Moston Brook
Moston Brook is a stream in Greater Manchester in north-west England and a tributary of the River Irk. The brook is formed at the confluence of Bower Brook and Hole Bottom Brook. This occurs near the Rochdale Canal in Failsworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham. It flows southwest, forming the border between Moston, Manchester and Failsworth before being culverted almost all of the remaining route to its meeting the River Irk. It has a total length of about 3.7 miles (6 kilometres).
The river was used industrially during the Cottonopolis period of Manchester's history, such as for the washing, bleaching and dyeing of yarns, although Moston was mostly noted for silk weaving. Clay and sand pits, which once fed brickworks, were later used for landfill sites. These landfills were later expanded by culverting the brook, though the last one closed in the 1990s. The brook's heavy industrial use and urban location led to it becoming badly polluted. In the early 2000s, the brook was identified as one of the most polluted bodies of water in Greater Manchester, if not the whole of the North West of England. However, this was the beginning of an ongoing concerted effort to enhance the water quality of the brook. This included work to divert and renovate combined sewer overflows, and the installation of drainage channels to divert surface water from nearby industrial sites and leachate from historic landfills. Work continues to improve the environment around the brook. Reprofiling and landscaping in the 1980s and environmental improvements in the 21st century mean that the brook is now seen as a community asset and an area of biodiversity. The remaining parts of the brook that avoided being culverted are used for recreation by the local community.
The brook flows approximately 3.7 miles (6.0 km) from its source (the confluence of Bower Brook and Hole Bottom Brook) to its confluence with the River Irk. It forms part of the River Irwell drainage basin.[1]
The source of Moston Brook is now hidden. Its most upstream part is fully obscured in two culverts, the South Culvert and the North Culvert.[2] The South Culvert is what remains of one of the brook's upstream tributaries, Bower Brook, which flows from the Werneth area[3] and past a pumping station in South Chadderton.[2] Another tributary, Hole Bottom Brook, rises in north Hollinwood and runs to the Failsworth boundary near the Rochdale Canal, where a short section is still in daylight.[2][3][4] The North Culvert was connected in the 1990s in order to take run-off from a newly constructed part of the M60 motorway.[4] The confluence of Bower Brook and Hole Bottom Brook is considered the start of Moston Brook proper.[4]
The brook then flows southwest, forming the boundary between the City of Manchester and the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham,[5] both of which are metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester. It is partly culverted at Broadway Common due to landfilling activities.[4] The brook flows into Manchester at the southern boundary between Moston and Newton Heath, where it passes into another culvert which takes it underneath Moston Vale.[6] Here it is joined by the Dean Brook, which flows past the site of Moston Hall in Broadhurst Park and is also culverted south of Joyce Street. Up to the early nineteenth century, the section between Failsworth and the Dean Brook was known as Morris Brook.[7] The brook is briefly visible again in Collyhurst near Manchester Communication Academy,[2] before again entering culverts which take it most of the way to its confluence with the River Irk.[6]
The main part of the brook that is currently above ground is broken down into the following areas:[8]
