Atherton High School, Greater Manchester

Atherton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England and historically a part of Lancashire. The town, including Hindsford, Howe Bridge and Hag Fold, is 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Wigan, 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Leigh, and 10+3⁄4 miles (17.3 km) northwest of Manchester. From the 17th century, for about 300 years, Atherton was known as Chowbent, which was frequently shortened to Bent, the town's old nickname. Atherton was associated with coal mining and nail manufacture from the 14th century, encouraged by outcropping coal seams. At the beginning of the 20th century, the town was described as "the centre of a district of collieries, cotton mills and iron-works, which cover the surface of the country with their inartistic buildings and surroundings, and are linked together by the equally unlovely dwellings of the people". Atherton's last deep coal mine closed in 1966, and the last cotton mill closed in 1999. Today the town is the third-largest retail centre in the Borough of Wigan; almost 20% of those employed in the area work in the wholesale and retail trades, although there is still some significant manufacturing industry in the town. Evidence has been discovered of a Roman road passing through the area, on the ancient route between Coccium (Wigan) and Mamucium (Manchester). Following the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England, Atherton, which is built on and around seven brooks, became part of the manor of Warrington until the Norman conquest, when it became a township or vill in the ancient parish of Leigh. Since 1974 the town has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, a local government district of the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester and since 2010 it has been part of the Bolton West parliamentary constituency.

St John the Baptist's Church is in Market Place, Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the Leigh deanery in the archdeaconry of Salford, and diocese of Manchester. Together with St George's and St Philip's Churches in Atherton and St Michael and All Angels at Howe Bridge, the church is part of the United Benefice of Atherton and Hindsford with Howe Bridge. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Atherton Town Hall is a municipal building in Bolton Road, Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Atherton Urban District Council, is now in use as a community hub and as a public library.

Chowbent Chapel is an active Unitarian place of worship in Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. It was built in 1721 and is the oldest place of worship in the town. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. The chapel was granted Grade II* Listed status in 1966.

Atherton Collieries Association Football Club is a football club based in Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. The club are currently members of the Northern Premier League Premier Division and play at Alder House. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association. Between 1919 and 1965 Atherton Collieries were winners of the Bolton Combination ten times. By 1964–65 they had won the Lancashire FA Amateur Shield six times, a record which is still unsurpassed. They are nicknamed "Colls".

Atherton was, from 1863 to 1974, a local government district in Lancashire, England.

Howe Bridge is a suburb of Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it is situated to the south west of Atherton town centre on the B5215, the old turnpike road from Bolton to Leigh. The settlement was built as a model pit village by the owners of Atherton Collieries.

St Anne's Church is a redundant Anglican parish church in Tyldesley Road, Hindsford, Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

Hag Fold railway station is one of the local stations that lie on the Atherton line, between Wigan and Manchester, England. The station is located 13 miles (20 km) west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern Trains services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton, Walkden and Hindley. The station was built in 1987 by British Rail to serve the Hag Fold estate in Atherton, and is only manned during the morning and lunchtime period (06:25 to 12:55, weekdays only). Improvement works to the station are planned, in order to replace the flimsy platforms which have begun to suffer from considerable wear and tear and vandalism. There is step-free access to each platform via inclined ramps. Shelters, digital display screens and timetable poster boards are located on each side; there is also a P.A system provided to supply automated train running announcements.

Howe Bridge railway station, originally Chowbent station, is a former railway station in Atherton, Greater Manchester. It was situated within the historic county of Lancashire.

Atherton Laburnum Rovers Football Club is a football club based in Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. Full members of the Lancashire County FA, they are currently members of the North West Counties League Division One North and play at Crilly Park.

Gibfield Colliery was a coal mine owned by Fletcher, Burrows and Company in Atherton, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.A shaft was sunk at Gibfield to the Trencherbone mine in 1829 by John Fletcher next to the Bolton and Leigh Railway line which opened in 1830. The colliery was served by sidings near Bag Lane Station. On 11 February 1850, workers descended the pit and discovered the presence of gas which they tried to disperse with their jackets. The gas fired at the flame of a lighted candle causing an explosion which killed five men and burned several others.In 1872 the colliery was expanded when a second shaft was sunk to access the Arley mine at 1233 feet. A third shaft was sunk after 1904 accessing nine workable coal seams between the Arley and the Victoria or Hell Hole mines and the original Gibfield shaft was used for ventilation.In common with many collieries on the Lancashire Coalfield, women, known as Pit brow lasses were employed on the surface to sort coal on the screens at the pit head. The first pit-head baths in the country were built at Gibfield in 1913. Gibfield closed in 1963 and the site was cleared.