History
Here’s some information about where it all started up until the present day.
The Moston Brook area was largely rural but had been engaged in the washing, bleaching and dyeing of yarns since the 16th century, although Moston itself was mostly noted for silk weaving.
By 1848, Moston Mill Print Works had already sprung up next to the brook to make use of the running water, joined later by Spring Valley Dye Works in Failsworth. A mill pond, a mill race and a weir were constructed to feed the former, of which only the weir remains.
Monsall Hospital was constructed on the banks of the Brook in 1871. In 1878, North Road football stadium and cricket ground was built nearby for the use of Newton Heath LYR works team, the team that would later become Manchester United F.C.
There were “white hills” along the banks of the Brook, formed from industrial waste. The origin of the hills is unclear, though the hills are shown in photographs dated 1913. Excavation of clay and sand pits alongside the brook fed brickworks on Hale Lane, Failsworth.
From around 1949, these pits were used as landfills, the last of which (Hardman Fold) was closed in the 1990s. The Brook was gradually culverted along much of its length, in some cases to make room for more landfill sites. For example, the part of the Brook that was near Monsall Hospital was culverted to make way for a landfill in the mid-1970s. The hospital itself closed down in 1993 and was demolished soon after.
Moston Brook High School, which was built on the former site of the North Road sports pitches, was closed in August 2000.
The remaining visible part of the Brook between Failsworth and Moston was reprofiled and landscaped in the 1980s. Valley slopes were smoothed, paths and steps were incorporated, drainage channels were installed and stabilisation work was conducted.
The Environment Agency and United Utilities agreed to work together to improve the Brook’s water quality. This included screening of combined sewer overflows (CSOs).
An assessment in 2013 found that the likely causes of pollution in the Brook included intermittent discharge from sewers during storm overflows; leachate from old landfill sites; and continuous sewage discharges from domestic properties due to wrong connections.
Other factors investigated were leakage from St Joseph’s Cemetery and runoff from the M60 motorway. The study found that fish are absent from the Brook.
United Utilities has spent £2 million improving sewerage infrastructure near the Brook and the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) has spent £400,000 on a methane-stripping plant for one of its former landfills. The Environment Agency has funded sustainable drainage systems to prevent surface water entering the Brook from a nearby industrial site and former landfill areas. Both Oldham and Manchester Councils recognise the Brook’s potential as an area of biodiversity.
In 2010, Oldham Council appointed Ann Bates as Project Officer, in charge of improving the quality of the Moston Brook corridor. Ann then went on to establish the Friends of Moston Brook Group you are reading about today!
