Bury is a town in Greater Manchester which has a long and celebrated history. Fancy a home-grown holiday? Bury could be a great location to take the family.
Situated in the Western Pennines, Bury is a lovely part of England to grow up in. Around 81 thousand people call it home today, but it wasn’t always so massive. This article will take a look back through the history of Bury and report on all the good bits. Depending on how it’s going, we might even report the bad bits, too. Obviously, Bury doesn’t seem to have any bad bits, but you never know until you start digging around… So here is what the Five Minutes Spare team found out in this travel guide to Bury.
What is Bury Famous For?
Bury is known for its market, which received a charter in the 1440s. By the time any market received its charter from the royals, it was already established. This would make Bury Market as much as 450 years old. Bury also has numerous attractions which we will go into detail about later. Bury is renowned as the home of black pudding, a variation of Haggis where pork blood replaces sheep’s blood.
Bury’s Early History
There is an Iron Age hill fort named Castlesteads in Bury. The fort was on the east bank of the River Irwell. You cannot get to it today although you can see the slopes from the Burrs Country Park. This provides evidence that settlement in the area dates as far back as prehistoric times. Many sites will tell you that the town officially began in the 10th century and that’s because of records and official charters from royalty. However, evidence that there were humans living here before that starts with that Bronze Age hill fort.
The long history behind Bury extends down into the time of the tribes. Before AD, before the Romans came. Bury belonged to the Brigantes tribe, a massive culmination of many tribes found north of Yorkshire. Their lands extended all the way up to the southern parts of Scotland, back before the many cultures which came and went and formed Britain as we know it now.
The Romans arrived in Britain in AD 43 and stayed until the 5th century. During that time and under Emperor Agricola (AD 78 -87), the Roman soldiers built a road connecting the Ribchester fort and Manchester itself. Upon that road was the ancient tribal marketplace of Bury, connected to the city at long last. Along the Roman road built through what is now Watling Street there is a large cross. This cross is rumoured to mark the halfway point between London and Edinburgh. Several Roman artefacts have been unearthed in this area. The local Bury Art Museum holds a jar full of Roman coins from that same era.
Funnily enough the exact location of Coccium – the Roman Ford near Bury – was never discovered. The village of Ainsworth is a popular location suggested by historians. A persistent nickname for the area – the Cockey Moor – suggests this option is the right one.
In 962 AD Bury first appears in the parish records. As of the 10th century, it had its own parish church in the marketplace, named St Mary the Virgin.
Medieval Bury
Bury doesn’t make an appearance in the Domesday Survey. Bury in Sussex does, as does nearby Radcliffe. At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, Lancashire didn’t exist yet. It only became a county in 1182. The town of Bury was in the Hundred of Salford, which belonged to Edward the Confessor and would later pass into the hands of King William the Conqueror. The north was difficult to control for William, who had his minions build small forts all over the area in an attempt to maintain his control of the populace. From 1193 to 1219 the manor fell to Adam De Bury, whose daughter married a Pilkington.
In 1290 they had to rebuild the church because it was a little dilapidated. By 1469 the fortified Manor House at Bury Castle was underway. Built by Sir Thomas Pilkington, the manor house belonged to the lord of both the manors at Bury and at Pilkington. Lord Stanley eventually moved in and they have owned the house ever since. The Black Death had a profound effect on the manor house, with records recalling that they had a staffing shortage.
The antiquary John Leland, who travelled around the country cataloguing England’s best old sites, called the castle a ruin as early as 1540. It clearly was not built by the Romans. The castle was attacked by the parliamentarians during the English Civil War in 1644. After that, records of the castle show it dwindled to non-existence.
The town of Bury received its market cross in 1659 but it was decayed and rotten in the 1800s. Locals removed it in 1818. Areas of the town crumbled afterwards. With nobody to till the fields, large parcels of land went back to nature.
Fun Facts About Bury, Greater Manchester
No Five Minute Spare Travel guide would be complete without a look back at the best bits of gossip from the area. Here are the most interesting things we managed to scoop up off the factory floor about Bury:
- In 1831 the people of Bury went on an expedition to Rothesay castle, only reachable by a steam ferry. The ferry sank in in a storm on August 27th with 26 Bury residents sinking to their death.
- The Chadwick family are the local famous producers of black pudding. They supply stores across England, with one of their famous customers being Harrods.
- In the 2010’s the town’s market was complemented when Marks & Spencer moved to a bigger store. This change signified the tide of change in the clientele – and people – living in Bury. It is a town of affluence now, slow growing in status since the 1800s.
- In November 1981 a tornado blew down main street. It formed in Whitefield.
- The Lancashire Fusiliers have had their main barracks on Wellington Street. In 1688, King William III asked Sir Robert Peyton to raise a regiment of six companies around Exeter. The regiment absorbed the Wellington Street barracks, as well as other independent troops in the area. There were 6 in total. The regimental barracks remained in the well-established Wellington Street ever after.
- Although modern Bury is a well-off town, it was not always so. In the 1800s the people slept four to a bed in the working class areas here. Poverty was rife and the average age of death was 13.4 years old. Infant mortality was through the roof. The town sprang up around the industry before the residential side caught up. This resulted in the industrial-based slums of the northern towns. This widespread crowding and filth lead to mass riots all over the north.
And on the note of riots, it is time to get back to the history. No riots to see in Bury… we don’t think. But with an average life expectancy of thirteen, they didn’t have the manpower for it.
The Industrial Era
The Industrial Era started early in Bury. During the 18th century, local from Walmersley John Kay invented the picking peg. This made his handloom work faster and increased his production. The town was a textile town in this era, were wool and cotton were woven. The technique gained the nickname ‘the Flying Shuttle’ and sawmills opened overnight.
In 1748 the town gained its first school. Brooksbottom Mill established itself as a calico producer in 1773. The workhouse for the area was named Redvales Workhouse and opened on Manchester Road in 1780. The workhouses of old were awful places offering a meal a day and a place to sleep to the poor of the town at the cost of a 12-hour-a-day full-time job.
In 1780 they rebuilt the church for a second time. In 1787 a local theatre collapsed on a performance given on the fourth of July. 16 people were killed and another fifty injured. In 1791 construction on the canal began and by the end of the century the population was 2,900 people.
In 1801 there were over 12 thousand people in Bury. The canal finally opened in 1808 and trade exploded. In 1818 there were 7 cotton mills in town. In 1822 the town gained a savings bank. In 1837 the Poor Law Union formed, with a waterworks opening in 1839. By 1841 the population was over twenty thousand people. The Bury Bolton Street railway opened in 1846 and the Derby Hall opened in 1850.
The Holy Trinity school opened in 1851 with the Wesleyan school on Clerk Street coming the same year. A chapel opened on Bank Street in October of the following year, and a third school opened for the rapidly growing town. The public raised £3,000 to create a statue of Robert Peel in 1852. In 1857 they gained a new workhouse, with the population hitting 30,000 people in 1861. The castle Armoury or Drill Hall opened in 1868 and the Bury Cemetery the following year. The present-day St Mary the Virgin church was re-opened again in 1876. That same year an infectious hospital opened near the workhouse.
Bury’s coat of arms was decided in 1877. Bury football club formed in 1885, they were admitted to the second division in 1894 and won on their first attempt. They went on to beat Southampton and Crystal Palace in 1900 to win the title.
The Bury Art Museum opened in 1901. Bury FC won the FA Cup in 1903 playing against Derby County and then Crystal Palace. The workhouse gained a 126-bed infirmary in 1905. A military hospital opened in 1914.
Let’s not overlook the town’s connection to the military. The Lancashire Fusiliers had their base here on Bolton Road. For over three hundred years this regiment have fought in battles which defend Britain all over the world. The fusiliers were at Gallipoli, fought through the First World War, and earned 6 VCs between them. Local residents are common for the intake. Bury was largely ignored in the Second World War, when the Fusiliers again went abroad. In 1944 a row of cottages in nearby Tottington suffered bombing. That was the last attack on this area.
Modern Day Bury Town
After WWII, the town went into decline alongside the death of the cotton industry. They turned to papermaking as a new source of income and brought wealth and prosperity to the upper classes. There are still paper mills to this day. In 1931 the town already suffered from heavy levels of unemployment. The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal stopped use in 1961. In 1975 we gained the Bury Metropolitan Arts Association. The M66 motorway connected to Bury in 1978 and then a society formed to save the canal in 1987. The railway link was replaced with a Metro link circa the early nineties. St Paul’s Church closed in 1995, and in the year 2000, the site of Bury Castle opened for tourism.
As of 2001, the census of Bury showed over 180 thousand people in the greater metropolitan area. It is a large town which doesn’t feel like a busy area. The Bury Market attracts new people every week, so thousands of people pass through this town each year. It’s a commuter city and only five miles from Bolton. It’s a good place to raise your kids and a great place to visit for holidays. There is loads to do – and we are going to prove it. Just, let us get through the famous faces first.
Famous People from Bury
Bury is home to a blend of celebrities and historically famous folks who were either born here or lived here. Our favourites include:
- Danny Boyle, famous gritty movie director, is from here.
- The former PM Robert Peel was from Bury. He gained much of his knowledge of what his people wanted by interviewing those around him. He asked the people of Bury how he could make things better and went on to represent them. When he became Prime Minister, he remembered the woes of the working class. His family came from the Calico printing press Peels.
- Comedian and actress Victoria Wood is a Bury girl.
- We can’t miss out John Kay who invented the Flying Shuttle. He belonged to the Yeoman farming people of Bury.
- Andrew Higginson, man in charge of Morrisons.
- Gareth Perry, famous rock climbing coach, was from here.
- Gemma Atkinson, the actress, is from here.
- As is Zak Dingle from Emmerdale.
So you could meet any one of a handful of still living famous people in Bury if you keep your eyes peeled. Pardon the pun.
The Best Attractions in Bury
All our travel guides here at Five Minutes Spare focus on the history as well as the best bits of the town. Here are the best attractions in Bury that you can enjoy exploring on your city break.
Historic Sites
The Peel Tower is part historic site and part local landmark. This fortified keep was built in honour of Sir Robert Peel, PM, and founder of the police force. Locals erected it in 1852 and it stands on Holcombe Hill. It offers views out over north of Wales and Manchester and stands 128ft tall.
Landmarks
The East Lancashire Railway is a load of fun. This is a twelve mile stretch of railway which goes through seriously scenic areas, winding through five stops in pleasant towns. What makes it so special? The steam trains. They have diesel trains you can ride too, but who passes up the chance to ride in a steam train when they are on holiday? The 12 mile line starts in Rawtenstall, so hop on and hop off as you need to.
Cultural Sites
As well as taking the time to spy Roman artefacts in Bury Art Museum, and browse the paintings of course, there are other museums of interest in Bury. If you would like to track down your ancestry in Bury, then head to the archives instead of the museum. This is where the council keeps all its old documentation.
Bury has its own Transport Museum which lies at the end of the East Lancashire Railway. They have a collection of old-school vehicles, including buses, steamrollers, and trucks. Of course, there is always the prospect of riding the steam train while you are there.
The Lancashire Fusilier Museum is also in the Bury area. Head along and learn about the history of British warcraft. They have an online experience through their website, and celebrate the XX Lancashire Fusiliers and other, similar regiments, such as the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. They have a shooting simulator and a virtual museum, too.
Recreation
Technically a historical site but also facilitating recreation, you can head to the great outdoors at Burrs Country Park. This large piece of land covers 36 hectares. It is a mile to the northwest of town. This is where you can see the steep slopes which evidence the Bronze Age hill fort which once overlooked the valley. Burrs Country Park offers beautiful views, hiking and biking trails, riverside walks, and if you follow the river you reach the Lancashire Railway.
Sports and Teams
Bury Football Club have won the FA Cup in the past. They have been running for over a hundred years now. Established in 1885, you can find them playing at their grounds in Gigg Lane.
Bury RUFC are a well-known local rugby team. Don’t confuse them with Bury St. Edmunds RUFC as they are not the same team.
You can visit the cricket club in Woodbank if you would like to join a team.
Bury golf course is quite an affluent club. The course was designed by Alister Mackenzie and Charles Alison. It opened in 1890.
Shopping and Retail
Bury Market is one of the best-known things about this town, so obviously you have to go. Running for over 600 years, this market has been famous for black pudding, cotton fabrics, paper, and more throughout the years. There is a fish and meat hall, an open market outside, and a market hall. They open every day except Sunday except for the meat hall, which does open on a Sunday.
Where to Eat and Drink in Bury?
There is no better place to eat in Lancashire than on one of the railway’s steam train dining carriage experiences. Eat out at Dining with Distinction to feel truly transported back to another time. Locals love the Holcombe Tap for a good drink and dine. Pub grub is up here, but it’s super tasty. Check out either the Hidden Bar or the Sky Bar for a great cocktail.
Other Notable Nearby Attractions
If you find yourself in the Bury neck of the woods and you see all the top attractions, check out these nearby places for additional fun:
- Go shopping in Manchester.
- Learn about other textiles in Stockport, the old rope making town.
- Visit Rochdale, the birthplace of the Co-Op.
- Travel into the Pennines and see Oldham.
- Head west to Salford.
The Greater Manchester area is packed with things to do.
How to Get to Bury?
Bury lies between Bolton and Rochdale in the Greater Manchester Area. Here is how you can get there if you don’t mind dodgy directions.
By Road
Follow the M60 to the M66.
By Rail
Bury Bolton Street Train Station is run by the East Lancashire Railway.
By Air
The nearest airport is Manchester Airport.
By Sea
Manchester trading canal is your closest port.
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