Newton-le-Willows

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Newton-le-Willows
Town
Aerial view of Newton-le-Willows
Newton-le-Willows Location within Merseyside
Population	24,642 (2021 Census)
OS grid reference	SJ580949
• London	171 mi (275 km)[1] SE
Metropolitan borough	St Helens
Metropolitan county	Merseyside
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS
Postcode district	WA12
Dialling code	01925
Police	Merseyside
Fire	Merseyside
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	St Helens North
List of places UK England Merseyside 53°27′00″N 2°37′59″W / 53.450°N 2.633°W / 53.450; -2.633

Newton-le-Willows is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside, England. The population at the 2021 census was 24,642.^[2] Newton-le-Willows is on the eastern edge of St Helens, south of Wigan and north of Warrington, equidistant to Liverpool and Manchester.

Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the Newton township was historically largely pastoral lands, with the mining industry encroaching from the north and the west as time went on. The township (often referred to as Newton in Makerfield at that time) is documented since at least the 12th century. In the early 19th century the township saw significant urban development to support the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The presence of the Sankey Canal running through the Sankey Valley necessitated the construction of the Sankey Viaduct by George Stephenson, and the town of Earlestown developed around the industrial works there. Earlestown gradually became the administrative and commercial centre of the township, with the historic market and fairs moving to a purpose built square.