Broadhurst Park (public park)

Broadhurst Park is a large municipal park in Moston, a district of Manchester, England. It occupies approximately 80 acres.

History

The land was donated to Manchester City Council by Sir

. Sir Edward gave the land for use as playing fields and a park. The land was conveyed to the Council in June 1920. ^[1][2]

Description

The area has three parts:

• Broadhurst Park, at the north end of the site, is a formally laid out park, containing a bowling green, basketball court and playground.
• Broadhurst Playing Fields are large public playing fields to the west of the park, on the other side of Lightbowne Road.
• Broadhurst Clough is a more natural area at the southern end of the site.

Some of this area was leased by the council to local football club F.C. United of Manchester for use as a stadium of the same name and playing fields. The stadium was completed in 2015 following a controversial planning decision.^[3][4][5]

The remaining part of the Clough is a good place to walk and experience nature. Areas of grass and woodlandj, including a wetland, with over one hundred species of wildflowers. A dipping pond also hosts dragonflies. Dean Brook, a tributary of Moston Brook, runs through part of the site in a steep ravine ("clough" is a local dialect word for a steep-sided, wooded valley).

The site is part of the Irk Valley Project^[6] Broadhurst Clough was designated a Site of Biological Importance (SBI)^[7] by the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit because of the rare wetland habitat.^[8]

The area includes the site of the former Moston Hall, which was the subject of an archaeological dig in 2003/5 by the Dig Manchester project.^[9]

The local Friends Group, The Friends of Broadhurst Park^[10] organises a summer festival in Broadhurst Fields and nature events including a bioblitz and pond dipping.

References

53°30′50″N 2°10′59″W / 53.514°N 2.183°W / 53.514; -2.183