Chorley is a town with a long history and a distinct personality that has plenty to offer visitors. With a heritage that can be traced back more than 3,000 years, Chorley has a range of historic attractions as well as easy access to the beautiful surrounding landscape of the West Pennine Moors and thrilling nearby theme parks.
A town with a host of cultural interests to offer, Chorley's historical attractions include ancient woodland, grand houses such as the Tudor mansion, Astley Hall, which also has a museum and art gallery. The town's historic market dates back to the 15th century and continues to be a bustling centre of trade, where a variety of bargains and specialist goods can be found. Nearby, Camelot Theme Park offers a great family day out with attractions to keep visitors of all ages entertained.
Chorley and the surrounding area is home to a number of outdoor sports venues, including outdoor pursuits available in the grounds surrounding Astley Hall, a variety of cycle routes through the local area and a number of golf courses. The town also hosts the local Rugby League team, the Chorley Panthers. Indoor sports can be found throughout the town, with swimming pools and other leisure facilities available in the town's two leisure centres.
Once a major centre of manufacturing industry, producing goods such as cloth, munitions and railway wagons, Chorley was also a centre of coal mining, quarrying and printing works. However, the service industry now provides the most significant contribution to the region's economy, with manufacturing playing a much smaller role.