Radcliffe, Greater Manchester

Radcliffe
A prominent landmark, St Thomas and St John with St Philip Church
Radcliffe Location within Greater Manchester
Population	29,950 [1]
OS grid reference	SD785075
• London	170 mi (274 km) SE
Metropolitan borough	Bury
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MANCHESTER
Postcode district	M26
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Bury South
List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°33′41″N 2°19′36″W / 53.5615°N 2.3268°W / 53.5615; -2.3268

Radcliffe is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England.^[2] It lies in the Irwell Valley 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Manchester and 3 miles (5 km) southwest of Bury and is contiguous with Whitefield to the south. The disused Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal bisects the town.

Evidence of Mesolithic, Roman and Norman activity has been found in Radcliffe and its surroundings. A Roman road passes through the area, along the border between Radcliffe and Bury. Radcliffe appears in an entry of the Domesday Book as "Radeclive" and in the High Middle Ages formed a small parish and township centred on the Church of St Mary and the manorial Radcliffe Tower, both of which are Grade I listed buildings.

Plentiful coal in the area facilitated the Industrial Revolution, providing fuel for the cotton spinning and papermaking industries. By the mid-19th century, Radcliffe was an important mill town with cotton mills, bleachworks and a road, canal and railway network.^[3]

At the 2011 Census, Radcliffe had a population of 29,950.^[1] Radcliffe is predominantly a residential area whose few remaining cotton mill buildings are now occupied by small businesses.^[3][4]