Chew Valley in

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, 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 and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. 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 of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

. 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 the teeth. It is the first step in the process of digestion, allowing a greater surface area for digestive enzymes to break down the foods. During the mastication proc ...

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)-d ...

. 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 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 , 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 by Mitchell Construction between 1967 and 1971 to supply the industries of Tee ...

, near

Middleton in Teesdale Middleton-in-Teesdale is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is in Teesdale, on the River Tees's north banks, and surrounded by the North Pennines. The town is between Eggleston and Newbiggin, a few miles to the north ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, 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 . 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 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

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External links

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