Ashton-under-Lyne

Ashton-under-Lyne
Clockwise, from top:Ashton-under-Lyne town centre; Portland Basin; Market Hall; St Michael and All Angels' Church; Ashton Town Hall
Ashton-under-Lyne Location within Greater Manchester
Population	48,604  (2021 census)
• Density	12,374 per mi² (4,777 per km²)
OS grid reference	SJ931997
• London	160 mi (257 km) SSE
Metropolitan borough	Tameside
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE
Postcode district	OL6, OL7
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Ashton-under-Lyne
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°29′23″N 2°05′43″W / 53.489708°N 2.095241°W / 53.489708; -2.095241

Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England.^[1] The population was 48,604 at the 2021 census.^[2] Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Manchester.

Evidence of Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Viking activity has been discovered in Ashton-under-Lyne. The "Ashton" part of the town's name probably dates from the Anglo-Saxon period, and derives from Old English meaning "settlement by ash trees".^[3] The origin of the "under-Lyne" suffix is less clear;^[4] it possibly derives from the Brittonic-originating word lemo meaning elm or from Ashton's proximity to the Pennines.^[5] In the Middle Ages, Ashton-under-Lyne was a parish and township and Ashton Old Hall was held by the de Asshetons, lords of the manor. Granted a royal charter in 1414, the manor spanned a rural area consisting of marshland, moorland, and a number of villages and hamlets.

Until the introduction of the cotton trade in 1769, Ashton was considered "bare, wet, and almost worthless".^[5] The factory system, and textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution triggered a process of unplanned urbanisation in the area, and by the mid-19th century Ashton had emerged as an important mill town at a convergence of newly constructed canals and railways. Ashton-under-Lyne's transport network allowed for an economic boom in cotton spinning, weaving, and coal mining, which led to the granting of municipal borough status in 1847.

In the mid-20th century, imports of cheaper foreign goods led to the decline of Ashton's heavy industries but the town has continued to thrive as a centre of commerce^[6] and Ashton Market is one of the largest outdoor markets in the United Kingdom. Ashton Town Centre is now home to the 140,000-square-foot (13,000 m²), two-floored Ashton Arcades shopping centre (opened 1995), the outdoor shopping complex Ladysmith Shopping Centre, and a large IKEA store.

In 2018, a large new development opened in Ashton town centre including a new college campus for Tameside College, new council offices and a library. Improvements were also made to the open-air market, including new kiosks and stalls. In 2019, work began on a brand-new transport interchange for the town centre to make getting into the town much easier via bus and Metrolink. This opened in August 2020.