Clayton Vale

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Clayton Vale is situated in Clayton, a district of Manchester. The River Medlock flows through Clayton Vale, which was redeveloped in 1986. The land has a rich history connected to industry and social factors of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Vale in its present day is a natural habitat for wildlife, and was developed also for recreational purposes.

1 Natural History
2 Clayton Vale pre 1986
3 Clayton Vale post 1986
4 References
5 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Bank Bridge Works and Tannery

The chimney behind the Jewish Cemetery of Philips Park is all that remains of the once extenstive complex, which was once shown on Johnson's Map of 1820.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Clayton Bridge and Coates Farm

A bridge at this site is mentioned as far back as 1696. Before this, there was a ford, suggesting an ancient river crossing which might have been used since prehistoric times. The river course from clayton bridge to just before Vale street bridge was changed in the early 1960s the steep stone walls prevented flooding. Another section from the bridge after Vale street was changed in the 1890s and became known as the red river after the colour of the bricks used.

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. Growing up in the area from the 1950s we called the road (Edge lane) down to the Medlock pop brew and when asked were we had been you would say "on the meddie". Coates farm was cleared by 1960 and a road made taking Dustbin waste carts to a landfill site along the valley. A new building has been built as a visitor centre close to were the farm buildings used to be. Manchester central library online photo archive is a great source. http://www.images.manchester.gov.uk/

[edit] 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 Pop Brew, 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 birch, ash, sycamore, willow and poplars line to the top of the dell.