Aughton, Lancashire

Aughton is a village and civil parish in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. It is located between Ormskirk and Maghull, approximately 10 mi north of Liverpool and 17 mi south-west of Preston.

The parish is rural to the south and west. The north-east contains Town Green and the southern part of Aughton Park, which are suburbs of Ormskirk. The village of Aughton is located in the south-west.

Demographics and politics
At the 2021 Census Aughton had a population of 8,034, a reduction from 8,068 at the 2011 Census and 8,342 at the 2001 Census. The parish includes the village of Aughton and the adjacent area of Holt Green, and the southern part of Aughton Park, and Town Green.

Aughton has its own parish council. It is part of the Aughton and Downholland electoral ward for West Lancashire District Council elections and the West Lancashire constituency for the House of Commons elections.

Transport
The A59 road, which runs between Liverpool and York, passes through the parish from north to south, bypassing Aughton village to the west. The B5197 road also runs north-south through the village.

The parish has two railway stations, Town Green and Aughton Park, both on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, and part of the former Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway.

Facilities
Aughton has two shopping areas: on Moss Delph Lane and Town Green Lane. Also, there are playing fields and a park next to the fields and other open spaces totalling 36 acre. There is a community centre, the Aughton Village Hall. The hall was opened in 1971 on land donated to the District Council. It is a registered charity and managed by a voluntary committee.

Having moved from premises in Holt Green, the official opening of the new Aughton police station on 3 March 2003 saw it occupy the old waiting room and general outbuildings of Town Green railway station. At that time, this police station was the first in the Lancashire Constabulary to have the enquiry counter staffed exclusively by volunteers.

There are two notable churches, Christ Church, a late Victorian building situated on Holborn Hill, one of the higher points in West Lancashire, and St Michael's Parish Church. St Michael's has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. Aughton Park Baptist Church and St Mary's R C Church are also located within the civil parish. Moor Hall, on Prescot Road, is a Grade II* listed manor house built around 1600. It was converted in the spring 2017 to a restaurant with rooms, being awarded a Michelin star later that year.

On Bold Lane is a social club, the Aughton Institute. Within the Institute is a memorial to three men from the Parish who were killed in World War I and to 40 men who served. It was unveiled on 11 February 1922 by the 17th Earl of Derby.

Notable connections

 * Donald Boumphrey, soldier and cricketer. Lived in Aughton, where he died in 1971
 * Barry Cowan, tennis player, former member of Aughton Tennis Club
 * Kieran Dowell, Everton footballer, was born in Aughton
 * Roy Evans, former Liverpool FC player and manager, lives in Aughton
 * Gavin Griffiths, Leicestershire County Cricketer, lives in Aughton
 * John Grindrod 1919-2009, Anglican Primate of Australia, was born in Aughton on 14 December 1919
 * Colin Harvey, footballer, lives in Aughton
 * Alan Kennedy, former footballer, lived in Aughton.
 * Les Pattinson, bass player for Echo & the Bunnymen, was raised in Aughton
 * Will Sergeant, guitarist for Echo & the Bunnymen, lived in Aughton