Little Lever facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Little Lever
St Matthew's Church, Little Lever
Little Lever
Population	12,803
OS grid reference	SD755074
Metropolitan borough	Bolton
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BOLTON
Postcode district	BL3
Dialling code	01204
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Bolton North East
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°33′47″N 2°22′08″W / 53.563°N 2.369°W / 53.563; -2.369

Little Lever is a village in Greater Manchester, England. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Bolton. In the 1800s, many people in Little Lever worked in factories. These included cotton mills, paper mills, and places that bleached cloth. There were also many coal mines.

History of Little Lever

What Does the Name Little Lever Mean?

The name "Lever" comes from an old English word, laefre. This word means a place where rushes (a type of plant) grow. In 1212, the village was called Parua Lefre. Parva is a Latin word meaning "little". So, Little Lever means "little place where rushes grow". Over time, the name was written in different ways, like Lethre, Leuere, and Leyver.

Who Owned Little Lever's Land?

For a long time, Little Lever was part of a larger area called the barony of Manchester. During the Middle Ages, powerful landowners called barons controlled the land. In 1212, Little Lever was measured as four oxgangs of land. An oxgang was an old way to measure land.

Around 1320, the de Lever family became the main landowners. They paid a small rent each year for the village. Later, in 1448, Henry Lever the elder paid rent for the village.

In 1623, a terrible disease called the Bubonic Plague hit Little Lever. It sadly killed one-third of the people living in the village. By 1666, about sixty homes in the village had to pay a special tax called the Hearth tax. This tax was based on how many fireplaces a house had. The main landowner at that time was John Andrews. His house had nine fireplaces, showing it was the largest in the village. The old manor house, Little Lever Hall, was made of wood and plaster. It was destroyed in the 1700s.

Little Lever's Industrial Past

Little Lever has a rich history of industry. There are records of a coal pit (mine) as early as 1320.

Before 1559, there were also fulling-mills in the area. Fulling mills were used to clean and thicken cloth. By the 1800s, coal mining was very important. Many coal pits operated in Little Lever. Some of the well-known pits were Ladyshore, Owl Hole, and Stopes.

The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal was built next to the village. This canal was like a water highway. It had two basins where coal from the Ladyshore Colliery (coal mine) was loaded onto boats. The mine closed in 1949. Today, the old colliery offices are a house, and the stables are still there.

Bricks and tiles were also made in Little Lever. Today, a company called Tarmac Topblock still runs Crowthers Brickworks. They make lightweight blocks for building. Colonel John Fletcher was a pioneer in making terracotta in the North of England. Terracotta is a type of clay material used in building. His Ladyshore Terracotta Works supplied the terracotta for St Stephen and All Martyrs' Church, Lever Bridge.

Several paper mills were located in Little Lever. Creams Mill was started in 1677 by James Crompton. Grundy's Mill was founded by James Grundy in 1760. The name "Creams" was given because the paper made there was said to be very creamy.

The canal was also important for boat building. Because coal was transported on the canal, small boats were needed. This led to a boatbuilding industry in Little Lever.

There were also chemical works in the area. These factories made chemicals used in the cloth bleaching industry. One of the largest chemical works was on Church Street. It was started in 1868 and later owned by Edmund Peel Potter. His company became a world leader in making certain chemicals. The company closed in 1969.

Geography of Little Lever

Little Lever is a small area surrounded by water. The River Irwell, the River Croal, and Blackbrook form its boundaries. In 1901, it covered about 808 acres (3.27 square kilometers). By 2001, it was listed as having 1,188 acres (481 hectares).

How Little Lever is Governed

Historically, Little Lever was part of Lancashire. It was a township and a small church area.

From 1872, a local board of health governed the village. In 1894, the Little Lever Urban District was created. This council had twelve members elected from four different areas of the village.

In 1974, local government changed. Little Lever became part of the Bolton area in Greater Manchester. It is represented by three councilors on the Bolton council. The population of this area was 12,799 in 2011.

Little Lever is also part of the United Kingdom Parliament. It is in the Bolton South East area. Since 2019, Yasmin Qureshi has been the Member of Parliament for this area.

Population of Little Lever

The latest UK Census in 2021 showed that Little Lever has a population of 12,525 people. This means there are about 4,546 people per square kilometer. This is much higher than the average for England and Wales. The census also showed that the number of males and females in Little Lever is almost equal, which is not common in the area.

In the early 1900s, most people worked in coal mining, canal work, or factories. Today, the jobs are different. Many people travel from Little Lever to nearby Bolton, Radcliffe, and Manchester for work. The main type of job in the village itself is in shops and sales.

Transport in Little Lever

Little Lever was once at the meeting point of three important roads. Later, the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal provided direct links to Manchester, Bolton, and Bury. There was also a railway line from Bury to Bolton that passed through Little Lever. This railway closed in 1970.

Today, the closest train station is Moses Gate. The Metrolink tram system serves the nearby Radcliffe stop. Buses from Bolton, Bury, Radcliffe, and Farnworth serve the village.

Economy of Little Lever

In the past, Little Lever's economy was based on cotton spinning, making textiles, paper making, and coal mining. These industries shaped the village for many years.

Infrastructure in Little Lever

In the past, people got water from local wells. As industries grew, more water was needed. Over the years, different water boards were set up to supply water to Little Lever and nearby areas. In 1974, the North West Water Authority took over water supply for the region.

Education in Little Lever

Little Lever has seven schools. Five of these are primary schools: Bowness Community Primary, Masefield Community Primary, Mytham Community Primary, St Matthew's C of E Primary, and St Teresa's RC Primary.

There is one secondary school, Little Lever School. It used to be a specialist language college and now focuses on Business and Enterprise. Ladywood School is a special needs school.

Other facilities include playgroups for young children, nursery schools, and a library built in 1939.

Sports and Fun in Little Lever

Little Lever has a special leisure center next to Little Lever School. It has a sports hall, gym, squash courts, and outdoor pitches. There are also places for football, rounders, bowls, and cricket. The Little Lever Cricket Club is very old and has a social club. The cricket team plays in the Bolton Cricket League.

There are also many groups for young people, a youth club, and a club for older people. Several pubs and social clubs are in the village.

Little Lever is also near Moses Gate Country Park. This is a large park, about 750 acres (3 square kilometers), that follows the valleys of the River Croal and River Irwell.

Religion in Little Lever

The first church built in Little Lever was St Matthew's in 1791. The Congregational Church in Market Street was founded in 1857. In 1972, it joined with the Presbyterian Church to become the United Reformed Church.

Today, there are several other churches in Little Lever:

• King's Church Little Lever (non-denominational) on Market Street, started in 1982.
• Christ Church, which is a joint Methodist and United Reformed Church, on Mytham Road, formed in 2000.
• St Teresa's Roman Catholic Church on Redcar Road, opened in 1975.
• The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Mytham Road.

There are also graveyards at St Matthew's Church, the King's Centre, and Christ Church. The old Congregational Church also had a graveyard.

Famous People from Little Lever

Thomas Lever, born in Little Lever in 1521, was an English Protestant reformer. He was an important church leader until he died in 1577.

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