Clayton Vale
Clayton Vale is an area of green space in
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
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 Smallpox Hospital.
- Bank Bridge Works and Tannery
The chimney behind the Jewish Cemetery of
- 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 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 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.
In 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
In recent years,[when?] 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 prevent flooding.
- Coates Farm
Coates Farm held a summer gala for local children before the
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 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.
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
- 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.
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
See also
References
- ^ "Clayton Vale, Clayton". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
- ^ "Map of Clayton Vale". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England.
Further reading
- East Manchester Remembered Frank Pritchard ISBN 1-85216-039-X
- 1923 Ordnance Survey Map
External links
- Friends of Clayton Vale - https://archive.today/20121224024144/http://www.friendsofclaytonvale.org.uk/index.htm
- Manchester City Council - https://web.archive.org/web/20031205212846/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/leisure/parks/east/claytonvale.htm
- Medlock Valley - https://web.archive.org/web/20070223041623/http://www.medlockvalley.info/
- Eastserve - [1]
- Manchester Central Library Online Photo Archive http://www.images.manchester.gov.uk/ Archived 18 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine