Until after WW2 Whitefield and Pilkington was separated from Prestwich and Bury by fields. Housing and shops followed the line of the Manchester/Bury road with a couple of '30's council estates and housing running along the road out of the centre to Radcliffe. Now the whole area is built up linking Unsworth, Hollins and Stand and there is continuous housing from Manchester to Bury and beyond. It was an Urban District council until government reorganisation in the 70's when it became part of Bury. It then lost much of its character and its 18th century town hall was left to rot and was eventually destroyed by fire.