Chew Valley in

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Delph, ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

, England, follows the course of Chew Brook on the western slopes of

Black Chew Head Black Chew Head in Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is the highest point or county top of Greater Manchester in northern England. It stands on moorland on the edge of the Peak District at a height of above sea level, close to t ...

to where it joins the River Tame at Greenfield, east of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Part of the higher fringes of the valley towards the peak of Black Chew Head lie across the boundary in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. The eastern part of the valley including the reservoirs of Dovestone and

Chew Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion, and it increases the surface area of foods to allow a more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, th ...

are within the north western extremity of the

Peak District National Park Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...

. Chew Reservoir was completed in 1912. At above sea level, it was the highest reservoir constructed in England. A tram-road was laid in Chew Valley to transport of clay to make an inner core for its dam to make it watertight. The tram and railway are gone but the route forms the Oldham Way long-distance footpath; reconstructed bridge hosts a sign with information, pictures, and a map. In 1949, a BEA Douglas DC3 crashed into the hill at Wimberry Rocks killing 24 passengers and crew and leaving 8 survivors. File:Wimberry Rocks - geograph.org.uk - 1070701.jpg , Wimberry Rocks in the Chew Valley File:Tram Sign in Chew Valley.JPG, Sign showing ownership of the valley by United Utilities and old maps of the tram that once ran through the valley File:Oldham Way Footpath.JPG, Oldham Way footpath, Chew Valley

Chew Brook

The Chew Brook begins as a small stream on the western slopes of

, part of

Saddleworth Moor Saddleworth Moor is a moorland in North West England. Reaching more than above sea level, it is in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park. It is crossed by the A635 road and the Pennine Way passes to its eastern side. Geography ...

and the highest point of

. Travelling westward down the slope, it is joined by several other streams including the Black Chew Grain. After running for approximately 1 km through marshy moorland, the brook empties into the

Chew Reservoir Chew Reservoir is a reservoir at the head of the Chew Valley in the Peak District National Park in Greater Manchester, England. The reservoir scheme in the Greenfield and Chew Valleys by the Ashton Stalybridge and Dukinfield Waterworks Joint Com ...

, built in 1912 and the highest constructed reservoir in England at the time ( above sea level;

Cow Green Reservoir Cow Green Reservoir is a long water reservoir forming part of the border between the historic counties of Westmorland and County Durham in northern England, built between 1967 and 1971 to supply the industries of Teesside. The reservoir act ...

, near Middleton in Teesdale in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, is the current holder, completed in 1971). Excerpts from a labourer's description of working on the dam at Chew Valley are available in the book ''Navvyman'' by Dick Sullivan. At the western end of the reservoir the brook emerges down a narrow and steep ravine, curving steadily to the northwest for before this time emptying into

Dovestone Reservoir Dovestone Reservoir lies at the convergence of the valleys of the Greenfield and Chew Brooks above the village of Greenfield, on Saddleworth Moor in Greater Manchester, England. The reservoir is on the western edge of the Peak District Nation ...

. Exiting the western end of Dovestone, the brook – now a small river – meanders through the heart of Greenfield village. Chew Brook ends its journey a short distance below

Greenfield railway station Greenfield railway station in the village of Greenfield, Greater Manchester, England, is on the Huddersfield Line northeast of Manchester Victoria. It is the final station in Greater Manchester before the West Yorkshire boundary. History The ...

where it flows into the River Tame .

Tributaries

* Greenfield Brook (R) **Dove Stone Brook (L) **Near Deep Brook (R) **Far Deep Brook(R) **Craggy Brook (R) **Near Rough Brook (R) **Far Rough Brook (R) **Near Warmsey Brook (R) **Holme Brook (Rs) ***Rimmon Pit Brook (R) ****Little Brook (R) ****Great Gruff (R) ****Little Holme Brook (L) **Birchen Brook (Ls) ***Little Birchen Brook (L) ***Howels Head Brook (R) ****North Grain (R) *Charnel Brook (R) *Dish Stones Brook (R) *Bower Brook (L) *Green Grain (L) *Black Chew Grain (R) *Bird Grain (R)

References

{{reflist

External links

United Utilities
Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham Valleys of the Peak District Saddleworth Valleys of Greater Manchester 1