Worsley and Eccles South Constituency: Google Maps

Following its 2006 review of parliamentary representation in Greater Manchester, the constituency of Worsley was extended to incorporate a part of Eccles, creating the Worsley and Eccles South constituency.

The electoral wards within the constituency include Barton, Boothstown and Ellenbrook, Cadishead, Irlam, Little Hulton, Walkden North, Walkden South, Winton and Worsley.

It features a number of historical landmarks, green spaces and suburban communities within it, especially within Worsley, with the most famous being the Bridgewater Canal, otherwise known as the Orange Canal. The Salford landmark was given its name for its distinctive colour, which is created due to the high levels of iron oxide, or rust, that forms in the river due to iron deposits in the nearby Duke of Bridgewater coal mines.

For some the special colour of the river is characterful, and part of the Salford landscape. Whereas many others see it as an eye-soar and evidence of the polluting qualities of coal and fossil fuels.

Bridgewater Canal, Worsley. From Wikipedia. Attribution: David Gaynor

Walkden, one of the wards in this constituency, has produced a large number of notable people, including; Coronation Street actors Alan Halsall and Catherine Tyldesley, former British light-middleweight boxing champion Jamie Moore and Hollywood actor Christopher Eccleston.

Before 1949 Little Hulton was a village of around 8,000 people, however the land was developed by Worsley Urban District Council to accommodate residents moved there from post-war slum clearance areas. By 1962, 3,060 houses had been built.

The constituency of Worsley and Eccles South is another relatively new addition to the electoral roll, with its seat in parliament first being voted on in 2010. Since then it has been represented in the House of Commons by Labour MP Barbara Keeley. Though it is often seen as a largely Labour favourable constituency, it does also contain two of the Conservative Party’s strongest wards within Greater Manchester: Worsley,  Boothstown and Ellenbrooks.

Text credit: Ellis Hyde

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *