Chorley

Industry is this old textile centre's way of life. It was once known for cotton weaving and calico printing but in recent years these traditional concerns have been largely replaced by a variety of modern enterprises and now boasts a clean and thriving urban environment with all the amenities you'd expect from a town of its size.

The town stands at the edge of farming country, its location on the fringe of the West Pennine Moors and beneath the protective gaze of Rivington Pike. Magnificent countryside is right on your doorstep with the area dominated by the imposing height of 628ft Healey Nab which rises to the east.

Moreover, Astley Park provides hundreds of acres of scenic countryside in the very centre of the town.


Shopping & the Market

Chorley's early prosperity was due to its weekly market, originally granted a charter in the 1250's but little is known about this early period. However, by 1498 there was firm evidence of a regular market being held in Chorley. Today the town has two markets - The Flat Iron Market, whose name comes from the practice of displaying goods flat on the ground, and the Covered Market.

Market Days

  • Monday - Flea Market (Covered Market)
  • Tuesday - Flat Iron & Covered Market
  • Thursday - Craft Market (Covered Market)
  • Friday & Saturday - Covered Market

As well as a Town Centre which boasts a pleasant mix of independant shops and big high street names such as Boots, Woolworths, Dixons and JJB, Chorley has a wealth of unique shopping attractions where you can buy something really special or a bit different.


Astley Hall

The magnificent 400 year old house demonstrates the wealth of its past owners, yet keeps a pleasant lived in atmosphere - almost as if the great families who lived here will return at any time from a walk they are taking in the hundreds of acres of parkland surrounding the Hall. The plaster ceiling of the Great Hall is simply breathtaking and the house is filled with fine oak furniture, Flemish tapestries and wooden panelling. Then of course the infamous bed where Cromwell is alleged to have slept after the Battle of Preston and the boots which it is said that he left behind.