The Gore Brook is a stream in

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. It heads westward through

Tameside Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, named after the River Tame, Greater Manchester, River Tame, which flows through it, and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Greater Manchester, Denton, D ...

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 ...

Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of in . It covers and includes the area of Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Sa ...

it starts underground in

Droylsden Droylsden is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester and west of Ashton-under-Lyne, with a population at the 2011 Census of 22,689. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, in the mid-19th cen ...

before running by Gorton Reservoir it then comes in and out of culverts before eventually changing name to the Platt Brook upon reaching

Platt Fields Park Platt Fields Park is a large public park in Fallowfield, Manchester, England which is home to Platt Hall. Fallowfield lies to the south and Wilmslow Road runs along its eastern edge. Its north-eastern corner is close to the start of the Curry ...

it then becomes the Chorlton Brook when it joins with the 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 a major river 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 h ...

upstream of

Sale Water Park Sale Water Park is a area of parkland including a artificial lake in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Opened in 1979 and owned by Trafford Council, the water park lies in an area of the green belt running ...

. 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 water 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 Sewage farms use sewage for irrigation and fertilizing agricultural land. The practice is common in warm, arid climates where irrigation is valuable while sources of fresh water are scarce. Suspended solids may be converted to humus by microbes an ...

was established on part of the site of which remains may still be seen. (At that time the area was in

Withington Urban District Withington is a suburb of Manchester, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Lancashire, it lies from Manchester city centre, south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Withington had ...

.) 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