Leyland

Leyland
Lancashire
United Reformed Church, Leyland
Location
Grid reference:	SD549232
Location:	53°41’31"N, 2°41’49"W
Data
Population:	35,578  (2001)
Post town:	Leyland
Postcode:	PR25, PR26
Dialling code:	01772
Local Government
Council:	South Ribble
Parliamentary constituency:	South Ribble

Leyland is a town in Lancashire, approximately six miles south of the City of Preston.

Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the community has seen a large growth in industry, population and farming, due to the establishment of Leyland Motors, housing developments and the surrounding usable arable land.

The name of the town is of Old English origin, meaning 'untilled land'. It has given a name to the Leyland Hundred of Lancashire, also known as "Leylandshire".

History

Ancient Leyland was an area of fields, with Roman roads passing through, from ancient Wigan to Walton-le-Dale. No record of it is found though until the Domesday Book of 1086.

According to the Domesday Book, the manor of Leyland belonged to the King, before and after the Norman Conquest. The manor was divided into three large ploughlands, which were controlled by local noblemen. In the 1100s, it came under the barony of Penwortham.

The area of Worden, which is now Worden Park, was one of nine oxgangs of land granted to the Knights Hospitaller, by Roger de Lacy, in Lancashire, but the land was not assigned to any individual and a local man, who was a very close friend of de Lacy, Hugh Bussel, was assigned holder of the land in 1212.

Notable features that remain include the St Andrew's Parish Church, built around AD 1200 and the large stone Leyland Cross, thought to date back to Anglo-Saxon times.

Industry

The town is famous primarily for the bus and truck manufacturer Leyland Motors, which was nationalised in the 1950s. Several other car-makers followed and the government brought these together between the 1950s and 1970s, including BMC, Standard-Triumph and Rover, culminating in the massive British Leyland company.

All the companies have long since been privatised and the truck business is now thriving again, still operating as Leyland Trucks, which is owned by Paccar.

Leyland is also home to one of the UK's leading maintenance and utility companies, Enterprise Plc on Centurion Way. The Leyprint company is situated on Leyland Lane, a company which produces menus and other printed items.

A large Tesco superstore was built in 2002, and it stands near the police station. The old BTR Factory was knocked down to make way for new housing in 2004 and in 2006, the town was installed with a Morrisons, a Homebase and an Argos store.

The Leyland Band have also recently moved to the town, after several years in various other rehearsal locations, and now have a permanent home in Farington Business Park.

Sport

Leyland has some excellent sporting facilities, notably Leyland Tennis Club, based at Fox Lane Sports & Social Club, Fox Lane.

Pictures

• 
  The Leyland Cross
• 
  Old Police Station
• 
  South Ribble Museum
• 
  Balshaw's Grammar School
• 
  Eagle and Child pub

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Leyland)

• Leyland Historical Society
• Leyland Round Table no.665
• Leyland Tennis Club
• Leyland Forum
• Leyland Online
• The Leyland Project, Community support on the Wade Hall Estate

References

• Hunt, D., (1990), The History of Leyland and District, Carnegie Press, ISBN 0-948789-48-4
• Hunt, D. and Waring, W. (1995), The Archive Photograph Series: Leyland, Chalford Publishing Company, ISBN 0-7524-0348-6
• Smith, J., (2003), Then and Now: Leyland, Tempus Publishing, ISBN 0-7524-2672-9