Newton-le-Willows

History

Newton's growth principally took place from the mid-19th century however the local area has been inhabited for the past millennium. An approximately 20 ft wide road constructed during the Roman occupation of Britain roughly connecting Warrington and Wigan lies beneath the town running south to north through the Wargrave area. Before the Norman Conquest, Newton was head of a hundred. The Domesday hundred was assessed at five hides one of which included Newton. The lord of the manor was Edward the Confessor at his death in 1066. The Newton Hundred was subsequently combined with the Warrington and Derby Hundreds to form the West Derby Hundred. The fields between Newton and Winwick were the site of the battle of Winwick, the last battle of the Second English Civil War. Newton has two railway stations. Newton-le-Willows railway station and Earlestown railway station, opened in 1830. They are two of the oldest railway stations. Earlestown was an important junction where the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway line was joined by the 1837 line running south to Birmingham. The town also had three other railway stations, at Parkside, the Vulcan Village, and the old racecourse (which closed when Haydock Park Racecourse was opened). Parkside is notable as the site of the world's first fatal rail accident, in which MP William Huskisson died. Two other railway related landmarks are Newton Viaduct and the Sankey Viaduct known locally as the "Nine Arches". The town's strategic location at the intersection of two major railway lines led it to become a major manufacturer of locomotives, with the Vulcan Foundry operating from the mid 19th century up to its closure in 1962. The Vulcan Foundry was one of the town's most important employers at the time alongside various coal…

Geography

Newton-le-Willows is located off the A580 East Lancashire Road between Liverpool and Manchester in north-west England. It is in the east of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in Merseyside, near to the border with Wigan in Greater Manchester. To the south is the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire. The wider built-up area of Newton-le-Willows includes Earlestown and areas of Wargrave and Vulcan Village. The town is considered as part of the Greater Manchester Built-up Area for statistical purposes despite being situated within Merseyside.

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  25,685
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,602
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  19,345
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  17,962
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  16,861
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,696
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,649
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,455

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2025-12-03
  0 km ESE of Carnforth, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2023-06-28
  2 km SE of Cheadle, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2022-05-30
  2 km ESE of Prees, United Kingdom
• M 3.2 — 2013-08-25
  23 km W of Cleveleys, United Kingdom
• M 3.7 — 2009-04-28
  3 km WSW of Flookburgh, United Kingdom
• M 3.3 — 2007-11-30
  4 km NNE of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, United Kingdom