pendlebury saw extensive coal extraction from several pits up until the closure of Agecroft Colliery in the 1990's. Agecroft was opened in 1960 following an investment of £9,000,000 and seven years of establishment works - making it the first new pit to be sunk in Lancashire after the second world war. Agecroft stood on the site of Lumn's Colliery that was itself abandoned in 1932 and had an unusual arrangement of winding gear, which was concealed in three huge towers - the tallest of which was 174ft high. The colliery exported much of its coal to the CEGB's Agecroft power station, via a purpose designed conveyor system that included a dedicated bridge across Agecroft Road.

Active mine workings have long since finished, and Agecroft Colliery is now the home to a business park. Predecessors to Agecroft Colliery included Pendlebury Colliery (located next to the A666), Wet Earth Colliery (featured in several of Lowry's works), Clifton Hall Colliery, Newtown Colliery and Wheatsheaf Colliery. With the decline of the industry, the once popular Pendlebury Miners Club was inevitably demolished in the 1990s.

The Acme mill that was so important in shaping Lowry's perceptions was said to be the first spinning mill in the UK to be entirely electrically powered and was situated off Swinton Hall Road, but was demolished in the 1980s to make way for a housing estate.

Also now demolished is Agecroft power station, which stood on the site currently occupied by Forest Bank Prison

Pendlebury was served by a train station on the Manchester Victoria to Wigan line for over 80 years, until closure in 1960 by British Rail due to low useage. The Irlam's o' th' Height station, which was in the eastern extreme of the Pendlebury borough at the bottom of Bank Lane, had been closed for similar reasons 5 years earlier.

The former Station Hotel still stands opposite the location of Pendlebury station but has been rebranded as Isis Restaurant.

Pendlebury also featured a link between Patricroft on Stephenson's 1830 Manchester to Liverpool line and Clifton Junction, until the Black Harry tunnel collapse of 1953. The collapse caused 5 deaths and saw 2 houses disappear from Temple Drive in neighbouring Swinton - the line never reopened although much of its length is now a recreational footpath. Template:Manchester-geo-stub