Ashton-in-Makerfield lies just within the boundary of Greater Manchester, a couple of miles north of Newton-le-Willows.
The town is rich in history, with several churches dating back hundreds of years. St Thomas' Church of England parish church on Warrington Road has ancient origins although the present building was completed in 1893.
The graveyard is the resting place of many of the 189 victims of the Wood Pit explosion (at Haydock on Friday, June 7, 1878). It was the worst coal-mining disaster in Lancashire at the time.
