Oversleyford
Encyclopedia
Oversley and Oversleyford (sometimes Oversley Ford) is a name used for some places in an area near Manchester Airport.
The name is first recorded in the 13th century as Vulverichelei and seems to come from Anglo-Saxon Wulfrīces lēah (Wulfrīc's clearing or meadow). The ford was probably a few yards north of the modern main road Oversleyford Bridge, where a minor road bridges the Bollin; that minor road is now a back entry to a hotel's front yard but was part of the A538 road
before it was diverted for a runway extension.
were found near at Oversley Farm during the building of Manchester Airport's second runway. Oversley Farm has been described as "by far the most important prehistoric site within the boundaries of the twenty-first-century city ... [and] ... one of the most important in the North West". It is the site of an Early Neolithic farming community, although it is now underneath runway two of Manchester Airport. The longhouse measured 10 metres (32.8 ft) by 7 metres (23 ft) with a central hearth. Material in the pit was radiocarbon dated
to 3975BC to 3675BC. The site was probably in use into the Late Bronze Age.
- Oversleyford Bridge, where the A538 roadA538 roadThe A538 is a road linking Macclesfield, Cheshire to Altrincham in Greater Manchester, through Prestbury, Wilmslow and Hale and providing access to Manchester Airport and the M56 motorway. The road is a Primary route between the A34 Junction in Wilmslow and Manchester Airport / M56...
from AltrinchamAltrinchamAltrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
to WilmslowWilmslow-Economy:Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury...
crosses the River BollinRiver BollinThe River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England.It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, and can be seen in spring form, from the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream then descends the through Macclesfield and Wilmslow where... - Oversley Lodge Farm (now occupied by an asbestos cleanup firm for training)
- Oversley Farm, and Oversleyford Brickworks, now obliterated by Runway 2 of Manchester Airport
The name is first recorded in the 13th century as Vulverichelei and seems to come from Anglo-Saxon Wulfrīces lēah (Wulfrīc's clearing or meadow). The ford was probably a few yards north of the modern main road Oversleyford Bridge, where a minor road bridges the Bollin; that minor road is now a back entry to a hotel's front yard but was part of the A538 road
A538 road
The A538 is a road linking Macclesfield, Cheshire to Altrincham in Greater Manchester, through Prestbury, Wilmslow and Hale and providing access to Manchester Airport and the M56 motorway. The road is a Primary route between the A34 Junction in Wilmslow and Manchester Airport / M56...
before it was diverted for a runway extension.
Oversley Farm
Remains of a timber long houseLong house
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and North America....
were found near at Oversley Farm during the building of Manchester Airport's second runway. Oversley Farm has been described as "by far the most important prehistoric site within the boundaries of the twenty-first-century city ... [and] ... one of the most important in the North West". It is the site of an Early Neolithic farming community, although it is now underneath runway two of Manchester Airport. The longhouse measured 10 metres (32.8 ft) by 7 metres (23 ft) with a central hearth. Material in the pit was radiocarbon dated
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
to 3975BC to 3675BC. The site was probably in use into the Late Bronze Age.
- The Neolithic and Bronze Age Settlement at Oversley Farm, Styal, Cheshire: Excavations in advance of Manchester Airport’s Second Runway by D. J. Garner. ISBN 9781407300405. £40.00. xiv+170 pages