Lying west of Wigan, close to the junctions of the M6 and M58, Orrell was originally known as Orrell-in-Makerfield, to distinguish it from the village of Orrell, near Liverpool.
Various branches of the Orrell family held small estates here for centuries; a William Orrell was living at Orrell Hall (now in Spring Road) in 1558.
After the construction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal there was an influx of Liverpool merchants, buying land in the area to exploit the coalfields. One of these, a banker named John Clarke who owned the Orrell Colliery, built the mansion known as Orrell Mount which became the home of a group of French Benedictine nuns who had fled France after the Revolution in 1821.
The former reservoirs now known as Orrell Lakes provide an attractive setting for picnics, fishing and walking. Abbey Lakes, on the border with West Lancashire, is another popular leisure attraction.
The town is home to Orrell Rugby Union FC, for many years one of the most successful club sides in Lancashire.
This page provides up to date crime and demographic statistics for the Orrell Ward area. All statistics have been taken from the 2001 Census. Full census breakdown can be found by visiting the national statistics website (External link).
Demographics
The demographic make up of an area can influence how much crime is experienced within that area. The more densely populated an area is the more likely it is to experience higher levels of Crime and disorder. The Orrell Ward includes the areas of: Far Moor, Higher End, Longshaw, Orrell and Orrell Post. The ward has an overall population of 10,515 spread across 4,524 Households, giving an average of 2.3 people per household.
Deprivation
The level of deprivation is measured by various factors such as levels of unemployment, health and education. Research suggests that the level of deprivation in an area is strongly linked to the level of crime. Super Output Areas (SOAs) are nationally defined boundaries which were constructed to compare statistics on a small scale. They have an average of 1500 residents in each SOA, there are 200 SOAs in the Wigan Borough. There are 7 lower level super output areas (SOA) within the Orrell ward, 0 score in the bottom 10% of SOAs for deprivation nationally. Further indicators of deprivation there are 151 households in the Orrell ward without Central Heating, and 855 Households without access to a car.
Look for more information about Health and Employment statistics
Education
Improving Educational achievement and attendance is key to helping Wigan reduce levels of offending among our youth population. Find out how children are performing in your ward
