Chorley
§ This page gives an overview of the Chorley local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Chorley, in central Lancashire, is surrounded by countryside and moorland, with the West Pennine Moors to the east. The town centre has a traditional market, Astley Hall and Park, and modern shopping areas. Villages such as Adlington and Coppull add local charm, while Yarrow Valley Country Park and Rivington offer woodlands, reservoirs, and scenic trails. Chorley balances rural landscapes with a lively market town atmosphere.
The administrative boundary of Chorley can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Chorley.
Key Facts about Chorley
What region is Chorley in? Chorley is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Chorley in? Chorley is located in the county of Lancashire.
Is Chorley a city? No, Chorley is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Chorley? The local authority for this district is: Chorley Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Lancashire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Lancashire County Council.
▶ Official website of Chorley Borough Council 🔗 chorley.gov.uk
Which police force covers Chorley? Policing in Chorley is provided by Lancashire Constabulary 🔗 lancashire.police.uk, which serves 14 local authority districts: Blackburn with Darwen ⁞ Blackpool ⁞ Burnley ⁞ Chorley ⁞ Fylde ⁞ Hyndburn ⁞ Lancaster ⁞ Pendle ⁞ Preston ⁞ Ribble Valley ⁞ Rossendale ⁞ South Ribble ⁞ West Lancashire ⁞ Wyre.
Chorley in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Chorley is within an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) North West
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Lancashire
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Chorley and West Lancashire
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Chorley
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Chorley
Chorley is divided into 14 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Adlington & Anderton
- Buckshaw & Whittle
- Chorley East
- Chorley North & Astley
- Chorley North East
- Chorley North West
- Chorley South East & Heath Charnock
- Chorley South West
- Clayton East, Brindle & Hoghton
- Clayton West & Cuerden
- Coppull
- Croston, Mawdesley & Euxton South
- Eccleston, Heskin & Charnock Richard
- Euxton
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Chorley
Chorley is part-parished: 23 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 1 unparished areas.
- Adlington
- Anderton
- Anglezarke
- Astley Village
- Bretherton
- Brindle
- Charnock Richard
- Clayton-le-Woods
- Coppull
- Croston
- Cuerden
- Eccleston
- Euxton
- Heapey
- Heath Charnock
- Heskin
- Hoghton
- Mawdesley
- Rivington
- Ulnes Walton
- Wheelton
- Whittle-le-Woods
- Withnell
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Chorley
Chorley covers 25 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Adlington (Chorley) *
- Bamber Bridge *
- Bretherton
- Brinscall
- Charnock Richard
- Chorley
- Coppull
- Croston
- Eccleston
- Euxton *
- Gregson Lane *
- Heath Charnock
- Heskin Green
- Higher Wheelton
- Hoghton *
- Horwich *
- Leyland *
- Mawdesley *
- Tarleton and Hesketh Bank *
- Towngate
- Ulnes Walton
- Wheelton
- Whittle-le-Woods
- Withnell
- Wymott
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Chorley.)
Chorley compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Chorley compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Chorley has 14 electoral wards.
Chorley has a population of 120,839 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Chorley can be found on the ONS statistics for Chorley.