Everything about Upholland totally explained
Upholland or
Up Holland, as it's frequently spelled locally and on Ordnance Survey maps, is a
civil parish and small town in
Lancashire,
England, situated approximately three miles east of
Skelmersdale and one mile west of the
Orrell area of
Wigan. The town is located on a small hill rising above the West
Lancashire Plain. There are views towards
Ormskirk and to
Southport in the north-west and towards
Manchester and on to the
High Peak of
Derbyshire in the east.
Upholland railway station is on the
Kirkby Branch Line.
The name Upholland differentiates it from another place locally called
Downholland, 10 miles to the west (on the other side of Ormskirk). Both derive their names from the manor of Holland, a possession of the de Holland family until
1534.
One of Upholland's claims to fame is that
George Lyon, reputed to be one of the last English
highwaymen, is said to be
buried in the churchyard of the
Church of England parish
church of St. Thomas the Martyr. The truth of the matter is that Lyon was little more than a common thief and receiver of stolen goods. The grave can be found under the concrete parapet opposite the White Lion pub.
A burial place of greater historical significance can be found at the south east corner of the church. Here, in a railed enclosure is the grave of Robert Daglish; a pioneer in
steam locomotive engineering and design. In 1814, when
George Stephenson was still working on his early locomotive
Blucher, Daglish built
The Yorkshire Horse, a '
rack and pinion' locomotive to haul coal waggons at a nearby colliery. This proved to be a great success. Daglish went on to construct other locomotives, and work on railway systems both in
Great Britain and
America.
The church was previously a
Benedictine monastery, the Priory of St. Thomas the Martyr of Upholland.
A
Catholic seminary,
St Joseph's College, used for training Catholic priests, was once based in Upholland. The college closed down in 1987 after over 150 years of serving the northern Catholic dioceses of England. Former students include
Tony Brindle,
Paul Addison,
James T Hull,
John Barber,
Bernard Boylan, and the
comedian Johnny Vegas. Other celebrated students were comedians
Kenny Everett and
Tom O'Connor, the libel lawyer
George Carman, pop musician
Paddy McAloon of
Prefab Sprout, the editor of the Jerusalem
Bible and
British Member of Parliament John Battle.
Actor
Ian Bleasdale and
Richard Ashcroft (of
The Verve) also come from Upholland. The comedian
Ted Ray (born Charles Olden), spent his childhood in the village, his father being the licensee of The Bull's Head public house, which used to stand in School Lane.
Upholland has its own art society known as
Upholland Artists' Society
that consists of a group of amateur and professional artists that live in or near Upholland. They hold regular exhibitions and paint a wide range of subjects from local scenes to contemporary abstract pieces.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Upholland'.
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