Chorlton Brook is a stream 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. It heads westward through

Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the city centre. Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the 2011 census, and Chorlton Park 15,147. By the 9th century, there was an Anglo-Saxon settlement her ...

, having been formed at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of Platt Brook and Shaw Brook (or Red Lion Brook), and after passing north of Chorltonville it flows through Chorlton Ees into the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...

upstream of Sale Water Park. The Chorlton Brook separated the settlements of Hardy (to the south) and Chorlton (to the north). Chorlton Ees is an area of floodplain on the right bank of the Mersey once used as water meadow and pasture. Gradually flood control measures were developed to reduce the disruption caused by periodic floods (e.g. the stone

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

further down the course). In the 19th century it became an area of waste disposal and the Withington Sewage Farm was established on part of the site of which remains may still be seen. (At that time the area was in Withington Urban District.) The tendency for housing to be needed for an expanding population led to Chorltonville and other much smaller plots encroaching on the meadowland. More recently it has been converted in parts to a nature reserve, Chorlton Ees and Ivy Green Nature Reserve. Chorltonville recreation area became a private football ground, currently owned by West Didsbury & Chorlton Football Club. In 2009 a proposed development of football pitches and a clubhouse, to provide facilities for local youth, particularly from the social housing estates, became the subject of some local opposition. The development is proposed by the club and has aroused opposition from some local residents. In May 2010 the issue reemerged with a modified proposal from the club which has aroused the same opposition once more.

References

External links

Friends of Chorlton Meadows
Rivers of Greater Manchester Rivers of Manchester 1Chorlton {{England-river-stub