Ashton-under-Lyne is a town in Greater Manchester with a population of 44,400 (2001 estimate). Ashton is the administrative headquarters of the borough of Tameside, and is located north-east of Manchester. The town was traditionally in Lancashire.
Famous people from Ashton include the footballer Geoff Hurst and the politician Margaret Beckett,
The town was formerly the centre of a large textile (wool spinning) and coal mining industry. Ashton's industries today include: engineering, food processing, leather, plastics, textiles, brewing, and the manufacture of diesel, gas, and oil engines.
The River Tame and the Ashton Canal both run through the town. If it gets the go-ahead, an extension of the Manchester Metrolink tram system will be built to Ashton, possibly by 2010, but funding for this extension currently looks uncertain.
Ashton-under-Lyne is located at (53.4833, −2.1000)1.
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