Clayton Vale facts for kids
Clayton Vale is a lovely green space in Clayton, Manchester. The River Medlock flows right through it. This area was made new in 1986, but it has a long and interesting past, full of factories and community life. Today, it's a home for many animals and plants. It's even a special place called a Local Nature Reserve.
A Look Back in Time: Clayton Vale's Past
Clayton Vale has a very old story, even before people lived there!
Ancient History: When Deserts Roamed
If you look at the rocks in Clayton Vale, you can find fossils of plants and insects. These fossils tell us that the climate here was once very different. Imagine warm, wet air and huge swamp forests!
Later, at the start of the Triassic Period, Britain was mostly a desert. Then, the land sank, creating a giant salt lake across much of northern Britain. After that, the desert came back again.
Before 1986: A Busy Valley
Before the late 1970s, Clayton Vale looked quite different. The valley was home to many buildings. These included factories and even a hospital.
The Smallpox Hospital
When the Manchester Ship Canal opened, Manchester became a port city. This meant ships arrived from all over the world. An isolation hospital was needed to care for sailors with infectious diseases.
This hospital was first called Clayton Infectious Diseases Hospital. It was shown on maps from 1909. By 1933, it became known as Clayton Smallpox Hospital.
You can still see some parts of the old hospital. On the north side of the River Medlock, you might spot the foundation stone and some brick walls. On the south side of the river was the nurses' home, called Clayton House.
Old Factories and Dye Works
Many factories once stood in Clayton Vale.
- Bank Bridge Works and Tannery: Only a chimney behind the Jewish Cemetery of Philips Park, Clayton remains from this large factory. It was on maps as early as 1820.
- The Old Print Works: This factory was near Clayton Bridge. It was also on maps from 1820. By 1888, it was no longer used. Its ten buildings were taken down by 1909. You can still see some foundation stones in the river bed.
- Culcheth Dye Works: This dye works had many buildings and large water tanks. It stopped being used in the late 1960s. This was because newer dye works needed more water than the river could provide. The area where it stood, near today's Visitors Centre, has since been made into a park.
The River Medlock and Its Bridges
The River Medlock has played a big role in the valley's history.
A bridge where Edge Lane meets Berry Brow was first mentioned in 1696. Today, a stone bridge called Clayton Bridge stands there. Before this, there was a shallow crossing point (a ford). This suggests people might have crossed the river here for thousands of years!
In 1872, the River Medlock flooded suddenly. It washed away part of the print works. It also washed away many bodies from Philips Park, Clayton Cemetery. After this, the river banks were lined with red bricks. This was done to stop such a disaster from happening again. Because of these red bricks, the river is sometimes called 'The Red River'. You can still see this brick lining from the nearby bridge.
More recently, in the early 1960s, the river's path was changed. Steep stone walls were put in to prevent flooding.
Coates Farm and Local Life
Coates Farm was a special place. Before the First World War, it hosted a summer party for local children. There were races, tea, and lemonade! A stone wall next to the river is probably one of the farm's old walls.
The area around Edge Lane, Millstream Lane, and Berry Brow was known locally as Pop Brew. The whole valley was also called "the meddie." Coates Farm was cleared by 1960. A road was built there to take rubbish trucks to a landfill site in the valley. During World War Two, the farm's pig sty was taken down. An ARP Warden hut was built in its place. A new visitor centre now stands near where the old farm was.
Clayton Bridge Village and Railway Station
The area around Clayton Bridge was once a small village. It grew in the 1700s and 1800s because of the dye and print works.
- The Bay Horse Inn: This building was first a farm. In the 1800s, it became a pub called The Grey Mare.
- Homes: Many homes were built here. Andrews Brew was a small lane with cottages that had thatched roofs. These were taken down in the early 1990s.
- Saint Cuthbert Church: A church was also built around this time, but it has since been taken down.
Victorian terraced houses lined the west side of Berry Brow. They went up to the railway crossing at Clayton Bridge railway station. The east side of Berry Brow was still open fields into the 1950s.
Clayton Bridge Railway Station
Clayton Bridge railway station opened in April 1846. It was on the train line between Manchester and Stalybridge. The station closed in 1968. This was part of the Beeching cuts, which closed many railway lines. Nothing is left of the station today.
Railway Branch Line
In 1904, a special railway line was finished. It ran south through Clayton Vale to the Stuart Street Power Station. This line was made even longer in 1916. It went across Ashton New Road to the Clayton Aniline Company works. For many years, waste coal ash from the power station was carried on this line. It was then dumped as landfill in Clayton Vale.
Clayton Vale Today: A Green Haven
Before the mid-1980s, Clayton Vale was very polluted. It had old landfills and was not well cared for. Many buildings had been damaged or taken down.
Then, a big project called the Medlock Valley Scheme began. The land was cleaned up and made new. Today, Clayton Vale is seen as a great example of an urban country park. It's a safe place for wildlife.
Trees were planted in the mid-1980s. After twenty years, these trees have grown into a semi-mature forest. You can see blackbirds and squirrels in the taller trees. Trees like Silver birch, ash, sycamore, willow, and poplars grow along the top of the valley.
