Ashton-under-Lyne

Ashton-under-Lyne, town in England, situated on the northern banks of the River Tame, about 10 km (6 mi) to the east of the city of Manchester. Formerly part of Lancashire, Ashton is now the administrative centre of the metropolitan district council of Tameside.

Ashton's location, at the junction of three canals—the Manchester and Ashton Canal, the Peak Forest Canal, and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal—has been a significant factor in the town's industrial development, with it becoming an important centre for cotton milling and the textile industry. In recent times, however, this industry has declined in importance in the area. Ashton-under-Lyne has been a market town for more than 700 years, and its open-air market and Victorian market hall are still important today. Population 43,906 (1991).