Eccles is a town located in Greater Manchester. It is around 4 miles from Manchester City Center, and just under 3 miles from Salford. At the last census, Eccles had a population of just under 39,000.
History of Eccles
There is evidence that the area where Eccles now stands has been inhabited by humans since at least 6000 BC. Despite this, Eccles was relatively small until the industrial revolution. It was so small that it was completely ignored during wars. Even when they supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, nobody touched Eccles as it simply was not worth it.
It was during the Industrial Revolution that Eccles really started to expand, with textiles being the main source of income for the economy during the 18th Century. By the 19th Century, the bulk of the inhabitants of the town worked in textiles with the rest working in agriculture. When the Manchester Ship Canal was constructed, the population of the area grew even larger and the need for cheap housing to put roofs over their heads became even more important.
While it has declined considerably, there is still some manufacturing carried out in Eccles. This includes Valtris Speciality Chemicals producing chemical additives within the town. Morson Group, a large employment agency, also delivers cash to the economy of Eccles. This is coupled with the West One retail park, which despite a rough start is now thriving.
Eccles Cakes
Eccles Cakes were supposedly invented within the town of Eccles, although nobody is sure who came up with the initial recipe. We do know that they were first sold by James Birch in the centre of the town in 1793. Since ‘Eccles Cake’ is not a protected name, the bulk of Eccles Cakes are nowadays produced outside of the town, with the only production in the town coming from small bakeries and people who love baking within the town.
Eccles Library
Eccles Library is a stunning building, despite its history. It was opened in 1907. It was constructed to help clear slums from Eccles, something which had started to get out of hand due to a fall-off in the textiles industry. It was never intended to be a library initially, however. The original plan was for Eccles Library to be the University for the town, although nobody is quite sure what happened to those plans.
Eccles Railway Station
Salford City Council is hoping that the Liverpool to Manchester Railway Line becomes a World Heritage Site. In their bid to please UNESCO, many of the stations along the route are going through a period of restoration. Eccles Railway Station is one of the stations which has been given an overhaul recently.
As an interesting note, Eccles was the site of one of the first railway accidents. The MP for Liverpool, William Huskisson, was fatally injured by a locomotive in the area.
First Fire Engines
Eccles has gone down in history as being the first area in the United Kingdom to operate a motorised fire engine. This happened in 1901. Interestingly, Eccles also plays a major role in the fire brigade to this day, although not on a service level. There are regular warnings given out by the fire brigade in relation to Eccles Cakes. Apparently, if you leave them in the microwave for too long, they are prone to combustion which can cause serious fires!
Parish of St. Mary the Virgin
This is the only Grade I listed building in Eccles, and it seriously is a stunning building. For hundreds of years during the medieval period, this was the only church standing in a very large parish. As a result, it expanded several times since then. It was fully rebuilt in 1862, although some of the original stonework remains.