The Beal is a small river in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, and is a tributary of the
River Roch. It rises in the Beal Valley in
green space between
Sholver
Sholver is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. An elevated, residential area, it lies near the middle of the Oldham part of the valley of the River Beal, northeast of Oldham's commercial centre, nearly at the northeasternmost ex ...
and
Royton, before continuing northwards through
Shaw and Crompton,
Newhey
Newhey (archaically New Hey) is a suburban village in the Milnrow area of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale,Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (N.D.), p. 32. in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the foot of the South Pennines, b ...
,
Milnrow
Milnrow is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, and forms a continuous urban area with Rochdale. It is east of Rochdale t ...
and
Belfield.
Course
From its source at Beal Valley, it flows north through
Shaw and Crompton in the
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham, The borough had a population of 237,628 making it the seventh-largest district by populati ...
, where
Old Brook and
Pencil Brook
Pencil Brook is a small watercourse in High Crompton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, and is a tributary of the River Beal
The Beal is a small river in Greater Manchester, England, and is a tributary of the River ...
are tributaries. It continues north through
Newhey
Newhey (archaically New Hey) is a suburban village in the Milnrow area of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale,Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (N.D.), p. 32. in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the foot of the South Pennines, b ...
and
Milnrow
Milnrow is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, and forms a continuous urban area with Rochdale. It is east of Rochdale t ...
in the
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, before joining the
River Roch at
Belfield.
In part, the river forms a boundary between
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, w ...
on one side and
Royton and Shaw and Crompton on the other.
A small part of the course runs perpendicular to the Metrolink line, between
Shaw and Crompton and
Derker.
History
1212: The Beal valley was recorded as part of the
thegnage estate of Kaskenmoor, held on behalf of
King John by
Roger de Montbegon and William de Nevill.
1892:
Ellenroad Cotton Mill was built on the bank of the Beal, and made fine cotton yarn by
mule spinning.
During operation of a bleaching and dying works, discharge to the river of used dyes and waste would cause it to change colour from one day to another.
1997:
Littlewoods PLC changed the course of the river slightly to allow development of their
Shaw National Distribution Warehouse Centre.
2005:
Raw sewage was discharged to the river, killing thousands of fish and raising health fears among local residents.
Tributaries
*
Butterworth Hall Brook
*
Piethorne Brook
*Jubilee Brook
*
Old Brook
**Leornardin Brook
*
Pencil Brook
Pencil Brook is a small watercourse in High Crompton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, and is a tributary of the River Beal
The Beal is a small river in Greater Manchester, England, and is a tributary of the River ...
*Besom Hill Brook
**Fullwood Brook
*Hodge Brook
Gallery
Image:Beal Valley.jpg, The River Beal is sourced from the Beal Valley, between Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, w ...
and Shaw and Crompton
Image:River Beal Meek Street.JPG, Infancy in Higginshaw
Image:RiverBeal001.jpg, Jubilee, Shaw
Image:Bentgate Downstream.jpg, Looking downstream from Bentgate, Newhey
Image:18 River Beal at M62.JPG, Between the M62 and A640 culverts
Image:River_Beal_from_Milnrow_Bridge.jpg, Downstream from Bridge Street
Image:Ashes Lane View.jpg, View from Ashes Lane, Milnrow
Image:Firgrove View.JPG, Upstream from Firgrove
Image:Beal and Roch Confluence.JPG, Confluence with River Roch
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beal
Rivers of Greater Manchester
Rivers of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Rivers of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
Rivers of Milnrow and Newhey
1Beal