Skelmersdale: Lancashire New Town That Traded Terraced Streets for Roundabouts
Skelmersdale was designated a new town in 1961, built to rehouse families from Liverpool's overcrowded inner city. The result is a town planned almost entirely around car access, with a network of roundabouts, dual carriageways, and pedestrian underpasses that separate walkers from traffic. The design was forward-thinking for the 1960s but has aged badly; the underpasses feel unsafe, and the road layout confuses visitors. The population is around 40,000. The town sits in the Borough of West Lancashire, about 13 miles northeast of Liverpool and 15 miles southwest of Wigan. Before the new town, Skelmersdale was a small mining village. The last pit closed in the 1960s.
The Concourse shopping centre in the town centre has struggled with vacancy. The industrial estates on the edges of town, particularly the Pimbo and Gillibrands estates, provide distribution and manufacturing employment. Skelmersdale does not have a railway station, which has been a long-standing grievance; campaigns to restore a rail link have been running for decades. The M58 passes to the south, connecting to the M6 at junction 26 and to Liverpool via Switch Island. Beacon Country Park, on the northern edge, offers hill walking with views across the Lancashire plain. For those interested in adult companionship in the West Lancashire area, Skelmersdale's M58 access puts Liverpool and Wigan within a 20-minute drive.
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Skelmersdale was designated a new town in 1961, built to rehouse families from Liverpool's overcrowded inner city. The result is a town planned almost entirely around car access, with a network of roundabouts, dual carriageways, and pedestrian underpasses that separate walkers from traffic. The design was forward-thinking for the 1960s but has aged badly; the underpasses feel unsafe, and the road layout confuses visitors. The population is around 40,000. The town sits in the Borough of West Lancashire, about 13 miles northeast of Liverpool and 15 miles southwest of Wigan. Before the new town, Skelmersdale was a small mining village. The last pit closed in the 1960s.
The Concourse shopping centre in the town centre has struggled with vacancy. The industrial estates on the edges of town, particularly the Pimbo and Gillibrands estates, provide distribution and manufacturing employment. Skelmersdale does not have a railway station, which has been a long-standing grievance; campaigns to restore a rail link have been running for decades. The M58 passes to the south, connecting to the M6 at junction 26 and to Liverpool via Switch Island. Beacon Country Park, on the northern edge, offers hill walking with views across the Lancashire plain. For those interested in adult companionship in the West Lancashire area, Skelmersdale's M58 access puts Liverpool and Wigan within a 20-minute drive.
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