Community Garden Remembers Chorley’s Mayflower Connections

A garden built to commemorate Chorley’s Mayflower voyage connections in Duxbury, Chorley, will be officially opened on Friday, July 1.
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Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, joined by the Mayor of Chorley Julia Berry, will perform the honours at a family picnic event held at the garden, located on the lawns of Duxbury Park Golf Course.

The event will also see the garden handed over to St. James’ C of E Primary School who will take on responsibility for its ongoing upkeep for the following year when St. Lawrence’s C of E Primary School will then step in to continue the project.

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The concept for the ‘Myles Standish Commemorative Garden’ was developed by local business Homescapes (1990) Ltd, run by Tom and Jane Atherton. They wished to create a lasting reminder of Chorley’s links to the Mayflower voyage of 1620 via Military Captain Myles Standish, who is believed to have originally hailed from Chorley.

The Myles Standish GardenThe Myles Standish Garden
The Myles Standish Garden

In 2019 Chorley joined an international compact partnership aiming to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower to the land now known as the United States of America. A local historical working group, with support from Chorley Council, planned a series of events as part of the commemorative year which were, due to COVID 19, largely postponed to 2021.

Tom Atherton said: “With the town having been a part of such a historic anniversary in 2020 we felt it important to keep that legacy alive, and so began plans to create a green space for the people of Chorley to enjoy.

"With Duxbury being the likely ancestral home of Myles Standish and his family, it seemed fitting that the location be here, on the grounds where Duxbury Hall once stood.

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“We hope the garden will give the children of Chorley an opportunity to learn more about their town’s history, alongside practical gardening skills, and will stand in this place for many years to come.”

The opening event and handover of the Myles Standish Commemorative Garden will begin at 11am and finish at 1pm. A signpost installed in 2021 displaying the distance between Duxbury Chorley and Duxbury Massachusetts, the town founded by Myles Standish in the USA, will also be formally unveiled.

The lawns are open to the public as normal for those that would wish to attend.

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