Daisy Nook
Encyclopedia
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
in Failsworth
Failsworth
At Failsworth lies north-northwest of London. It shares common boundaries with Manchester and Oldham, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal, which crosses the...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. The park runs through the Medlock Valley in an area once called Waterhouses. Waterhouses was one of three 'houses' in the Failsworth
Failsworth
At Failsworth lies north-northwest of London. It shares common boundaries with Manchester and Oldham, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal, which crosses the...
area, the other two being Millhouses (now Clayton Bridge) and Woodhouses.
History
The name Daisy Nook came from a book by Benjamin BrierleyBenjamin Brierley
Benjamin Brierley , English weaver and writer in Lancashire dialect, was born in Failsworth, the son of humble parents, and started life in a textile factory, educating himself in his spare time...
titled 'A day out' or 'A Summer Ramble'. Brierley asked his friend Charles Potter, an Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
Artist, to draw an imaginary place called Daisy Nook. Potter came to nearby Waterhouses to complete his drawing - and from then on the area was known as Daisy Nook.
Brierley's description of Daisy Nook was 'Two Banks seemed to have opened to receive a group of neat whitewashed cottages and after filling them with happiness, surrounded them with a curtain of trees, to shelter them from the outside world. Most of the cottages have gardens attached, growing flowers and vegetables, and there a small orchard displaying its ripening apples'.
Most of Daisy Nook now belongs to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
after it was left to them by the late James Lublam, J.P. 'in order that the fields and woods be kept as a pleasure area'. The park is maintained by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.
Daisy Nook hosts an annual Easter Fair along Stannybrook Road.
Crime Lake
Crime Lake is halfway between Woodhouses and the Visitors' Centre and forms part of the Country Park. It resulted from canal works at the time construction in 1794 . As built, the canal severed the course of a brook and a culvert was made below the canal to accommodate this. A landslip blocked this and the waters were impounded on the offside of the canal. The new lake and canal became one and the lake was officially known as Crime Bank Reservoir but it is far better known by its later name of Crime Lake. The lake has always been a focal point and attracts visitors with its beautiful scenery and wildlife.A popular pastime is to feed the geese and ducks on the lake. They are so used to the public that their friendliness may surprise you!
Hollinwood Branch Canal
Daisy Nook is centred around the disused Hollinwood Branch CanalHollinwood Branch Canal
The Hollinwood Branch Canal was a canal near Hollinwood, in Oldham, England. It left the main line of the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction immediately above lock 18. It was just over long and went through...
. The canal ran from Fairfield in nearby Droylsden
Droylsden
Droylsden is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the east of Manchester city centre, and west-southwest of Ashton-under-Lyne, it has a population of 23,172....
to Hollinwood and opened in 1797. It runs through Daisy Nook, Woodhouses and Failsworth before entering Hollinwood in Oldham. The canal also has a branch which ran to Bardsley
Bardsley, Greater Manchester
Bardsley is a suburban area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating land by the River Medlock, on Oldham's southern boundary with Ashton-under-Lyne in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside.-History:...
in Oldham, known as the Fairbottom Branch Canal
Fairbottom Branch Canal
The Fairbottom Branch Canal was a canal near Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester, England.-Route:The canal left the Hollinwood Branch Canal at Fairbottom Junction immediately above lock 22. It was just over one mile long and it was lock free...
.
Painting of the park by L. S. Lowry
On 8 June 2007 a 1946 work by L. S. LowryL. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
entitled "Good Friday, Daisy Nook" was sold for £3,772,000, the highest price paid for one of his paintings at auction. The painting depicts the park in party mood a year after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
External links
- Ashton-under-Lyne's website featuring photos and information on Daisy Nook.
- Website run by the local Labour Party with lots of interesting facts and historical information.
- Website of the Hollinwood Canal Society, a group dedicated to reopening and restoring the Hollinwood Branch Canal which runs through the park.
- Events and activities at Daisy Nook by Oldham Council, updated on a regular basis.