Garswood
Often grouped as one with the larger neighbouring town of Ashton-in-Makerfield, the small village of Garswood is nonetheless an entity in it's own right which sits just on the edge of Merseyside near to the border with Lancashire; in fact Ashton-in-Makerfield, formerly Ashton-in-the-Willows, itself lies within Lancashire's bounds.
Despite it's size Garswood has commendable transport links with surrounding towns and cities, with the M6 motorway and the East Lancashire trunk road only a stone's throw away from the village, and the extensive rail network in the region linking Garswood with the main local metropolitan areas of Wigan, Preston, Manchester and Liverpool.
During the employment explosion of the 1960's, when mining, heavy industry and manufacturing were at their peak on Merseyside, Garswood and Ashton-in-Makerfield grew rapidly as commuters to Liverpool and Manchester looked for more peaceful residential areas in which to settle.
