From Standish Wiki

This set of facts about Standish was published in 2002 by the Standish Community Forum.

1

The earliest documented use of Standish as a place-name is dated 1178. Almost certainly it is formed from two Old English words stan (stone) and edisc (park or enclosure).

2

Standish was a typical manorial village, the manor court functioning at least up to the late 18th. century. The manorial lordship was held by one resident gentry family - the Standishes - which dominated the life of the village.

3

Standish is 3½ miles north of Wigan, 21 miles north east of Liverpool and 15 miles south of Preston. Manchester is 22 miles to the east, London is about 200 miles by road, and Southport, the nearest coastal resort, lies 20 miles to the west. The main township stands 356 feet above sea-level.

4

The Church has long dominated Standish both by its physical structure and as a landowner, and the spire of the Parish Church of St. Wilfrid can be seen on all approaches to the village. Although the central body of the present structure dates back to the rebuilding carried out between 1582-1589, the church is first mentioned in 1205.

5

The 14th. century tower of St. Wilfrid's Church was rebuilt in 1867 in somewhat similar style and with a spire. The tower contains a peal of eight bells, five of which date from 1714-15.

6

The Grammar School in Green Lane was founded in 1604, originally for boys of the area. Later it became a junior school for boys up to 11+ but was closed in 1964. The site is now occupied by Greenacre Care Centre.

7

The Standish Unity Club in Cross Street opened its doors for the first time in June 2000 after many months of hard work by a small band of dedicated volunteers. It replaced St. Wilfrid's Social Club which closed the previous year, and is the new home for the Standish Branch Royal British Legion.

8

In the extreme south of Standish is the Boar's Head Inn. This may have been a hostel for pilgrims on their way to the abbeys of the North, but the present inn was built around 1450. In the early 19th. century it became a coaching inn on the turnpike road system, providing a resting place for weary travellers and their horses.

9

As a result of the vast coal deposits beneath the estate, the Standish collieries developed rapidly in the 1800s, and Standish was essentially a colliery village at the turn of the century. The last working mine closed in 1963.

10

The Standish Courier was launched in September 1998 as the first in a series of local newspaper titles based in Standish. Its aim is to provide informative community publications, and contributions from members of the public are welcomed.

11

Ladies are well catered for with a choice of 10 hairdresser's establishments!

12

Although Standish is by-passed by the M6 motorway, traffic comes to a standstill at certain times of the day. Indeed, at busy times, an average of 1600 cars per hour use School Lane.

13

The area known as Almond Brook is named after the stream which flows under the road just past the Shevington Moor Post Office. This stream becomes Mill Brook behind Shevington High School.

14

There is an ice-age boulder in St. Wilfrid's churchyard, and a Roman signet ring and coins have been found in the parish.

15

The Pilgrim Fathers' military leader, Myles Standish, derived his name from the village, although he is believed to have been one of the Standishes of nearby Duxbury.

16

On Friday 8th. July 1921, the bodies of Lily Gambles (25) and Richard Myers (62) were found in a house in Church Street, Standish. Lily had been strangled and Myers had terrible head injuries. Lily's husband, William Gambles went missing and a police search was mounted for him. At the inquest on the two victims, a verdict of wilful murder against the husband was returned but he was never found.

17

In 1638, a local blacksmith was investigated for dabbling in what appeared to be witchcraft.

18

The Standish Arts Festival, held annually in October, presents a very varied programme throughout a week of celebration of music and the visual arts.

19

Although not in at the birth of aeronautics, Standish had first-hand experience of aviation'as infancy, playing host in 1920 to Alan Cobham's "flying circus", when a field at Wakefield Farm was used as an airstrip.

20

The war memorial is unusual in that it dates the First World War as ending in 1919 (when the treaty was signed), rather than 1918 (when hostilities ceased).

21

The Somerfield supermarket stands on the site of the former Wheatsheaf Hotel which closed in November 1982. Behind the pub was a brewery opened in 1870 by J.B.Almond, but both pub and brewery were demolished in May 1985. The Almond family resided in what is now the Beeches restaurant.

22

In the Market Place is a Grade II Listed stone cottage which was the Eagle and Child pub from 1703 until it lost its licence in 1916. It was later converted for use as a butcher's shop, but reverted to a private residence in 1996.

23

The Owls Restaurant in Rectory Lane was the home of the rectors of Standish from very early times until 1938. Rebuilt by the Rev. Hutton in 1887, it was a considerable mansion set in its own grounds.

24

The Peace Gate was unveiled in 1926 as the main entrance to St. Wilfrid's Church. It was built by public subscription to honour the dead of the first world war, but the names of those who died in the war of 1939-45 were added later.

25

Those wishing to 'improve themselves', can find tuition in a wide variety of subjects at Standish High School through the College in the Community scheme. There are courses which lead to a qualification and others based on leisure activities.

26

Mr. Gladstone was a guest at Ashfield House when it was owned by the then Liberal MP for Wigan, John Lancaster.

27

The steps and the base of the stone cross in the Market Place are ancient, going back to mediaeval times, but the Cross itself was restored, according to tradition, by Mrs. Cecilia Strickland about 1810.

28

The silhouette black cats in the blank windows of the Cat i'th' Window cottage are said to be successors of plaster cats used in the days of Catholic persecution to advertise that a mass was to be held at nearby Standish Hall.

29

At the junction of High St. and Church St. is the Victoria Fountain, built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.

30

Standish Hall was situated off Beech Walk and was the ancestral home of the Standish family. The estate was of considerable size and the Standish family had many tenants on its land. In 1920 parts of the Hall were sold separately. The Chapel and the old Tudor Wing were eventually dismantled and re-erected in America, and the remainder left in a ruinous state.

31

During the Civil War, in 1648, the Duke of Hamilton's forces retreated through Standish after the battle of Ribble Bridge and were pursued by Cromwell.

32

The largest ethnic group in Standish is Chinese.

33

Every year on 27th. November, Standish celebrates Lancashire Day. Although technically we are part of the administrative district of Greater Manchester, we are still within the County Palatine of Lancashire.

34

The list of rectors, which includes a number of members of the Standish family, commences in 1206.

35

The cricket ground in Green Lane was bought in 1923, although the Club itself was founded in 1877. Rector Hutton was president from 1894 to 1937. The well-appointed pavilion is a memorial to Doctor Boyd who was a GP in the village for many years.

36

St. Wilfrid's Junior School swimming pool was initiated at a meeting of the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association in February 1967, and was first used by the children on 30th. November 1970.

37

There were 73 houses in Standish-with-Langtree in 1582, which, with an average of 5 in the family, would indicate a population of about 360. This had grown to over 1000 by the 1760s and to about 4000 in 1881. The 1901 census showed that Standish had over 6000 inhabitants, which became 9,692 by 1961. The census in October 2000 showed the population to be 17,177.

38

The constituent townships of the ancient parish were Standish-with-Langtree, Worthington, Coppull, Shevington, Adlington, Anderton, Heath Charnock, Duxbury, Charnock Richard and Welch Whittle. Only the first two now remain in the ecclesiastical parish of Standish.

39

The Library stands on a site previously occupied by a large family house known as White Hall. Prior to its demolition in 1958, it housed 2 families and offices of Customs and Excise.

40

At the last count (it changes weekly!), you could take your choice from 8 restaurants and 10 take-away/fast food establishments.

41

There was a highway robbery and murder at Boar's Head in 1840. The victim's grave is in St. Wilfrid's churchyard.

42

It was a significant day for Standish in 1381 when Ralph de Standish was knighted for defending King Richard II against the rebel Wat Tyler during the 'Peasants' Revolt'.

43

Prior to WWII the Urban District Council had erected 391 dwellings on various sites within the village. Post-war development increased this to 974 by 1970, but by the Millennium there were 571 properties provided and maintained by Wigan Council.

44

The Police Station on High Street came into service in 1877 and is currently the oldest working station in the Greater Manchester force.

45

The specialised material used for the hot-air balloon seen in dramatic locations on BBC television, was woven at Douglas Mill, Bradley (closed in 2000).

46

Those who enjoy a drink can choose from 13 pubs and clubs!

47

The only official Royal Visit to Standish in recent times occurred in February 1957 when the Duke of Gloucester (the Queen's uncle) came to St. Wilfrid's Youth Club, then in Rectory Lane.

48

There is a dedicated web site at www.standish.org.uk.

49

The inscription on the plaque on the front of the old Sunday School building in Rectory Lane reads: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it".

50

The Standish Community Forum was established in December 1994, and one of its aims is to create a greater sense of community spirit by trying to provide opportunities for the more direct involvement of residents in local issues and forging stronger links with Local Government and other agencies serving the community.