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Local Information for Atherton

Atherton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. Built on and around seven brooks, it has a long industrial past with a history of mining, mills, and nail manufacturing.

Atherton has a small pedestrian shopping centre, with small independent traders. In recent years a development program has started in Atherton to revitalise the town. There are public transport links: by rail links to Wigan and Manchester, and by bus to Bolton and Leigh.

Archaeologists have found evidence of Bronze Age and Romano-Celtic settlement in the Atherton area. The area was long associated with coal mining and nail manufacture. In the 19th century Atherton was a township in the parish of Leigh, focussed on the village of Chowbent. During the industrial revolution the cotton industry became established here. As the population grew, the resulting town was called Atherton, although the name Chowbent is still sometimes used by locals. There are some fine examples...More