Heywood is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England,[1] in the historic county of Lancashire.

Following the introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, Heywood developed into a mill town and coal mining district.

A period of "extraordinary growth of the cotton-trade" in the mid 19th century was so quick and profound that there was "an influx of strangers causing a very dense population".

[4] Heywood is close to junction 19 of the M62 motorway, which provides transport links for the large distribution parks in the south of the town.

[7] The name Heywood is believed to derive from the Old English word "haga", meaning hedge or animal-enclosure.

[6] Another member of the family, also called Peter Heywood, was aboard HMS Bounty when its crew mutinied in 1789.

[4] During the Early Modern period, the weavers of Heywood had been using spinning wheels in makeshift weavers' cottages, but as the demand for cotton goods increased and the technology of cotton-spinning machinery improved during the early 18th century, the need for larger structures to house bigger and more efficient equipment became apparent.

[4][6] This initiated a process of urbanisation and socioeconomic transformation in the area and the population moved away from farming, adopting employment in the factory system.

What was described as a period of "extraordinary growth of the cotton-trade" in the mid-19th century,[3] led to "an influx of strangers causing a very dense population".

[4] Urbanisation caused by the expansion of factories and housing meant that in 1885, Rochdale-born poet Edwin Waugh, was able to describe Heywood as "almost entirely the creation of the cotton industry".

Coal pits were opened in Hooley Clough in the early 19th century by the Lord of the Manor of Rochdale.

[12] The southern wing of St Luke's Church, well known throughout the area for its beautiful proportions and ornate carvings, is suggested to have been one of Hitler's high-priority items for acquisition had he won the war.

The plan involves creating new retail, business and community spaces, demolishing 300 flats and houses and replacing them with 1,000 new homes.

[14] Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire since the early 12th century, Heywood during the Middle Ages constituted a chapelry in the township of Heap, parish of Bury, and hundred of Salford.

[20] In terms of parliamentary representation, Heywood after the Reform Act 1832 was represented as part of the South Lancashire constituency, of which the first Members of Parliaments (MPs) were the Liberals George William Wood and Charles Molyneux.

[23] There is a mixture of low-density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Heywood, but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is residential.

[23] Heywood is surrounded on all sides by Green Belt, variously consisting of wooded river valleys and high moorland in the north, and flat farmland in the south.

[26] Suburban localities in Heywood include Broadfield, Captain Fold, Crimble, Darnhill and Hopwood.

Darnhill is the site of a planned overspill council estate, built in the 1950s and 1960s as part of a slum clearance project throughout inner-city Manchester.

[34] At the 2001 UK census, 80.6% of Heywood's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 1.1% Muslim, 0.1% Hindu, 0.1% Buddhist and 0.1% Jewish.

Heywood Market Hall on York Street, offers a variety of stalls and small retail outlets.

[42] Heywood Distribution was sold to Segro (then Slough Estates) for £276M, and was one of a number of properties in Greater Manchester that Slough Estates described as "important strategic sites, and provide prime industrial property with high-calibre occupiers as well as development land".

[45] Companies with property in the park include Character Options, Eddie Stobart, Argos, and Shop Direct Group.

[45][46] The whole town is undergoing a major regeneration as part of the government's New Deal for Communities, and New Heart for Heywood are investing around £52 million.

According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents aged 16–74 was 24.6% retail and wholesale, 19.2% manufacturing, 10.7% health and social work, 5.5% education, 8.2% transport and communications, 8.1% property and business services, 7.9% construction, 4.2% public administration, 3.8% hotels and restaurants, 3.0% finance, 0.7% energy and water supply, 0.4% agriculture, 0.1 mining and 3.6% other.

On Heywood in 1881, Edwin Waugh said:It looks like a great funeral on its way from Bury to Rochdale, consisting of little more than a mile of brick-built cottages and shops.

The very dwelling houses look as though they worked in factories[51]The parish church of St Luke the Evangelist is Heywood's major landmark – the focal point of the town centre.

The tower and spire is detached from the main church building and stands 188 feet (57 m) high, dominating Heywood's centre and townscape.

Lobbying by the Heywood branch of the Royal British Legion secured a grant from Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council to cover the £5,000 required; names from both world wars were engraved in 1986.

[citation needed] Queens Park re-opened in 2006 after a multimillion-pound facelift, with many of its Victorian attractions restored, including the old fountain and many of the statues.