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Village in West Lancashire, England

Rufford is a village in West Lancashire, England, where the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway, the A59 and the River Douglas meet. Rufford is also a civil parish, which includes the neighbouring village of Holmeswood, and in 2011 had a population of 2,049.

Rufford's name derives from the Old English rūh and ford, the rough ford. It was a crossing place over the River Douglas. Rufford was recorded as Ruchford in 1212, Rufford in 1285, Roughford in 1318, Rughford in 1332 and Roghforth in 1411. Part of the manor was granted by Richard Bussel, baron of Penwortham to Richard Fitton in the reign of Henry I. In 1278 his descendant and heiress Dame Maude Fitton married Sir William Hesketh. Sir William's grandson married the daughter of Edmund Fitton, who owned the other moiety of the manor which then descended with the Heskeths. Rufford is a ward in the borough of West Lancashire, and elects one member to the council. It also has a parish council that meets in the village hall. On Lancashire County Council, Rufford is combined with Burscough and Scarisbrick for the West Lancashire West ward. In 2004, the public could not vote for a new mayor of Rufford, so to decided who would take charge, they held a Duck Pond Derby. This Derby lasted 28 days and was a test of both endurance and strength. The strongest willed people won and the weak minded failed to contest in the Duck Pond Derby. The Derby was that destructive that it was vowed to never take place again.

Rufford is 5½ miles north east of Ormskirk and covers 2,996 acres of mostly flat land which rises slightly towards Holmeswood in the north.

The village is largely rural with little or no industry. The farmland is grade one agricultural land. In the early 20th century the village was described as "one of the prettiest in South Lancashire" and was a destination for day trips from neighbouring towns.

Rufford lies on the A59 road linking it with Southport, Ormskirk, Preston and Liverpool. The nearest motorway is the M6 at Parbold. The Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway constructed its line through the village between 1847 and 1849, and Rufford railway station opened on 2 April 1849. The Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through the village to the east of Rufford Old Hall and there are two marinas, Fettlers Wharf and St Mary's which provide moorings. St Mary's Marina has a dry dock for repairs.

Rufford's two halls lie within a conservation area. Rufford Old Hall has belonged to the National Trust since 1936. It was home to the Hesketh family for over four hundred years until Rufford New Hall in Rufford Park was built. New Hall was bought by Lancashire County Council in 1920 and in 1926 it became a pulmonary hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis. Another landmark is the parish church built in 1869. The red brick Church of St Mary the Virgin, built in the Gothic style with a steeple, is a Grade II Listed building. The three storey Hesketh Arms was probably built in the late 18th century of scored stucco on brick with low pitched slate roof. The inn is painted white with stone quoins. The old inn is a Grade II listed building. The Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes on the east side.

A chapel was founded before 1346 when Sir Robert Hesketh was licensed to found a chantry. The chapel was rebuilt in 1735. It was a plain brick building with a bell cupola. A gallery and an organ were installed in 1829. The chapel was replaced in 1869 by the present church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin, built of red brick and stone in the Gothic style. There is a Wesleyan Methodist church on Brick Kiln Lane, which was founded before 1893.