Irlam

Irlam is on the north bank of the River Irwell, from which it almost certainly takes its name, being known in the thirteenth century as Irwellham. Until the arrival of the Cheshire Lines Committee railway and the opening of Irlam railway station in 1873, Irlam remained a largely undeveloped village, on the southern edge of the peat bog known as Chat Moss. From at least the beginning of the thirteenth century, Irlam was held by the Irlam family, whose seat was Irlam Hall. By 1688 Irlam Hall had become the home of Thomas Latham, who played an important part in bringing William of Orange to the throne of England in 1689. Irlam Urban District was created in 1894, the same year that the…