Tottington, Greater Manchester

Tottington is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England.

Historically in Lancashire, Tottington's early history is marked by its status as an important Medieval fee, a type of Royal Manor which encompassed several townships. This Royal Manor of Tottington stretched from Musbury and Cowpe with Lench in the north to Affetside in the west and Walshaw in the south west. During this time, the individual township Tottington was an agricultural settlement, with open farmland and hunting ground where deer and wild boar were once hunted.

History
The name derives from the old English for "Tota's people's village".

Tottington was originally part of the larger Royal Manor of Tottington which stretched from Musbury and Cowpe with Lench in the north to Affetside in the west and Walshaw in the south.

Tottington, (the ROYAL MANOR of) extends from Tottington-lower-end to the N. of Eatonfield chapel a distance of 9 miles Tottington, a large township in the parish of Bury, distinguished by the higher and lower end, and together composing the "Royal Manor of Tottington," the higher end of which is to the E. of Edgeworth, and to the W. of Shuttleworth; and the lower end, to the N. of Elton, and the W. of Walmesley

The town has expanded significantly since the 1990s, with a number of new housing developments replacing former industries and commercial uses.

Governance
From 1894 to 1974, most of Tottington formed the Tottington Urban District.

Since 1974, as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, Tottington has formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, within Greater Manchester.

Geography
Tottington's physical geography is characterised by its position alongside the West Pennine Moors and the entrance to the Rossendale Valley. Directly north-west, Affetside Moor rises to a height of more than 900 ft above sea level and a little further north Top of Quarlton and Holcombe Moor dominate the skyline. From elevated parts of the town Scout Moor, Harden Moor and Knowl Hill are visible to the east. The villages of Affetside, Greenmount and Hawkshaw are north of the town, with Walshaw to the south west.

Landmarks

 * The Cenotaph next to the library
 * Whitehead Gardens which was built on the site of houses struck by a bomb on Christmas Eve 1944
 * The disused railway line to Holcombe Brook (pictures) that once carried one of the first DC electrified railway lines in the world
 * Tottington Dungeon, at the junction of Market Street, Turton Road & Harwood Road

Notable people
Len Crompton, a professional football goalkeeper, was born in Tottington in 1902.