Editing Chorley

{{short description|Town in Lancashire, England}}
{{About|the town in Lancashire, England|the larger local government district|Borough of Chorley|other uses|Chorley (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
  |coordinates = {{coord|53.653|-2.632|display=inline,title}}
  |official_name      =      Chorley
  |type               =      [[Town]] 
  |population_demonym =      Chorlean
  |population=               36,682
  |population_ref=           (2020)
  |os_grid_reference=        SD5817
  |shire_district=           [[Chorley (borough)|Chorley]]
  |shire_county=             [[Lancashire]]
  |region=                   North West England
  |country=                  England
  |post_town=                CHORLEY
  |postcode_district=        PR6, PR7
  |postcode_area=            PR
  |dial_code=                01257
  |constituency_westminster= [[Chorley (UK Parliament constituency)|Chorley]]
  |london_distance=
  |static_image_name=        Entering Chorley Town Centre.JPG
  |static_image_caption=    Entering Chorley town centre
  |pushpin_map             = United Kingdom Borough of Chorley
  |pushpin_map_caption     = Shown within Chorley Borough

}}
'''Chorley''' is a town and the administrative centre of the wider [[Borough of Chorley]] in [[Lancashire]], England,<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Chorley|volume=6|page=270}}</ref> {{convert|8|mi|km|0}} north of [[Wigan]], {{convert|11|mi|km|0}} south west of [[Blackburn]], {{convert|11|mi|km|0}} north west of [[Bolton]], {{convert|12|mi|km|0}} south of [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] and {{convert|20|mi|km|0}} north west of [[Manchester]]. The town's wealth came principally from the [[cotton]] industry.

In the 1970s, the skyline was dominated by factory chimneys, but most have now been demolished: remnants of the industrial past include Morrisons chimney and other mill buildings, and the streets of terraced houses for mill workers. Chorley is the home of the [[Chorley cake]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/?siteid=6120&pageid=37237&e=e|title=Lancashire Population, 2011 Census|last=Evans|first=Jacqueline|date=July 2012|website=www.lancashire.gov.uk|publisher=Lancashire County Council|access-date=4 April 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417140404/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/?siteid=6120&pageid=37237&e=e|archive-date=17 April 2014}}</ref><ref>The sum of the ward populations
6,823 ([http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-east-e05005169#sthash.rOdwuCx4.dpbs Chorley East] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060756/http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-east-e05005169#sthash.rOdwuCx4.dpbs |date=4 March 2016 }}),
6,651 ([http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-north-east-e05005170#sthash.4bFTdX3r.dpbs Chorley North East] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306232644/http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-north-east-e05005170#sthash.4bFTdX3r.dpbs |date=6 March 2016 }}),
5,961 ([http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-north-west-e05005171#sthash.jd9pvQjd.dpbs Chorley North West] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306193530/http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-north-west-e05005171#sthash.jd9pvQjd.dpbs |date=6 March 2016 }}),
6,635 ([http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-south-east-e05005172#sthash.2LvusRUQ.dpbs Chorley South East] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306071501/http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-south-east-e05005172#sthash.2LvusRUQ.dpbs |date=6 March 2016 }}) and
8,597 ([http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-south-west-e05005173#sthash.Hx5TG1FM.dpbs Chorley South West] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306105310/http://ukcensusdata.com/chorley-south-west-e05005173#sthash.Hx5TG1FM.dpbs |date=6 March 2016 }}), all accessed 25 August 2015, ''UK Census Data''.</ref>

==History==

=== Toponymy ===
The name ''Chorley'' comes from two [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] words, {{wikt-lang|ang|ċeorl}} and {{wikt-lang|ang|lēah}}, probably meaning "the [[peasant]]s' clearing".<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham |title=Key to English Place-Name: Chorley |year=2012 |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Lancashire/Chorley |access-date=14 November 2012 }}</ref> {{wikt-lang|enm|ley|Ley}} (also {{lang|ang|lēah}} or {{wikt-lang|en|leigh}}) is a common element of place-name, meaning a clearing in a woodland; {{lang|ang|ċeorl}} refers to a person of status similar to a [[Franklin (class)|freeman]] or a [[yeoman]].

===Prehistory===
There was no known occupation in Chorley until the Middle Ages, though archaeological evidence has shown that the area around the town has been inhabited since at least the [[Bronze Age]].<ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report13">{{cite book
 | author1 = Lancashire County Council and Egerton Lea Consultancy
 | author2 = English Heritage and Chorley Borough Council
 | title = Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report
 | publisher = Lancashire County Council
 | series = Lancashire Historic Town Survey Programme
 | date = February 2006
 | page = 13
 | url = http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/ChorleyComplete_LowRes.pdf
 | access-date = 15 November 2012
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120830213449/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/ChorleyComplete_LowRes.pdf
 | archive-date = 30 August 2012
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> There are various remains of prehistoric occupation on the nearby [[Anglezarke]] Moor, including the [[Round Loaf]] tumulus which is believed to date from 3500 BC.<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Anglezarke Moor Group
 | publisher = The Modern Antiquarian
 | year = 2004
 | url = http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/5568/anglezarke_moor_group.html
 | access-date = 15 November 2012 }}</ref>

A pottery [[burial urn]] from this period was discovered in 1963 on land next to [[Astley Hall (Chorley)|Astley Hall]] Farm and later excavation in the 1970s revealed another burial urn and four cremation pits dating from the [[Bronze Age]].<ref>{{cite web
 | title = Astley Hall Farm Bronze Age Burial Site
 | publisher = The Modern Antiquarian
 | date = 26 June 2003
 | url = http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/4056/astley_hall_farm_bronze_age_burial_site.html
 | access-date = 14 November 2012}}</ref>

===Roman period===
During the [[Roman Britain|Roman]] era a Roman road ran near Chorley between [[Wigan]] and [[Walton-le-Dale]].<ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report13"/> Hoards dating from the Roman period have also been found nearby at [[Whittle-le-Woods]] and [[Heapey]].<ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report13"/>

===Medieval period===
Chorley was not listed in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' of 1086, though it is thought to be one of the twelve [[wikt:berewick|berewick]]s in the [[Leyland Hundred]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Jim Heyes|title=A History of Chorley|year=1994|publisher=Lancashire County Books}}, p.6</ref>

Chorley first appears in historical records in the mid thirteenth century as part of the portion of the [[Croston]] Lordship acquired by William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, around 1250.<ref name="ChorleyVCR">{{cite web |title=Chorley A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6. |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp129-149#h3-s6 |website=British History Online |author=Willam Farrer & J. Brownbill (editors) |publisher=Victoria County History, 1911 |access-date=15 November 2012 }}</ref> The Earl established Chorley as a small borough comprising a two-row settlement arranged along what later became Market Street.<ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report13"/> It appears that the borough was short lived, as it does not appear in a report of a commission on the Leyland Hundred in 1341.<ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report1">{{cite book
 | author1 = Lancashire County Council and Egerton Lea Consultancy
 | author2 = English Heritage and Chorley Borough Council
 | title = Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report
 | publisher = Lancashire County Council
 | series = Lancashire Historic Town Survey Programme
 | date = February 2006
 | page = 1
|url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/ChorleyComplete_LowRes.pdf
 | access-date = 15 November 2012
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120830213449/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/ChorleyComplete_LowRes.pdf
 | archive-date = 30 August 2012
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> It is most likely that the borough was sacked by the Scots during the [[Great Raid of 1322]], with Chorley being one of the southernmost points reached in [[Northern England]]. This led to the construction of a [[Peel tower]], which said to have been located somewhere close to [[Duxbury Hall]].

The manorial history of Chorley is complex as the manor had no single lord throughout most of this period, as it had been split into [[Moiety title|moieties]] and was managed by several different families.<ref name="ChorleyVCR"/> This led to Chorley having several manorial halls, which in this period included Chorley Hall, built in the 14th century by the de Chorley family, which has since the 19th or 20th century been demolished. Very little is known of Chorley Hall, although according to what the painter [[John Bird (artist)|John Bird]] painted in 1795, its location to where it once stood is said to have been where The Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School now stands, with phantom steps near to the school within Astley Park being the only physical clue to the hall's existence. There is also Lower Chorley Hall, which was owned by the Gillibrand family from 1583 (later rebuilt in the 19th century as Gillibrand Hall).<ref name="ChorleyVCR"/><ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report14">{{cite book
 | author1 = Lancashire County Council and Egerton Lea Consultancy
 | author2 = English Heritage and Chorley Borough Council
 | title = Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report
 | publisher = Lancashire County Council
 | series = Lancashire Historic Town Survey Programme
 | date = February 2006
 | page = 14
 | url = http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/ChorleyComplete_LowRes.pdf
 | access-date = 15 November 2012
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120830213449/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/documents/historictowns/ChorleyComplete_LowRes.pdf
 | archive-date = 30 August 2012
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> It is believed the borough of Chorley was not a success in this period because of the lack of manorial leadership and the dispersed nature of the small population.<ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report14"/>

[[St Laurence's Church, Chorley|St Laurence's Church]] is the oldest remaining building in Chorley and first appears in historical records when it was [[Dedication (ritual)|dedicated]] in 1362, though it is believed there was already an earlier [[Anglo-Saxon]] chapel on the site which was a daughter foundation of Croston Parish Church.<ref name="ChorleyVCR"/><ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report14"/> It is believed that the church is named after [[Lorcán Ua Tuathail|Saint Laurence]], an Irish saint who died in [[Normandy]] in the 12th century, whose bones were conveyed to the church by local noble Sir Rowland Standish<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mylesstandish.info/Bones%20of%20ST%20Laurence.htm#Thedocumentaryevidence|title=Sir Rowland Standish Knight and the Holy relic of St. Lawrence.|last=Christopher|first=Tony|website=myslesstandish.info|publisher=Chorley St Laurence Historical Society|at=The 1613 Visitation pedigree given to Richard St. George by Alexander Standish, Lord of the Manor of Duxbury.|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref> [[Duxbury]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://standish-history.org.uk/battle-agincourt/|title=The Battle of Agincourt|website=Welcome to Standish|publisher=Standish History|access-date=4 April 2016|quote=In 1415 a John de Standysshe is recorded as being present at Agincourt. He was probably the brother of Ralph Standish, who held the Manor between 1396 and 1418. Others Standishes concerned in the French Wars were: Thomas, who fell sick at [[Harfleur]], Sir Hugh and Christopher, both of the Duxbury branch, and Sir Rowland of Duxbury, who with his wife, Dame Jane, brought home to Chorley Parish Church some relics of St. Lawrence. There is an account which relates that Sir Rowland and Hugh Standish, each with six footmen behind him, fought at Agincourt.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140604203851/http://standish-history.org.uk/battle-agincourt/|archive-date=4 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> an ancestor of [[Myles Standish]] (an English military officer hired by the [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims]] as military adviser for their [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth expedition]] to the New World).{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

As happened in many other instances following the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]], these relics went missing in the turmoil of the [[English Reformation]] under the rule of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bolton|first=William|date=31 August 1907|title=Relics of St Lawrence|url=http://archive.thetablet.co.uk/article/31st-august-1907/20/relics-of-st-lawrence|journal=The Tablet International Catholic News Weekly|access-date=4 April 2016|archive-date=12 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512224158/http://archive.thetablet.co.uk/article/31st-august-1907/20/relics-of-st-lawrence|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Chorley was granted a market charter by [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] in 1498 and have since held it every Tuesday. Before the reformation, it would coincide with a fair that was held annually on the feast of [[Lawrence of Rome|St Lawrence]].<ref name="Chorley: Historic Town Assessment Report1"/>

===19th century to present===
[[File:Chorley Town Hall.jpg|thumb|right|[[Chorley Town Hall]] by the architects [[John Ladds]] and [[William Henry Powell (architect)|William Henry Powell]] (opened 1879)]]
Chorley, like most Lancashire towns, gained its wealth from the [[Industrial Revolution]] of the 19th century which was also responsible for the town's growth. Chorley was a vital cotton town with many mills littering the skyline up to the late twentieth century. Most mills were demolished between the 1950s and 2000s with those remaining converted for modern business purposes. Today only a minority remain in use for actual manufacturing, and the last mill to stop producing textiles was Lawrence's in 2009.<ref>John Harrison 'William Lawrence's Mills, Lyons Lane, Chorley, Lancs', Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society, retrieved from http://www.chorleyhistorysociety.co.uk/w_lawrence_1_0510updt.htm on 25 April 2014.</ref>

Also, given its location on the edge of [[Lancashire Coalfield]], Chorley was vital in [[coal]] mining. Several pits existed in [[Duxbury Woods]], the Gillibrand area and more numerously in [[Coppull]]. [[Chisnall Hall Colliery]] at [[Coppull]] was considered the biggest Lancashire pit outside of Wigan and one of many located in the Chorley suburb. The last pit in the area to close was the [[Ellerbeck Colliery]] in 1987 which was located south of Chorley, between [[Coppull]] and [[Adlington, Lancashire|Adlington]].

The town played an important role during the [[Second World War]], when it was home to the [[Royal Ordnance Factory]], a large munitions manufacturer in the village of [[Euxton]] about {{convert|2|mi|0}} from the town centre. A smaller factory was also built near the railway line of Blackburn–Wigan in [[Heapey]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2017}}

==Religion==

[[File:St Laurence's Church, Chorley.jpg|thumb|right|[[St Laurence's Church, Chorley|St. Laurence's Church]]]]
The [[Church of England parish church]] of [[St Laurence's Church, Chorley|St Laurence]], located on Union Street, has been a place of Christian worship for over 800 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/stlaurencechorley2/ |title=stlaurencechorley2 |access-date=31 January 2014 |archive-date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622084040/https://sites.google.com/site/stlaurencechorley2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Church of England parish church of St George, situated on St George's Street, is an important example of the work of architect [[Thomas Rickman]], a major figure in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]. It was built as a [[Commissioners' church]] in 1822.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stgeorgechorley.co.uk/history.html|title=History|access-date=17 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822191340/http://stgeorgechorley.co.uk/history.html|archive-date=22 August 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church is based in the town centre at Mount Pleasant. The parish was founded in 1847, in a chapel in Chapel Street. The land for the church was purchased in 1851 and the first building erected in 1853. It was opened in June 1853.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} The church can sit 750 persons.  [[Pugin & Pugin]] of London and [[Joseph Hansom|Hansom]] are the architects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorleyhistorysociety.co.uk/articles_01/hansom_01.htm|title=Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society|website=www.chorleyhistorysociety.co.uk|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref>

Chorley United Reformed Church<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorleyURC.org|title=United Reformed Church,Chorley URC,Chorley,Christian Worship in Chorley}}</ref> is one of the oldest and largest [[United Reformed Church]]es in the north west.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} Founded in 1792 as an Independent Church it later affiliated to the [[Congregational church]] and in 1972 voted to become part of the new United Reformed Church (URC).{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}} The church is home to the oldest [[Scouting|Scout Troop]] in the town, established in 1919.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/chorley/11552022.Call_for_aid_to_research_the_oldest_scout_group_in_Chorley/|title=Call for aid to research the oldest scout group in Chorley|website=Lancashire Telegraph|date=28 October 2014 |access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> In January 2017 it was announced that the church building, which had been at its current site since 1792, would be demolished, and the congregation relocated to other premises.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/historic-chorley-church-set-to-be-demolished-1-8326063|title=Historic Chorley church set to be demolished|website=www.chorley-guardian.co.uk|date=10 January 2017 }}</ref> These plans never came to fruition and the church building was instead refurbished in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mccully |first=Gordon |date=27 July 2020 |title=Historic Chorley church once earmarked for demolition looks to the future following rebuilding project |work=Lancashire Post |url=https://www.lep.co.uk/news/people/historic-chorley-church-once-earmarked-for-demolition-looks-to-the-future-following-rebuilding-project-2953521 |access-date=27 October 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Mormon Temple, Chorley - geograph.org.uk - 118142.jpg|thumb|right|[[Preston England Temple]] which serves the Latter-day Saint population of Northern England, Scotland and all Ireland]]
In the north of the town, there is a park containing a meeting house and a temple of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church). The temple, which is regarded as a local landmark,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/lifestyle/landmark-temple-marks-its-10th-anniversary-1-2021342|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801165903/http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/lifestyle/landmark-temple-marks-its-10th-anniversary-1-2021342|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2017|title=Landmark temple marks its 10th anniversary|website=www.chorley-guardian.co.uk|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> is the largest LDS temple in Europe<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/when-the-saints-go-marching-in-how-a-tiny-town-in-lancashire-saved-mormonism-from-extinction-7976632.html|title=When the saints go marching in: How a tiny town in Lancashire saved|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=29 July 2012|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> and named the [[Preston England Temple]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/temples/preston-england?lang=eng|title=Preston England|website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org|access-date=23 July 2017}}</ref> Construction on the temple commenced in 1994 and was completed in 1998. Connected to the temple campus is the England Missionary Training Centre for the LDS Church which houses church representatives preparing to fill proselytizing and service assignments in Great Britain and other parts of Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/callings/missionary/missionary-training-centers/england?lang=eng |title=England Missionary Training Center|access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>

Chorley's first [[mosque]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dawatulislam.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012003430/http://dawatulislam.org |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 October 2013 |title=www.dawatulislam.org |publisher=dawatulislam.org |access-date=31 January 2014 }}</ref> is on the corner of Brooke Street and Charnock Street. The building officially opened in March 2006, having been in planning for over three years. A second mosque opened in 2020.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ar-rahmah.org.uk/about/ | title=About – Ar-Rahmah Academy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/special-day-as-mosque-opens-1-2014481|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112212426/http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/special-day-as-mosque-opens-1-2014481|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 2016|title=Special day as mosque opens|access-date=12 November 2016|date=16 March 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/new-mosque-for-chorley-1-2024080|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112210854/http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/new-mosque-for-chorley-1-2024080|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 2016|title=New mosque for Chorley|access-date=12 November 2016|date=23 July 2003}}</ref>

==Governance==

[[File:Chorley Council.JPG|thumb|right|Chorley Council Building, Union Street]]

In 1837, Chorley joined with other [[Township (England)|township]]s (or [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]]es) in the area to become head of the Chorley [[Poor Law Union]], which took responsibility for the administration and funding of the [[Poor Law]] in the area.<ref name="Workhouse">{{Citation |url=http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Chorley/Chorley.shtml |title=Workhouse |publisher=Workhouses.org |access-date=7 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605223559/http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Chorley%2FChorley.shtml |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> Chorley became incorporated as a [[municipal borough]] in 1881; it was governed by a [[Mayors in England|mayor]], a council of eight [[Alderman|aldermen]] and twenty four [[councillor]]s.<ref name="vchchorley">{{cite book|editor1-last=Farrer|editor1-first=William|editor2-last=Brownbill|editor2-first=J.|year=1911|chapter=Chorley|chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp129-149|title=A History of the County of Lancaster|volume=6|work=[[Victoria County History]]|publisher=[[British History Online]]|pages=129–149|access-date=12 August 2016}}</ref>

The population of the [[Municipal Borough of Chorley]] remained roughly static in the 20th century, with the 1911 census showing 30,315 people and the 1971 census showing 31,665. Under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], Chorley became the core of a larger non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974. The present [[Chorley (borough)|Borough of Chorley]] has forty-two councillors, representing 14 three-member [[Wards of the United Kingdom|electoral wards]] in Chorley town council.

The Member of Parliament for the constituency of Chorley, since 1997, is [[Lindsay Hoyle]], [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]]. He was formerly a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] MP.<ref name=Speak10>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10260537.stm Deputy Speakers: Hoyle, Primarolo and Evans elected] BBC News, 8 June 2010</ref>

==Geography==

{{Wide image|Viewoverchorley2007.jpg|800px|A panoramic view over Chorley from [[Healey Nab]]|center}}

The principal river in the town is the [[River Yarrow (Lancashire)|Yarrow]]. The [[Black Brook (Chorley)|Black Brook]] is a tributary of the Yarrow. The name of the [[River Chor]] was [[back-formation|back-formed]] from ''Chorley'' and runs not far from the centre of the town, notably through Astley Park. Chorley is located at the foot of the [[West Pennine Moors]] and is overlooked by [[Healey Nab]], a small hill which is part of the [[West Pennine Moors]]. It is the seat for the [[Chorley (borough)|Borough of Chorley]], which is made up of Chorley and its surrounding villages.

Chorley had a population of 33,424 at the 2001 census, with the wider borough of Chorley having a population of 101,991. Chorley forms a conurbation with [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] and [[Leyland, Lancashire|Leyland]] and was once proposed as being designated part of the [[Central Lancashire]] New Town under the New Towns Act,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1971/feb/03/central-lancashire-new-town |title=CENTRAL LANCASHIRE NEW TOWN (Hansard, 3 February 1971) |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=3 February 1971 |access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref> a proposal which was eventually scaled back.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.centrallancscity.org.uk/design/indexa.asp?page=page_3 |title=Central Lancashire |publisher=Centrallancscity.org.uk |access-date=31 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602170130/http://www.centrallancscity.org.uk/design/indexa.asp?page=page_3 |archive-date=2 June 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Yarrow Valley Park.jpg|thumb|right|Yarrow Valley Country Park]]

{{Geographic Location
|title     = Neighbouring districts and places
|Northwest = [[Euxton]]
|North     = [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]]
|Northeast = [[Blackburn]]
|West      = [[Leyland, Lancashire|Leyland]]
|Centre    = Chorley
|East      = [[Darwen]]
|Southwest = [[Dalton, Lancashire|Dalton]]
|South     = [[Wigan]]
|Southeast = [[Adlington, Lancashire|Adlington]]
}}

==Economy==
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2022}}

[[File:Chorley Market.JPG|thumb|Chorley Market]]
[[File:Chorley-bookshop-805.jpg|thumb|The Bookcase Shop, Chorley Market]]
[[File:Chorley-919.JPG|thumb|Shoppers on Chapel Street, Chorley town centre]]

The first signs of industry, as with many towns in Lancashire, was mining; evidence of which can be seen by the various abandoned [[quarry|quarries]] on the outskirts of the town. One of these is Anglezarke Quarry, between Chorley and [[Horwich]]. Remnants of mining include an old railway bridge from the Duxbury Mine off Wigan Lane. Eventually, the mining industry was replaced by cotton mills.

Manufacture of [[truck]]s was inherited from the neighbouring town of [[Leyland, Lancashire|Leyland]]. A large factory on Pilling Lane produced, including military vehicles and [[tank]]s during the [[Second World War]].

After the [[Second World War]], production was reduced and the final part of the site was closed in 2008 by BAE Systems.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.leylandguardian.co.uk/news/local/buckshaw_village_plan_announced_1_2021925|title=Buckshaw Village plan announced|work=Leyland Guardian|publisher=Johnston Publishing|date=26 August 2008|access-date=5 September 2011|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305145841/http://www.leylandguardian.co.uk/news/local/buckshaw_village_plan_announced_1_2021925|url-status=dead}}</ref> A large part of the site has been redeveloped for residential and industrial use as [[Buckshaw Village]].
Through the twentieth century, especially the latter half, Chorley suffered the loss of much of its manufacturing capacity with great losses in or the completely disappearance of its coal, textiles, motor vehicles and armaments industries.

[[Leyland Trucks]] and [[BAE Systems]] are Central Lancashire's largest employers, with their sites in [[Leyland, Lancashire|Leyland]] and [[Samlesbury]] respectively.

Other companies with a presence in the borough are:
* [[Telent]]
* [[FedEx]]'s North West depot is located in the town
* [[DXC Technology]] has two locations: one in [[Euxton]] and the other in [[Clayton-le-Woods]], north of Chorley
* [[Multipart Solutions]] Limited, successor to the parts arm of the [[Leyland DAF]]
* [[Porter Lancastrian]] is a manufacturer of [[Beer Engine|beer pumps]], under the ''Porta'' brand

In 2011, Chorley Council launched an initiative, ''Choose Chorley'', to encourage SMEs and large businesses to relocate to Chorley. The initiative offers red carpet introductions to key people in the town, financial incentives and tailored support for business growth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.choosechorley.co.uk/whatsthedeal/Pages/default.aspx#.Vae-1PlVhBc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529020521/http://www.choosechorley.co.uk/whatsthedeal/Pages/default.aspx#.Vae-1PlVhBc|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 May 2015|title=What's the deal?}}</ref>

[[File:Chorley cakes edited.jpg|thumb|The Chorley cake]]

The town is the home of the [[Chorley cake]]. Every October, the ''Chorley Cake Street Fair'' promotes the cakes, with a competition for local bakers to produce the largest ever Chorley cake; the event restarted in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/return-of-the-chorley-cake-street-fair-1-2019911|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116100447/http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/return-of-the-chorley-cake-street-fair-1-2019911|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 November 2013|title=Return of the Chorley cake street fair|access-date=27 May 2018}}</ref>

==Healthcare==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
Chorley is served by the local [[National Health Service|NHS]] hospital [[Chorley and South Ribble Hospital]] which is located on Euxton Lane, in addition to a private hospital located in [[Euxton]]. The town also had another major hospital formerly on Eaves Lane, before this closed in the 1990s. There was also the [[Heath Charnock]] [[Isolation (health care)|isolation hospital]] on Hut Lane which dealt with infectious diseases before reverting to use for long term patients, before closing in the 1990s.

==Transport==

===Road===
Chorley town centre is bisected by the [[A6 road (Great Britain)|A6]] Roman road. It is located near to junctions 6 and 8 of the [[M61 motorway]] and junction 27 of the [[M6 motorway|M6]]; [[Charnock Richard services]] are sited within the borough.

===Buses===
[[File:Chorley Bus Station - geograph.org.uk - 2786570.jpg|thumb|right|Chorley Interchange]]

The town's bus station, [[Chorley Interchange]], opened in February 2003, replacing an older building. Services are provided by several operators:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stops in Chorley |work=Bus Times |date=2023 |access-date=8 July 2023 |url= https://bustimes.org/localities/chorley-town-centre |quote=}}</ref>

* [[Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire|Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire]] operates routes that connect the town with [[Bolton]], [[Blackburn]], [[Leyland, Lancashire|Leyland]], [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], [[Southport]] and [[Ormskirk]]
* During the summer, Stagecoach also operates the X8 to [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] via Preston, [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]] and [[Windermere, Cumbria (town)|Windermere]]
* [[Blackburn Bus Company]] operates a route to Blackburn
* Tyrers Coaches operate buses to Preston and surrounding areas
* [[Preston Bus]] operates buses to Leyland
* [[Go North West]] operates services to [[Wigan]] under the [[Bee Network|Bee Network's]] 632 service (formerly 362)
* In March 2025, Many bus service changes happened in Chorley. [[Vision Bus]] run formerly Stagecoach services 337 (Chorley-Ormskirk) and 347 (Chorley-Southport) as well as new route 115 linking Chorley to Preston via [[Leyland, Lancashire|Leyland]], [[Croston]] and [[Longton, Lancashire|Longton]].

===Railway===
[[File:Chorley Railway Station.jpg|thumb|right|Chorley railway station]]

[[Chorley railway station]] is served by [[Northern (train operating company)|Northern]], which operates routes on the [[Manchester to Preston Line]]; direct destinations include [[Bolton railway station|Bolton]], [[Preston railway station|Preston]], [[Barrow-in-Furness railway station|Barrow]],  [[Blackpool North railway station|Blackpool]], [[Manchester Piccadilly]] and [[Manchester Airport railway station|Manchester Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern |work=Northern Railway |date=May 2023 |access-date=8 July 2023 |url= https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/travel/timetables |quote=}}</ref>

[[TransPennine Express]] services, which operate from [[Manchester Airport]] to [[Glasgow Central station|Glasgow]] or [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Edinburgh]], pass through the station but do not stop.<ref>{{Cite web |work=TransPennine Express |title=Timetables |date=21 May 2023 |access-date=8 July 2023 |url= https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/timetables |quote=}}</ref>

The station was also served by the [[Lancashire Union Railway|Wigan-Blackburn line]], until it was closed in 1960; the line also had stops at [[Heapey railway station|Heapey]], [[Brinscall railway station|Brinscall]], [[Withnell railway station|Withnell]] and [[White Bear railway station|White Bear]] ([[Adlington, Lancashire|Adlington]]).

Elsewhere in the borough, there are railway stations at [[Euxton Balshaw Lane railway station|Euxton]], on the Preston - Wigan  line; at [[Adlington (Lancashire) railway station|Adlington]] and [[Buckshaw Parkway railway station|Buckshaw Village]], on the Manchester–Preston line; and at [[Croston railway station|Croston]], on the [[Ormskirk Branch Line]].

===Waterways===

[[File:White Bear Marina, on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Chorley, Lancashire. - geograph.org.uk - 370555.jpg|thumb|right|Leeds and Liverpool Canal]]

The [[Leeds and Liverpool Canal]] runs parallel to Chorley; several marinas and locks are located in the area, including:

* White Bear Marina, Adlington
* Cowling Launch, Chorley
* Top Lock, Whittle
* Botany Brow
* Botany Bay Boatyard
* Riley Green, [[Hoghton]]

==Education==

[[File:Chorley Institute-935.JPG|thumb|right|Chorley Central Library]]

Chorley is home to numerous primary schools, both council and church supported. The town has the following six high schools:

*[[Holy Cross Catholic High School]]
*[[Albany Academy, Chorley|Albany Academy]]
*[[Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy|Bishop Rawstorne CE Academy]]
*[[Parklands High School, Chorley|Parklands High School]]
*[[Southlands High School]]
*[[St. Michael's CE High School]]

Some [[independent schools]] are also present just outside the borough. Most Chorley children go on to attend the nearby [[Runshaw College]] in Leyland. Runshaw College had also expanded into the former administration site of ROF Chorley and was using, amongst others, the main administration building. It is no longer using the site.

[[Lancashire College]], based in Chorley, is a part of [[Lancashire County Council]]'s Lancashire Adult Learning, offering a wide range of courses, a speciality being intensive residential language courses. From 1905 to 1981, the town was home to Chorley Training College (from the 1960s known as Chorley 'Day' Training College), designed by the Victorian and Edwardian architect Henry Cheers, and the town centre building now occupying this site is now Chorley Public Library.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/librarydetails/libhist.asp?name=Chorley |title=Welcome to the Library and Information Service web site – History of Chorley |access-date=26 February 2008 |publisher=Lancashire County Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221072624/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/librarydetails/libhist.asp?name=Chorley |archive-date=21 February 2007  }}</ref>

==Sport==
[[File:Victory Park.jpg|thumb|right|[[Victory Park (Chorley)|Victory Park]], the home of Chorley Football Club]]

Chorley is home to the semi professional football team, [[Chorley F.C.]], known as the Magpies due to their black and white strip. Founded as a rugby team in 1875, they switched to playing football eight years later. Since then they have had limited success, with their most memorable moments being two appearances in the second round of the [[FA Cup]] and two seasons in the [[Football Conference]] in the late 1980s. They played in the National League in the 2019–20 season having won promotion from the National League North in the previous season, but were relegated back to the National League North. The team qualified for the 4th round of the [[2020–21 FA Cup|2020–21 season of the FA Cup]].

The town and surrounding boroughs boast a number of cricket clubs, with two teams taking the town's name. [[Chorley Cricket Club]] currently play in the [[Northern Premier Cricket League|Northern League]] and were finalists in the [[ECB National Club Cricket Championship]] for three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1996, winning the trophy on the first two occasions. Chorley St James Cricket Club are the second side in the town, competing in the Southport & District Amateur Cricket League, having been members of the Chorley League until its demise in 2005.

The town is home to the Chorley Buccaneers [[American Football]] Club. Founded in the year 2000, the ''Bucs'' now have eight competitive teams and over 120 players competing in the [[BAFA National Leagues]] structure. They are based at Parklands Academy in Chorley.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

[[Chorley RUFC]] was founded in the early 1970s. The club currently run two senior sides and a mini section, the 1st XV playing in the [[Rugby Football Union|RFU]] North Lancs 2 division.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

Until 2004, Chorley had a [[rugby league]] side, [[Chorley Lynx]], who played in League Two of the [[RFL Championship|Rugby League National Leagues]]. The club was forced to close in 2004, due to small crowds and the withdrawal of funding by backer [[Trevor Hemmings]]. Many of the club's players and staff joined nearby [[Blackpool Panthers]]. The only rugby league side currently active who are situated in Chorley is amateur side Chorley Panthers.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

Chorley is home to [[track cycling|track cyclists]] including [[Olympic gold medal]] winners [[Jason Queally]] and [[Bradley Wiggins]], and Paralympic silver medallist [[Rik Waddon]], due in part to the proximity of the town to the [[Manchester Velodrome]]; it is also the home town of Paralympic gold medallist [[Natalie Jones]].{{cn|date=March 2025}}

The council owned leisure centre contains a swimming pool, sports hall, squash courts and a small fitness suite. The borough also includes other gym facilities, two other council-owned leisure centres (at Clayton Green and [[Coppull]]) and another public swimming pool at [[Brinscall]]. The town is also home to a Next Generation fitness centre, other private pools and leisure centres, and a [[David Lloyd (tennis)|David Lloyd]] Tennis Centre.

[[File:Chorley Golf Course - geograph.org.uk - 122929.jpg|thumb|right|Duxbury Golf Course, Duxbury Park]]
 
Duxbury Park municipal [[golf]] course is {{convert|1|mi|km|0}} south of Chorley town centre.

The town is home to many amateur football, rugby and cricket teams. There are also several grass football pitches, bowling greens and tennis courts. A public outdoor swimming pool in Astley Park was demolished in the 1990s.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}

Chorley Athletic and Triathlon Club regularly compete in road, cross country, fell, athletics and triathlon events. Chorley [[Cycling]] Club was formed in 2011, resurrecting a club which had disbanded around 1953. The club caters to both leisure and racing members and runs regular training and social rides on local roads.<ref>[http://www.chorleycyclingclub.co.uk/aboutus.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909215348/http://www.chorleycyclingclub.co.uk/aboutus.htm|date=9 September 2013}}</ref> Chorley JKS [[Shotokan Karate]] Club was established in the town in 2012.

==Media==
Chorley has two local newspapers: The weekly ''[[Lancashire Evening Post]]'' (formerly ''Chorley Guardian'') <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-nw/chorley-guardian/|title=Chorley Guardian|date=17 September 2013|website=British Papers|accessdate=22 January 2024}}</ref> and the free ''Chorley Citizen''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-nw/chorley-citizen/|title=Chorley and Leyland Citizen|date=19 September 2013|website=British Papers|accessdate=22 January 2024}}</ref>

Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC North West]] and [[ITV Granada]]. Television signals are received from the [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]] TV transmitter <ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Winter_Hill |title=Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter |date=May 2004 |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=22 January 2024}}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Lancashire]], [[Heart North West]], [[Smooth North West]], [[Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire]], [[Capital Manchester and Lancashire]] and [[106.5 Central Radio|Central Radio North West]] which broadcast from [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.central.radio/about-us/|title=About Us - Central Radio |access-date=22 January 2024}}</ref>

A British comedy television show, ''[[Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights|Phoenix Nights]]'', cited Chorley's [[radio station]], [[Chorley FM]].{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} The station, based in Chorley, originally broadcast for only a few weeks, but in 2005 received a licence to broadcast from Chorley Community Centre (see ''[[Chorley FM]]'').

It is the home of actor [[Joseph Gilgun]], of [[Brassic (TV series)|''Brassic'']], ''[[This is England]]'', [[Misfits (TV series)|''Misfits'']] and [[Preacher (TV series)|Preacher]].{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==Places of interest==
{{EngPlacesKey|align=right}}
[[File:Astley Hall front view.jpg|thumb|right|Astley Hall]]
*[[Astley Hall (Chorley)|Astley Park and Astley Hall]] [[File:HH icon.svg|Historic house]]
*[[Bank Hall]] [[File:HH icon.svg|Historic house]] [[File:Bank Hall Daffodils.jpeg|thumb|[[Bank Hall]], Bretherton, a Jacobean mansion house, awaiting restoration. Home to Lancashire's oldest [[Taxus baccata|Yew]] tree and one of the two fallen [[Sequoioideae|sequoia]] in the UK. Open on limited open days arranged by the [[Bank Hall Action Group]].]]
*[[Preston England Temple]] [[File:AP Icon.svg|16px|Cathedral]]
*[[Duxbury Woods|Duxbury Park and Golf Course]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]
*[[White Coppice]] & [[Great Hill]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]
*[[Heskin Hall]] [[File:HH icon.svg|Historic house]]
*[[Healey Nab]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]
*[[Leeds & Liverpool Canal]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]
*[[Rivington Pike]] [[File:CP icon.svg|Country park]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]
*[[Winter Hill (North West England)|Winter Hill]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]
*[[Worden Park]] [[File:CP icon.svg|Country park]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]
*[[Yarrow Valley Park|Yarrow Valley Country Park]] [[File:CP icon.svg|Country park]] [[File:UKAL icon.svg|Accessible open space]]

==Twin towns==

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom}}
Chorley is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* [[Székesfehérvár]], Hungary (1992)<ref name="Székesfehérvár twinning">{{cite web|url=http://onkormanyzat.szekesfehervar.hu/index.php?pg=page_49881|title=Partnervárosok Névsora Partner és Testvérvárosok Névsora|access-date=5 August 2013|last=Bozsoki|first=Agnes|work=City of Székesfehérvár|language=hu|trans-title=Partner and Twin Cities List|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208035612/http://onkormanyzat.szekesfehervar.hu/index.php?pg=page_49881|archive-date=8 December 2012}}</ref>
* [[Lanzhou]], China (2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lanzhou.weebly.com/blog/lanzhou-twinned-with-chorley|title=LANZHOU TWINNED WITH CHORLEY|language=en|access-date=26 January 2019}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
[[File:Hubert von Herkomer (1849-1914) - Sir Henry Tate - N03517 - National Gallery.jpg|thumb|right|Sir Henry Tate]]
<!----PLEASE NOTE: use alphabetical order by surname --->
*[[Loui Batley]] (born 1987), actress and dancer
*[[Bill Beaumont]] (born 1952), former England [[rugby union]] captain
*[[Walter Berg (astrologer)|Walter Berg]] (born 1947), astrologer
*[[Blackhaine]], experimental rapper
*[[Leonora Carrington]] (1917–2011), painter
*[[Jack Catterall]] (born 1993), professional boxer
*[[Phil Cool]] (born 1948), comedian
*[[C. D. Darlington]] (1903–1981), biologist
*[[Derek Draper]] (1967–2024), political lobbyist and psychotherapist
*[[Simon Farnworth]] (born 1963), footballer, later physiotherapist
*[[John Foxx]] (born 1948), musician
*[[Joseph Gilgun]] (born 1984), actor
*[[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]] (born 1971), England rugby union player
*[[Rick Guard]], jazz singer and songwriter
*[[James Hatton Hall]] (1866–1945), English [[Planter (plantation owner)|planter]] and soldier
*[[Sir Walter Haworth]] (1883–1950), Nobel Prize winner
*[[Trevor Hemmings]] (1935-2021), businessman
*[[Adam Henley]] (born 1994), footballer, formerly of  [[Blackburn Rovers]] and [[Real Salt Lake]], now playing for [[Chorley F.C.|Chorley]])
*[[Teddy Hodgson]] (1885–1919), from Chorley, played for Burnley F.C., F.A. Cup Winners against Liverpool in 1914
*[[Anna Hopkin]] (born 1996), swimmer and Olympic gold medallist<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anna Hopkin {{!}} Team England {{!}} Birmingham 2022 |url=https://teamengland.org/team-england-athletes/anna-hopkin |access-date=2024-11-13 |website=teamengland.org |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Lindsay Hoyle]] (born 1957), MP
*[[Conrad Hunte]] (1932–1999), former West Indian Test cricketer, lived in Chorley before the 1957 Test Series against England
*[[Charles Lightoller]] (1874–1952), highest-ranking crew member to survive the [[Sinking of the RMS Titanic|sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'']])
*[[Paul McKenna (footballer)|Paul McKenna]] (born 1977), footballer
*[[Paul Mariner]] (1953–2021), England international footballer
*Rifleman [[William Mariner (VC)|William Mariner]]  (1882–1916), soldier awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] at [[Cambrin]] in 1915<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.krrcassociation.com/archives/home_town_recognition_for_rfn_w_mariner_vc.pdf|title=Home Town Recognition for William Mariner VC|website=krrcassociation.com|access-date=17 June 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008041108/http://krrcassociation.com/archives/home_town_recognition_for_rfn_w_mariner_vc.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2013}}</ref>
*[[Barry Mason]] (1935–2021), songwriter
*[[Ken Morley]] (born 1943), actor
*[[Sheila Parker]] (born 1947), former captain of the [[England women's national football team]]
*[[Phil Parkinson]] (born 1967), footballer, later football manager
*[[Steve Pemberton]] (born 1967), actor
*[[Adam Nagaitis]] (born 1985), actor
*[[Jason Queally]] (born 1970), cyclist
*[[Thomas Rawlinson (industrialist)|Thomas Rawlinson]], 18th-century industrialist, believed to have been born in Chorley
*[[Kevin Simm]] (born 1980), musician of [[Liberty X]] and [[Wet Wet Wet]], also winner of [[The Voice UK (series 5)|the fifth season of ''The Voice UK'']]
*[[Tom Smith (cricketer born 1985)|Tom Smith]] (born 1985), cricketer
*[[Myles Standish]] (c. 1584 – 1656), founder of the [[Pilgrim Fathers]]
*[[Starsailor (band)|Starsailor]] pop group
*[[Tom Stephenson (activist)|Tom Criddle Stephenson]] (1893–1987), journalist and champion of walkers' rights
*[[Sir Henry Tate]] (1819–1899), sugar magnate and founder of the [[Tate Gallery]], London
*[[Josh Charnley]] (born 1991), rugby league footballer
*[[David Unsworth]] (born 1973), Everton footballer, later Everton U-23 manager
*[[Mickey Walsh]] (born 1954), former Irish international footballer
*Sir [[Holburt Jacob Waring]] (1866–1953), [[vice-chancellor]] of the [[University of London]] from 1922 to 1924
*[[Rosemarie Wright]] (1931–2020), pianist

==See also==
{{Portal|Lancashire}}
* [[Listed buildings in Chorley]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Chorley}}
{{Wikivoyage|Chorley}}
*[http://www.chorley.gov.uk/ Chorley Borough Council]

{{Borough of Chorley geography}}
{{Lancashire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Chorley| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Market towns in Lancashire]]
[[Category:West Pennine Moors]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Geography of Chorley]]