Longton, Lancashire
| Longton | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's Church |
|
 Longton
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| Longton shown within Lancashire | |
| Population | 5,500 (2001) |
| OS grid reference | SD475262 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PRESTON |
| Postcode district | PR4 |
| Dialling code | 01772 |
| Police | Lancashire |
| Fire | Lancashire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Longton is a village and civil parish in the west of the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish was 5,500 at the 2001 Census increasing to 7,652 at the 2011 Census . It is about 5 miles to the south west of Preston. The parish also includes the village of New Longton.
Longton is a village of ancient origin. The parish church, St. Andrew's was completed in 1887 when the previous chapel of 1772 which stood nearer the main road was demolished. This stood on the site of an earlier chapel, the records of which are lost.
Although a document refers to "Eafward Priest of Longton" as early as 1153, and there is evidence of a chapel in Longton just before the reformation in 1517,when William Walton endowed a chantry at the chapel, there is no evidence that it stood on or near the site of the present parish church. No archaeological evidence has ever been found on the current site, and the dedication of the early chapel is unknown.
During the Middle Ages, Longton was known as "a sort of Holy Land" because the monks of Penwortham Priory tended their lands here. It was no doubt the monks who established the first chapel here. Many mediaeval documents survive which are mostly concerning rents paid to the Shireburn Family of Stonyhurst. An old source mentions a meadow called "Tirolkar" which bears a remarkable resemblance to the "Hallcar" of today.
The parish was part of Preston Rural District throughout its existence from 1894 to 1974. In 1974 the parish became part of South Ribble.
Apart from St. Andrew's Church, the Anglican church on Liverpool Road, there is a Methodist Chapel called Longton Methodist Church and the Catholic church of St. Oswald on Chapel Lane.
A small, plain Wesleyan chapel was built in Marsh Lane in 1807 and enlarged in 1833. In 1872 a new chapel was built in the Early English style.
By 1837 the primitive Methodists had become so numerous that they opened a chapel down Chapel Lane, but as time went on they declined and the Chapel was converted into a small housing estate.
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Wikipedia