Tyldesley

Tyldesley ( /ˈtɪlzliː/ or /ˈtɪlsliː/) is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies an area north of Chat Moss near the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, 7.7 miles (12.4 km) east-southeast of Wigan and 8.9 miles (14.3 km) west-northwest of the city of Manchester. At the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, Tyldesley, which includes the outlying areas of Astley, Shakerley, Mosley Common and New Manchester, had a population of 34,000.

Historically a part of Lancashire, Tyldesley and its surroundings have provided evidence for the remains of a Roman road passing through the area on the ancient course between Coccium (Wigan) and Mamucium (Manchester). Following the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, Tyldesley was part of the manor of Warrington, until the Norman conquest of England, when Tyldesley constituted a township called Tyldesley-with-Shakerley in the ancient parish of Leigh.

The factory system, and textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, triggered a process of population growth and unplanned urbanisation in the area, such that by the early 20th century it was said that the newly emerged mill town was "eminently characteristic of an industrial district whose natural features have been almost entirely swept away to give place to factories, iron foundries, and collieries". Although industrial activity declined in the late 20th century, land reclamation and post-war residential developments have continued to alter Tyldesley's landscape, and have encouraged renewed economic activity, particularly along Elliott Street—Tyldesley's central commercial area and its main thoroughfare.