Townapedia
Clifton Aqueduct aerial shot
Clifton Aqueduct aerial shot · Parrot of Doom, CC BY-SA 4.0
Clifton viaduct looking north
Clifton viaduct looking north · Parrot of Doom, CC BY-SA 3.0
Outwood viaduct from river irwell
Outwood viaduct from river irwell · Parrot of Doom, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ringley old bridge
Ringley old bridge · Parrot of Doom, CC BY-SA 3.0
Radcliffe cenotaph
Radcliffe cenotaph · Ingy the Wingy, CC BY-SA 2.0
Long curve, Leverhulme park, darcy lever, bolton - panoramio
Long curve, Leverhulme park, darcy lever, bolton - panoramio · Mitt Doot, CC BY 3.0

Kearsley, United Kingdom

Kearsley is a town of 10,127 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population10,127 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation328 ft 100 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportManchester Airport (MAN) 13 mi
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Why visit Kearsley

Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 22 parks and trails, 113 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Clifton Aqueduct, Clifton Viaduct, Radcliffe Cenotaph and Waldken Memorial.

About Kearsley

Kearsley is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 census was 14,212. Within the Historic County of Lancashire, it lies 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Manchester, 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Bury and 3.5 miles (6 km) south of Bolton.

From the Wikipedia article Kearsley (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photos of Kearsley

Things to do5

Clifton Aqueduct

Bridge · 2.8 mi

Grade II listed bridge in the United Kingdom

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Clifton Viaduct

Bridge · 2.9 mi

Grade II listed bridge in Greater Manchester, England, UK

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Outwood Viaduct

Bridge · 2.7 mi

Grade II listed footbridge in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, UK

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Ringley Old Bridge

Bridge · 1.2 mi

Grade II* listed bridge in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK

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Farnworth Little Theatre

Cinema and theater · 1.2 mi

Cross Street, Bolton

Open in Google Maps · +44 845 643 0808

Museums and landmarks2

Radcliffe Cenotaph

Monument and historic site · 3.0 mi

War memorial in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, UK

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Waldken Memorial

Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi

The impressive structure was erected in memory of the Countess of Ellesmere, Lady Harriet Egerton. It was moved to its current home next...

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Parks, trails and playgrounds22

Blackleach Country Park

Park · 0.5 mi

Country park in Walkden, Greater Manchester, England

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Clifton Country Park

Park · 1.6 mi

Nature reserve in Greater Manchester, England

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Leverhulme Park

Park · 3.0 mi

Park in Bolton, United Kingdom

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Moses Gate Country Park

Park · 1.3 mi

Park in Moses Gate, United Kingdom

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Victoria Park

Park · 2.8 mi

Park in Swinton, near Manchester

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Nob End

Park · 1.4 mi

Nature reserve in Greater Manchester, England

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Philips Park

Park · 3.1 mi

Area of parkland in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, UK

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Ellesmere Golf Club

Golf course · 1.2 mi

Old Clough Lane, Worsley

Open in Google Maps · +44 161 790 2122

Ash Clough SSSI

Hiking and trails · 1.5 mi

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Ashtons Field

Park · 1.0 mi

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Bank Top Park

Park · 0.7 mi

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Ellesmere Park

Park · 1.5 mi

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10 more on the map.

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Restaurants and cafes113

The Shakespeare

Bar and pub · 1.4 mi

1 Glynne Street, Bolton

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The Bull's Head Hotel

Bar and pub · 0.9 mi

12 High Street, Manchester

Mo,Tu,We,Th,Su 08:00-24:00; Fr,Sa 08:00-25:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 161 702 5350

Cottage Tandoori

Restaurant · Indian · 0.9 mi

Manchester Road, Walkden

Open in Google Maps · +44 161 790 3255

Brindley Arms

Bar and pub · 0.6 mi

56 Whittle Street, Walkden

Open in Google Maps · +44 161 790 9821

La Roma

Restaurant · 1.2 mi

Kearsley Hall Road, Manchester

Open in Google Maps · +44 1204 707932

Nando's

Restaurant · Chicken, Portuguese · 0.9 mi

New Ellesmere Approach, Walkden

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Darjeeling

Restaurant · Indian · 0.9 mi

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Market Street Tavern

Bar and pub · 1.1 mi

131 Market Street, Manchester

Open in Google Maps · +44 1204 572985

Poundbakery

Bakery · 1.1 mi

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Purple Lounge

Restaurant · Indian · 0.9 mi

New Ellesmere Approach

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101 more on the map.

History

Kearsley lay within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire and was industrialised by 1752 when James Brindley solved drainage problems at the Wet Earth Colliery on the borders of Kearsley and Clifton. In 1780, a mill was built at the point where the River Croal meets the River Irwell

"Kersley, a township in the parish of Deane, Hundred of Salford, 7 miles N.W. from Manchester. Inhabitants 1,833. In this township is Kearsley Moor, an extensive common, under the surface of which there are many valuable coalmines".

In the Industrial Revolution a papermill, cotton mills, chemical works, an iron foundry, a quarry and 15 coal mines operated within its boundaries.

In the mid-19th century, the area was a busy coal mining area. Several street names such as Moss Colliery Road (in nearby Clifton) bear testimony to this. The largest coal mine was the Unity Brook Colliery. On 12 March 1878, an explosion in the mine killed 43 men and boys and 19 of the dead were buried at the parish church. By 1900 the coal mining industry had all but disappeared.

In 1929, the coal-fired Kearsley Power Station was built. It used water for cooling from the River Irwell. The power station closed on 27 October 1980, and the 5 cooling towers were demolished during the week of 14 May 1985. The power station had a railway connection, which has been removed and is now a pedestrian trail.

From the History section of Kearsley on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Kearsley

Economy

Today, Kearsley has little industry; the only remaining mill is now a multi occupancy building housing retail and light engineering. Three small industrial estates are concerned mainly with the transport industry. They are the Europa Industrial Estate and the Fishbrook Industrial Estate on Stoneclough Road and the Lion Industrial Estate on Moss Road.

There is a small shopping precinct and some isolated shops along Manchester Road (A666).

Education

Schools in Kearsley are under the control of Bolton Education Department.

The area originally had two nursery schools, Rompers, a private nursery that took 33 children, and Spindle Point School. In 2009, Rompers Nursery was demolished for a housing development project. On Sunday 3 January 2010, the luxury flat site was on fire for several hours.

There are four primary schools, all under the direction of Bolton Education: Kearsley West Primary School (pupils 249 Ofsted Id 105/105186, Dfes Number 2061), St John's Church of England Primary School (pupils 176 Ofsted Id 105/105241, Dfes Number 3355), Spindle Point School (pupils 247 Ofsted Id 105/105196, Dfes Number 2075) and the church attached St Stephen's Church of England Primary School (pupils 222, Ofsted Id 105/105240,

There is one secondary school in Kearsley, Kearsley Academy formerly known as George Tomlinson School, after George Tomlinson, Secretary for Education at the time of its construction, on Springfield Road. (Pupils 541, Ofsted Id 105/105268, Dfes Number: 5402). Its original age range was 11–16 years of age, but with the introduction of a sixth form in 2012, it now serves pupils up to 18 years of age and allows both male and female pupils.

From the Wikipedia article Kearsley, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Kearsley

Born in Kearsley, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay1

Churches and places of worship34

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Shopping17

Gas and EV charging11

Schools, colleges and libraries29

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Healthcare8

Map of Kearsley

242 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Manchester Airport (MAN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 13 miles away.

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.