Accrington

Accrington is located in a hilly area on the western edge of the Pennine Mountains , on the Hyndburn River. It lies 6 km east of Blackburn , 10 km west of Burnley , 32 km north of downtown Manchester .

Toponymy

The name of the city may have an Anglo-Saxon origin, although experts strongly doubt this issue. In different years there are the following possible spellings of the name:

• 1194 - Akarinton
• 1258 - Akerunton, Akerinton, Akerynton
• 1292 - Acrinton
• 1311 - Ackryngton
• 1324 - Acryngton

The name of the area can mean an acorn farm translated from English-Saxon: æcern - acorn - acorn and tun - farm or village. The southern part of Accrington - the area called New Accrington was formerly a forest and the presence of oaks there is confirmed by preserved names such as "Wide Oak", "Oak Mountain" and several others. Acorns grown on oaks were an important component of nutrition for pigs and the farm could be called “acorn” for its products. Anglo-Saxon ᴁcerntun in the Middle Ages could be transformed into Akerenton, Akerinton, etc. It can also be considered an important fact that in the Lancashire dialect the word "acorn" was pronounced and spelled "akran".

Some believe that the name of the city comes from a certain old English name, although this is not directly confirmed. But if the Frisian names: Akkrum and Akkeringa, and the Danish name: Akkerghem, were derived from the personal name of a person, then this variant of the origin of the name of the city may be correct.

Black Abbey

Robert de Lassi in the 12th century gave the estate of Accrington to the monks of Kirkstal Abbey . The monks ousted the locals from their lands and built a farm. Offended residents took revenge on the monks. They set fire to the new building, destroyed it, and killed the three monks who settled here. Perhaps it was after these events that the place where the farm was located and began to be called the “Black Abbey”. Despite all the efforts of the monks, Accrington did not obey them and eventually returned to de Lassi.

It is believed that during their stay the monks could build a small chapel here, but there are no records to confirm this. It is absolutely known that the chapel in Accrington appeared before 1553, but there was no priest in the city, and the chapel opened its doors only when the clergyman arrived from the neighboring settlement of Whalley. So in 1717, services were carried out there no more than once a month. In 1763, the church of St. James's Church was built, replacing the old chapel despite the lack of the necessary status, received only in 1870.

Two cities

The city, which today is called Accrington, consists of two small towns: Old Accrington and New Accrington, united in a single city in 1878 at the same time as the creation of the united city council.

Industrial Revolution

Until the 1830s, visitors to Accrington mistook him for a large village. The industrial revolution has made adjustments to this. Due to its location, the city became attractive for industry and in the middle of the 18th century many factories were built here. Further development of industry continued towards the end of the century, and local landowners began to build their mansions on the border of the settlement, and the workers lived in intolerable unsanitary conditions in the center. Industrialization resulted in rapid population growth in the 19th century:

• 1811 - 3266 people
• 1851 - 10,376 people
• 1901 - 43,211 people
• 1911 - 45029 people - this was the peak of the population of the city

Such a rapid population growth of the city + a slow reaction from the Church of England led to the flourishing of non-conformism . By the middle of the 19th century, there were followers in Accrington of such movements as Wesleyanism , the primitive Methodist church, the united free Methodist church, Congregationalism , Baptism , Swedenborgians , Unitarianism , the Roman Catholic Church , the Catholic Apostolic Church. Swedenborgian church was so great that it could be called a cathedral.

Strike Movement

For many decades, the textile industry, mechanical engineering, and coal mining have been the center of the city’s life and supplied residents with work, but often in very difficult conditions. There were regular conflicts with employers over wages and working conditions. April 24, 1826 more than 1 thousand workers gathered on Mount Winnie (Whinney Hill) in the settlement of Clayton-le-Moors . From there they headed to the Sykes's Mill, where they smashed over 60 looms. From Accrington, these riots spread to Oswaldtwistle, Blackburn , Darwen, Rossendale , Bury , and Chorley . As a result, after three days of pogroms, 1,139 looms were destroyed, four rioters and two random eyewitnesses were killed in Rossendale, another 41 rioters were captured and sentenced to death, but later the sentence was commuted for everyone.

In 1842, the rebellions of the general strike rolled across the country, they affected Accrington. On August 15, 1842, the situation worsened and groups of workers, breaking into the factories, began to stop the machines. Thousands of strikers took to the streets. The strike led by the Chartist movement ended a week later, but it did not bring any results.

In the early 1860s, the Lancashire Cotton Famine had a bad effect on many cities in the region. In Accrington, about half of the workers were fired at a time.

Riots shook the city in the 20th century. So in 1962, local residents took up arms against the numerous Asian and Caribbean immigrants who had settled here since the late 1940s.

"Friends of Accrington"

"Friends from Accrington" - the name given to one of the local volunteer battalions, formed to participate in the First World War . The battalions of "friends" were a feature of the war of 1914-1918. Lord Kitchener , Secretary of State for War, believed that if friends and workmates from the same city serve and fight together, this will help in recruiting volunteers. Strictly speaking, “buddies from Accrington” is the “11th East Lancashire Regiment” (“11th East Lancashire Regiment”), and the nickname is misleading, because of the four groups of 250 members of the regiment, only one was dialed in Accrington, and the rest are from neighboring Burnley , Blackburn , Chorley .

The regiment received its baptism of fire on July 1, 1916 in the Battle of the Somme in northern France. It was assumed that the German defensive order would be destroyed by shelling, but after a week's cannonade the British met stubborn resistance. The result was 235 killed and 350 wounded in just 30 minutes of the battle. Things were no better in other British units. A year later, the regiment was again fully equipped.

In total, 865 residents of Accrington died in the First World War, and all these names are written on the war memorial, presented in the form of a white stone cenotaph , which stands in Oak Hill Park in the south of the city. The cenotaph also lists the names of 173 residents of those killed in World War II.

The 2001 census showed that the population of the city is 35,203 people. Urban areas, including Accrington itself and the adjacent Church, Church Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood and Oswaldtwistle, have a population of 71,224. The population of the entire Hindburn region, including the mentioned urban areas, is 81,496. In addition to the urban areas of Accrington, the Hindburn area includes cities and towns such as Altham , Baxenden , Belthorn , Huncoat , Rishton and Stanhill .

Initially, the production of many local settlements was based on coal mining and the manufacture of fabrics and woolen clothes. Accrington was no exception, but today these industries have faded into the background.

In the central part of the city there are a large number of stores that are part of well-known retail chains throughout England, as well as many independent stores. There are fast food cafes, among which there are both McDonald 's and KFC . There are several car dealerships.

Accrington Railway Station lies on the East Lancashire Line and serves both local trains and trains from Blackpool to York . Earlier, a railway line ran from the city to the southern part of Manchester , but in the 1960s it was closed with a reduction in rail costs (Beeching Report). In November 2011, plans for reestablishing rail links with Manchester appeared on the Hindburn County Council, which could bring economic benefits to all of Lancashire.

In the city itself and around it there is an extensive network of roads. This facilitates bus connections to many cities in eastern Lancashire. Buses to Manchester depart from the city every 30 minutes. The company M&M Coaches, which has a fleet of minibuses, and their main competitor, Transdev Lancashire United, provide the city with Blackburn , Oswaldtwisle , Rishton , Burnley , Clitheroe.

Nearest airports:

• Manchester Airport is 43 km away.
• Blackpool Airport is 45 km away.
• Leeds Bradford Airport is 48 km away.

Management

Accrington is represented in Parliament as part of the Hindburn constituency. It is worth noting that the boundaries of the Hindburn constituency do not completely coincide with the boundaries of the district of the same name.

Accrington was first represented in Parliament after the Act of Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885 (1885) and the ensuing general elections of 1885. During the 1983 general election, the seat of the representative of Accrington was replaced by the seat of a representative from the Hindburn constituency.

According to the Local Government Act of 1972 (Local Government Act 1972) in 1974, Accrington became part of the Hindburn County, which included the former city districts of Oswaldtuisle, Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood, and Rishton.

Education

There are a lot of diverse schools and colleges in Accrington, including various specialized schools with a sports bias, with a natural scientific bias, etc. There are schools under the auspices of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.

Medicine

Some areas of Accrington are considered one of the most backward in all of England in terms of medical care and life expectancy. The launched city renewal program aims to solve these and many other problems.

Primary care can be obtained at two specialized centers:

1. Accrington Pals Primary Health Care Center
2. Acorn (Accrington Acorn Primary Health Care Center)

The main hospital is the Victoria Hospital (Accrington Victoria Hospital), but in severe and emergency cases, people are taken for treatment to the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Media

Leading editions of the region:

• Accrington Observer, which is part of MEN media
• Lancashire telegraph

For over 100 years, Accrington has been known to England for its professional football clubs, of which there have been three in its history. The first was the Accrington FC football club, which became one of the 12 clubs that founded the England football league in 1888. However, the stay of this club in the league was unsuccessful and very short. He left the league in 1893 and soon closed due to financial problems. In 1921, another Accrington Stanley FC club entered the newly created Third Northern Division of the English Football League. Despite a long stay in the league, the club did not achieve high results and dropped out in 1962, and was closed by 1965.

Today, the updated Accrington Stanley Club is based in the city. This club was founded in 1968. He did not enter the league for a long time, but in the 2005-06 season he won this right. The whole city celebrated this event. It so happened that Accrington Stanley took the place of the relegated Oxford United team, which once got its place in the league after the old Accrington Stanley club dropped out.

Accrington is the smallest of the cities of England and Wales, having a club that is part of the football league in England. The club's stadium is called Crown Ground. Since July 2007, the club has its own official pub in the city, and it is called "Crown" (Crown).

Accrington's Haworth Art Gallery owns a unique collection of Tiffany products donated to the city by Joseph Briggs, a resident of Accrington who worked for Tiffany & Co in the late 19th century and eventually became art director and assistant manager. The art nouveau vases stored here are considered the most significant of these collections in Europe. One of the most striking items in the collection is a glass mosaic designed by Briggs himself and called the Sulfur Crested Cockatoos.

Accrington and other towns in the Hindburn area are gradually transforming according to an ambitious renewal plan. One of the most important points of the plan is the transformation of the center of Accrington, which is supposed to be the basis for the economic revival of not only the district, but also the entire Pennine part of Lancashire. It took the help of a whole council of recognized experts to understand how the city center should look in the next 10-15 years and how to achieve it.

• John Anderson - musician, original leader and vocalist of the band " Yes "
• Harrison Burthwistle - composer
• Thomas Burtwistle - Trade Unionist
• Mike Duxbury - Soccer Player
• Graeme Fowler is a professional cricket player, cricket coach.
• Andrew Hargreaves
• Julia Hesmondhalgh - actress
• Vicky Entwistle - actress
• Ron Hill - long distance runner, marathon runner
• Netherwood Hughes (Netherwood Hughes) - a long-liver, a veteran of World War I, died in 2009 at the age of 108 years
• David Lloyd is a cricket player who acts as an expert in Sky Sports
• Mystic Meg - Margaret Anne Lake - Astrologer
• Edward Ormerod is a mining engineer and inventor of the Ormerod security lock, used in coal mines since 1867.
• Alan Ramsbottom - Professional Cyclist
• Hollie Steel is finalist for the 2009 Britain's Got Tallent
• Diana Vickers (Diana Vickers) - performer of her own songs, actress, fashion designer
• John Virtue - artist
• John Rex Whinfield is a chemist and inventor of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the first fully synthetic fiber invented in the UK.
• Janet Winterson - writer
• Chris Norbury - Professional Snooker Player