Wikipedia

Garstang

Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Borough of Wyre, in Lancashire, England. It lies equidistant between the cities of Lancaster to the north and Preston to the south, both are 10 miles (16 km) away. In 2021, the parish had a total resident population of 4,428;[2] In the 2011 Census, the larger Garstang Built-up Area, which includes the adjoining settlements of Bonds and Cabus, had a population of 6,779.[3] Garstang is famous for being the world's first ever Fairtrade Town.

Garstang
Market Cross in Market Place
Garstang is located in the Borough of Wyre
Garstang
Garstang
Shown within Wyre Borough
Garstang is located in Lancashire
Garstang
Garstang
Location within Lancashire
Population7,041 (2021 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSD495455
• London199 miles (320 km) SE
Civil parish
  • Garstang
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPRESTON
Postcode districtPR3
Dialling code01995
PoliceLancashire
FireLancashire
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Lancashire
53°54′11″N 2°46′01″W / 53.903°N 2.767°W / 53.903; -2.767

Toponymy

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Garstang is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Cherestanc.[4][5] Later recordings of the name include Geresteng, Gairstang in 1195; Grestein, 1204; Gayrestan, 1236; Gayerstang, 1246; Gayrstang, 1274; and Gayrestang, 1292.[6][7][8]

The original spelling of Garstang has several interpretations: "'gore by the boundary pole", "spear post", "triangular piece of land", "common land" or "meadowland". Possibly signifying the site of a meeting-space. The Old Norse derivation being 'geiri', a gore, from 'geirr', with 'stang' or 'stǫng', meaning "pole" or "boundary marker", or the Saxon derivation 'Gaerstung'. It is probable that the historic market cross is this same site.[5][9][10]

History

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Early history

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Greenhalgh Castle

A brief but comprehensive history of the parish, including the parish church of St Helen in Churchtown and Greenhalgh Castle, can be found in "The Parish of Garstang", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7.[11] St. John Plessington was born at Dimples Hall, which is just outside the town.

The town is overlooked by the ruined remains of Greenhalgh Castle, built in 1490 by Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, at about the same time as the first stone bridge over the River Wyre.[12] Garstang Town Hall was completed in 1764.[13]

Modern history

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Garstang's traditional market day on Thursdays dates back to the early 1300s and stretches the length of street. The Market Cross at the top of the High Street is one of the most familiar landmarks in the area.[10]

The town celebrates an arts festival and an agricultural show annually in August, which has been continued for 200 years.

In April 2000, Garstang declared itself "the world's first Fairtrade Town", influencing many other towns, cities and counties around the United Kingdom to work towards the same goal.[14] The Fairtrade Town status was renewed by the Fairtrade Foundation on 13 August 2003.

In 2011, a 518-foot (158 m) wind turbine, the UK's largest, was built in the town to provide power for Dewlay, a local factory producing the award-winning Garstang Blue cheese.[15][16]

Following success in winning the Small Country Town category in the 2002 Britain in Bloom Awards, Garstang won the Small Town category in the 2005 and 2006;[17] in 2010, it was invited to the Champion of Champions event.[clarification needed]

Governance

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A view of Garstang Town Hall from the High Street

From a very early time, Garstang lay within the Amounderness Hundred of Lancashire. From 1894 until 1974, it formed its own local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire; the Garstang Rural District extended beyond the current civil parish boundaries and included villages such as Pilling.[18]

Since 1974, Garstang has formed part of the borough of Wyre, although it retains an elected Town Council with limited jurisdiction. The borough ward has three councillors, including Lady Dulcie Atkins, wife of former MEP Sir Robert Atkins.[19]

Geography

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The town is situated on the river Wyre, river Calder and the Lancaster Canal, Garstang is situated between Lancaster and Preston, close to the A6 road, the M6 motorway and the West Coast Main Line. It lies on the eastern edge of the Fylde and the Forest of Bowland is not far to the east.

Garstang and the nearby villages of Bonds, Bowgreave, Catterall and Western Claughton-on-Brock form an almost continuous built-up area, bypassed by the A6 road in 1928.[20][21][a] Other nearby villages not bypassed by the A6 road include Brock, Bilsborrow, Cabus and Churchtown form another, much larger, continuous built-up area which includes Garstang in the centre.

The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 4,852.[22]

Amenities

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Market Cross and Royal Oak Hotel

Local primary schools are Garstang Community Primary School, Garstang St Thomas Church of England School and SS Mary & Michael Catholic School. The secondary school is Garstang Community Academy, which does not offer sixth form courses; pupils have to travel to Lancaster, Preston or Blackpool to study A-Level courses.

The town has seven public houses: The Farmers Arms, the Crown, the Eagle and Child, the King's Arms, the Royal Oak Hotel, the Wheatsheaf and Th'Owd Tithe Barn, with the Bellflower (formerly the Flag) in Nateby. It has three restaurants: Pipers, Ken Ma and the Great Season, the latter two serving Chinese food. There is also a golf club and country hotel on the A6 road.

The town is served by the Anglican church of St Thomas and the Catholic church of St Mary and St Michael, just outside the town's boundaries in Bonds. Until 1881, Garstang's official parish church was St Helen's, 2 miles (3.2 km) away in Churchtown.

Transport

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Bus routes are operated by Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, which connect the town with Preston, Lancaster and Morecambe.[23]

The town was formerly served by two railway stations: Garstang and Catterall, which was closed in 1969,[24] and Garstang Town, which closed to passengers in 1930.[25] The nearest National Rail stations are now at Lancaster and Preston, which lie on the West Coast Main Line; between them, Avanti West Coast, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express operate services from both locations to London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Carlisle and Glasgow Central.

Garstang lies on the A6 road, which connects Carlisle, Lancaster, Preston, Manchester, Derby and Luton. The M6 motorway passes to the east of the town and can be accessed at Preston or Lancaster.

Media

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Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter.[26]

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Lancashire, Heart North West, Smooth North West, Capital Manchester and Lancashire, Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire and Central Radio North West.

The town's local newspaper was the Garstang Courier,[27] which has now been absorbed into the Lancashire Evening Post.

Sport

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Garstang F.C. is a non-league football club; founded in 1885, it plays in the North West Counties League, having won the West Lancashire League Premier League and Richardson Cup double in 2018.[28]

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Garstang is referenced in episode 5 of the first series of the comedy Phoenix Nights. Brian Potter, played by Peter Kay, said "What have you called us? What have you called the best cabaret lounge this side of Garstang?", in reference to an alternative comedy night being run at his fictional club.[citation needed]

Notable people

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Isaac Ambrose

The following people have lived in or were born in Garstang:

Sport

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Greenall gives the date incorrectly as 1926.

References

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  1. ↑ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Garstang Parish (E04005327)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "Population map of Lancashire" (PDF). Lancashire County Council. 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  3. ↑ Brinkhoff, Thomas. "Garstang (Lancashire)". City Population. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Lancashire A-L". The Domesday Book Online. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  5. 1 2 Mills, David (20 October 2011). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780199609086.
  6. ↑ "A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7 (Townships: Garstang)". British History Online. 1912. pp. 311–313. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
  7. ↑ "Last name: Garstang". Surname Database. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Mills, A.D. (2012). A Dictionary of British Place Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199609086.
  9. ↑ "Garstang Last Name Origin". Surname Database. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  10. 1 2 "History of Garstang". Garstang Heritage Society. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7 (The parish of Garstang)". 1912. pp. 291–300. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  12. ↑ Tetlow, Denis (2001). Peeps into Garstang's Past (First ed.). Garstang: Colin Cross. p. 5.
  13. ↑ Historic England. "Market House (1072906)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "About Fairtrade Towns". Fairtrade Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  15. ↑ "Cheesemaker to use biggest wind turbine in UK to power factory". The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  16. ↑ "Garstang cheese firm wins hat trick of food awards". Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  17. ↑ "Britain in Bloom 2005 Winners". Royal Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  18. ↑ "A Vision of Garstang RD". A Vision of Britain through time. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  19. ↑ "How the political land lies". Garstang Courier.
  20. ↑ The Times, 28 Oct 1928, page 18
  21. ↑ Greenall, R. (2007), Garstang Past, At Heart Ltd, Altrincham, ISBN 978-1-84547-137-8, p.52
  22. ↑ "Ward population 2011". Ukcensusdata.com. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  23. ↑ "Garstang bus services". Bustimes.org. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  24. ↑ Wright, Paul (25 June 2020). "Station name: Garstang and Catterall". Disused-stations.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  25. ↑ Wright, Paul (4 June 2020). "Station name: Garstang Town". Disused-stations.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  26. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. May 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  27. ↑ "Garstang Courier". Britishpapers.co.uk. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  28. ↑ "Club History". Garstang FC. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  29. ↑ "Ambrose, Isaac" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 800.
  30. ↑ Beeke, Dr. Joel; Pederson, Randall J. "Isaac Ambrose (1604–1664)". Monergism.com.
  31. ↑ "Biography – RUNDLE, ROBERT TERRILL Volume XII (1891–1900)". Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
  32. ↑ "John Woolrich - Biography". Fabermusic.com.
  33. ↑ Anstead, Mark (27 March 2004). "Mary Anne just keeps on rocking...in her own way". The Guardian.
  34. ↑ "England Players - Dicky Bond". Englandfootballonline.com.
  35. ↑ "Harry Dean profile". Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
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