About Leigh

Leigh (pop. 43,000) is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is 7.7 miles (12 km) southeast of Wigan, and 9.5 miles (15.3 km) west of Manchester city centre. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss.

Historically a part of Lancashire, Leigh was originally the centre of a large ecclesiastical parish covering six vills or townships. When the three townships of Pennington, Westleigh and Bedford merged in 1875 forming the Leigh Local Board District, Leigh became the official name for the town although it had been applied to the area of Pennington and Westleigh around the parish church for many centuries.

The town became an urban district in 1894 when part of Atherton was added. In 1899 Leigh became a municipal borough.

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