Clayton Vale
Encyclopedia
Clayton Vale is an area of green space in Clayton, Greater Manchester
, through which the River Medlock
flows. Redeveloped in 1986, the land has a rich industrial and social history. Today the area is a natural habitat for wildlife.
Hospital.
Bank Bridge Works and Tannery
The chimney behind the Jewish Cemetery of Philips Park
is all that remains of the once extensive complex, which was once shown on Johnson's Map of 1820.
The Smallpox Hospital
When the Manchester Ship Canal
opened, and the city became an inland port, an isolation hospital was required to nurse sailors with infectious diseases. Originally known as Clayton Infectious Diseases Hospital, it was shown on the Ordnance Survey
map of 1909. By 1933, it became known as Clayton Smallpox Hospital.
On the north bank of the River Medlock, opposite the site of the print works, the foundation stone is clearly visible along with brick walling on top of the stonework. To the south of the river stood the nurses home, known as Clayton House. The site also contained other associated buildings.
The Old Print Works
Standing near Clayton Bridge, on the sharp bend of the river on the south bank was one Clayton Vale Print Works. This was shown again on Johnson's Map of 1820, but by 1888 the OS
map shows the works as being disused and in 1909 the ten buildings of the complex were demolished leaving little to be seen today. However, foundation stone can be seen in the river bed.
Culcheth Dye Works
Shown on the 1893 OS
map as a collection of buildings with large reservoirs. Because the more modern dye works made a greater demand on the water supply than could be provided by the river, the industry known as the Failsworth Dyeing and Finishing Works fell into disuse in the late 1960s. The site has since been landscaped. The works once stood next to the present day Visitors Centre.
River Maintenance and Notable Bridges in the Vale
A bridge, situated where Edge Lane meets Berry Brow, is mentioned as far back as 1696. Today, a stone bridge stands, known as Clayton Bridge. Before this there was a ford, suggesting an ancient river crossing which might have been used since prehistoric times.
During 1872, the River Medlock rose suddenly and tore away part of the printworks complex, as well as washing away between 40 and 50 bodies from Philips Park
Cemetery. After this, the river was lined with red bricks to prevent such a disaster from happening again. It is because of the red brick lining that the river is sometimes called 'The Red River'. This type of river engineering
can be seen from the bridge nearby.
In recent years, more river engineering has taken place further up the river bank, near the red brick bridge (known as Vale Street Bridge). The river course was changed in the early 1960s as steep stone walls were installed to prevented flooding.
Coates Farm
Coates Farm held a summer gala for local children before the First World War, with races, tea and lemonade. The stone wall next to the river is probably one of the remaining walls of the farmhouse.
Edge Lane, Millstream Lane and Berry Brow is known locally as 'Pop Brew' and the vale was also known locally as 'the meddie'. Coates farm was cleared by 1960 and a road was made taking Dustbin waste carts to a landfill site along the valley. The pig sty for the farm was demolished during World War Two and in its place stood an ARP
Warden hut. a new build visitor centre now stands near the site of the old farm. Manchester Central Library
online photo archive is a great source, and can be accessed via a link below.
The Bay Horse Inn and Clayton Bridge as a Hamlet
Originally a farm building, it became a pub in the 19th century - known then as 'The Grey Mare'. The inn served the small hamlet of Clayton Bridge which sprang up in the 18th and 19th centuries as a result of the dye and print works. It was home to many dwellings, including 'Andrews Brew' - once a small lane off Berry Brow, it housed thatched roof cottages which were pulled down in the early 1990s. Saint Cuthbert Church was also erected around this time, but has since been demolished.
Other Victorian terraced houses lined the west side of Berry Brow as it rose to the level crossing at Clayton Bridge railway station, the east side still being occupied by fields into the 1950s.
Clayton Bridge Railway Station
Clayton Bridge Railway Station
on the line between Manchester and Stalybridge
opened in April 1846 and became a victim of the Beeching Axe
, closing in 1968. The station buildings were to the west of Berry Brow, the signal box was on the opposite side on the north of the line and was also used to manually operate the level crossing gates. Nothing remains of the station.
Railway branch line
In 1904, a railway branch line was completed which ran south through Clayton Vale to the Stuart Street Power Station
. The line was later extended in 1916, across Ashton New Road into the Clayton Aniline Company
works. For many years, waste coal ash from the power station was transported on the line and dumped as landfill into Clayton Vale.
, ash
, sycamore
, willow
and poplars line to the top of the dell.
Clayton, Greater Manchester
Clayton is a suburb of the city of Manchester, in North West England. It is situated about 3 miles east of the city centre, on Ashton New Road. Clayton takes its name from the Clayton family who owned large parts of land around the area, including Clayton Vale, through which the River Medlock flows...
, through which the River Medlock
River Medlock
The River Medlock is a river of Greater Manchester in North West England. It rises near Oldham and flows, south and west, for ten miles to join the River Irwell in the extreme southwest of Manchester city centre.-Source:...
flows. Redeveloped in 1986, the land has a rich industrial and social history. Today the area is a natural habitat for wildlife.
Natural history
Fossils of plants and insects in the rocks of the area show a very different climate to what we see today. Swamp forests and luxuriant growth were encouraged by the warm moist air. At the start of the Triassic Period, Britain was largely covered by desert. The land sank producing a great salt lake over much of northern Britain, after which the desert conditions returned.Clayton Vale pre 1986
The Vale landscape was somewhat different before the late 1970s. The Valley was home to many buildings from Bank Bridge Works and Tannery to The SmallpoxSmallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
Hospital.
Bank Bridge Works and Tannery
The chimney behind the Jewish Cemetery of Philips Park
Philips Park
Philips Park lies in the valley of the River Medlock, in the lower part of Clayton, a district of Manchester, England. The river runs through the park.Philips Park was opened in 1846, making it one of the world's first municipal parks...
is all that remains of the once extensive complex, which was once shown on Johnson's Map of 1820.
The Smallpox Hospital
When the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
opened, and the city became an inland port, an isolation hospital was required to nurse sailors with infectious diseases. Originally known as Clayton Infectious Diseases Hospital, it was shown on the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map of 1909. By 1933, it became known as Clayton Smallpox Hospital.
On the north bank of the River Medlock, opposite the site of the print works, the foundation stone is clearly visible along with brick walling on top of the stonework. To the south of the river stood the nurses home, known as Clayton House. The site also contained other associated buildings.
The Old Print Works
Standing near Clayton Bridge, on the sharp bend of the river on the south bank was one Clayton Vale Print Works. This was shown again on Johnson's Map of 1820, but by 1888 the OS
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map shows the works as being disused and in 1909 the ten buildings of the complex were demolished leaving little to be seen today. However, foundation stone can be seen in the river bed.
Culcheth Dye Works
Shown on the 1893 OS
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map as a collection of buildings with large reservoirs. Because the more modern dye works made a greater demand on the water supply than could be provided by the river, the industry known as the Failsworth Dyeing and Finishing Works fell into disuse in the late 1960s. The site has since been landscaped. The works once stood next to the present day Visitors Centre.
River Maintenance and Notable Bridges in the Vale
A bridge, situated where Edge Lane meets Berry Brow, is mentioned as far back as 1696. Today, a stone bridge stands, known as Clayton Bridge. Before this there was a ford, suggesting an ancient river crossing which might have been used since prehistoric times.
During 1872, the River Medlock rose suddenly and tore away part of the printworks complex, as well as washing away between 40 and 50 bodies from Philips Park
Philips Park
Philips Park lies in the valley of the River Medlock, in the lower part of Clayton, a district of Manchester, England. The river runs through the park.Philips Park was opened in 1846, making it one of the world's first municipal parks...
Cemetery. After this, the river was lined with red bricks to prevent such a disaster from happening again. It is because of the red brick lining that the river is sometimes called 'The Red River'. This type of river engineering
River engineering
River engineering is the process of planned human intervention in the course, characteristics or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and behaviour of rivers since before recorded history - to manage the water resources,...
can be seen from the bridge nearby.
In recent years, more river engineering has taken place further up the river bank, near the red brick bridge (known as Vale Street Bridge). The river course was changed in the early 1960s as steep stone walls were installed to prevented flooding.
Coates Farm
Coates Farm held a summer gala for local children before the First World War, with races, tea and lemonade. The stone wall next to the river is probably one of the remaining walls of the farmhouse.
Edge Lane, Millstream Lane and Berry Brow is known locally as 'Pop Brew' and the vale was also known locally as 'the meddie'. Coates farm was cleared by 1960 and a road was made taking Dustbin waste carts to a landfill site along the valley. The pig sty for the farm was demolished during World War Two and in its place stood an ARP
Air Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to the Second World War dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. It was created in 1924 as a response to the fears about the growing threat from the development of bomber...
Warden hut. a new build visitor centre now stands near the site of the old farm. Manchester Central Library
Manchester Central Library
Manchester Central Library is a circular library south of the extended Town Hall in Manchester, England. It acts as the headquarters of the Manchester Library & Information Service, which also consists of 22 other community libraries.Designed by E...
online photo archive is a great source, and can be accessed via a link below.
The Bay Horse Inn and Clayton Bridge as a Hamlet
Originally a farm building, it became a pub in the 19th century - known then as 'The Grey Mare'. The inn served the small hamlet of Clayton Bridge which sprang up in the 18th and 19th centuries as a result of the dye and print works. It was home to many dwellings, including 'Andrews Brew' - once a small lane off Berry Brow, it housed thatched roof cottages which were pulled down in the early 1990s. Saint Cuthbert Church was also erected around this time, but has since been demolished.
Other Victorian terraced houses lined the west side of Berry Brow as it rose to the level crossing at Clayton Bridge railway station, the east side still being occupied by fields into the 1950s.
Clayton Bridge Railway Station
Clayton Bridge Railway Station
Clayton Bridge railway station
Clayton Bridge railway station, Manchester, was a railway station that served the locality between 1846 and 1968.-Construction, opening and ownership:The station was built by the Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway and opened on 13 April 1846...
on the line between Manchester and Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
opened in April 1846 and became a victim of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, closing in 1968. The station buildings were to the west of Berry Brow, the signal box was on the opposite side on the north of the line and was also used to manually operate the level crossing gates. Nothing remains of the station.
Railway branch line
In 1904, a railway branch line was completed which ran south through Clayton Vale to the Stuart Street Power Station
Stuart Street Power Station
Stuart Street Power Station was a coal-fired power station situated at Bradford, Greater Manchester in North West England.-History:The station was built in 1900, and was fitted with generating equipment from companies including Babcock and Wilcox, Yates and Thom, and the Electrical Co. Ltd...
. The line was later extended in 1916, across Ashton New Road into the Clayton Aniline Company
Clayton Aniline Company
The Clayton Aniline Company Ltd. was a British manufacturer of dyestuffs, founded in 1876 by Charles Dreyfus in Clayton, Manchester.-Early history:...
works. For many years, waste coal ash from the power station was transported on the line and dumped as landfill into Clayton Vale.
Clayton Vale post 1986
Before the mid-nineteen eighties, the land was heavily polluted with recent landfills and general neglect, and the buildings of the vale had either been vandalised or demolished. Redevelopment of the land went under way, known as the Medlock Valley Scheme. The area has been described as a shining example of urban country parkland and a haven for wildlife by The Heritage Trail. Trees were planted in the mid-1980s and after two decades stands a semi-mature forest, home to black-and-white blackbirds and squirrels in the taller trees. Silver birchSilver Birch
Betula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...
, ash
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
, sycamore
Sycamore Maple
Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, is a species of maple native to central Europe and southwestern Asia, from France east to Ukraine, and south in mountains to northern Spain, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus. It is not related to other trees called sycamore or plane tree in the Platanus...
, willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
and poplars line to the top of the dell.
External links
- Friends of Clayton Vale - http://www.friendsofclaytonvale.org.uk/index.htm
- Manchester City Council - http://www.manchester.gov.uk/leisure/parks/east/claytonvale.htm
- Medlock Valley - http://www.medlockvalley.info/
- Eastserve - http://www.eastserve.com/opencms/opencms/Where_I_Live/clayton_vale/index.html
- Manchester Central Library Online Pohto Archive http://www.images.manchester.gov.uk/