Tonge is an outlying area of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. The name is supposed to be derived from the Old English "tang" or "twang" meaning a fork in a river.[1] Tonge comprises two areas, namely Tonge Fold and Tonge Moor. Tonge Fold sits upon the River Tonge, a region of whose banks are a geological site of special scientific interest (SSSI).[2][3]

Tonge
Thicketford Road
Tonge is located in Greater Manchester
Tonge
Tonge
Location within Greater Manchester
OS grid referenceSD733094
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBOLTON
Postcode districtBL2
Dialling code01204
PoliceGreater Manchester
FireGreater Manchester
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Greater Manchester
53°34′50″N 2°24′18″W / 53.580563°N 2.405073°W / 53.580563; -2.405073

History

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Historically a part of Lancashire, it was once part of the township and chapelry of Bolton parish.[4][5] By the end of the 19th century Tonge was home to a coal mine.[6] In 1894 Tonge became a separate civil parish, being formed from the rural part of Halliwell, on 30 September 1898 the parish was abolished and merged with Bolton.[7]

Education

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There are three primary schools in Tonge;-

  • Moorgate Country Primary School,[8]
  • Tonge Moor Academy Primary School[9]
  • Castle Hill Primary School.[10]
  • St Columba's RC Primary School

Tonge does not have any secondary schools within its borders, though schools like Canon Slade School, Turton School and Sharples School are popular choices around the area.

Landmarks

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A noteworthy building in Tonge is Hall i' th' Wood, an early 16th-century manor house, and once the home of Samuel Crompton in the 18th century. The building was bought by William Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) in 1899, and after it was restored, he gave it to Bolton Corporation in 1900.[5]

The public cemetery, laid out by William Henderson, was opened in 1856, with extant buildings by Charles Holt and John Smalman Smith, 29 acres (12 ha) of land having been purchased from Le Gendre Nicholas Starkie.[11]

References

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  1. ^ A Bolton website
  2. ^ "Tonge River Section citation sheet" (PDF). English Nature. Retrieved 27 October 2006.
  3. ^ "Map of River Tonge Section SSSI". Nature on the Map. Retrieved 27 October 2006.
  4. ^ "History of Tonge, in Bolton and Lancashire". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b Farrer, William; Brownbill, J., eds. (1911). "Tonge with Haulgh". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5. British History Online. pp. 255–260. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  6. ^ 1896 coal mines list, pdmhs.com, archived from the original on 6 October 2007, retrieved 6 December 2009
  7. ^ "Bolton Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  8. ^ Moorgate primary school government profile
  9. ^ Tonge Moor Primary school government profile
  10. ^ Castle Hill primary school government profile
  11. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1001660)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 January 2020.