Carrington Moss

Carrington Moss

Carrington Moss is a large area of peat bog near Carrington in Greater Manchester, England. Originally an unused area of grouse moorland, the moss was reclaimed in the latter half of the 19th century for farming and the disposal of Manchester’s waste. During the Second World War the land was used as a Starfish site and a large industrial complex was built along its northern edge.

About Carrington Moss in brief

Summary Carrington MossCarrington Moss is a large area of peat bog near Carrington in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of the River Mersey, approximately 10 miles south-west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about 1,100 acres. Originally an unused area of grouse moorland, the moss was reclaimed in the latter half of the 19th century for farming and the disposal of Manchester’s waste. During the Second World War the land was used as a Starfish site and a large industrial complex was built along its northern edge. More recently, several sporting facilities have been built on Carrington Moss. Today, the land is still used for farming, and several nature reserves have been established within its bounds. The word moss, first used during the 15th century, forms part of the local name for a lowland pea bog, \”mosslands\”. Today the term is also used to describe former bogs that have been converted to farmland and is used to refer to areas of land that are no longer accessible to the public. The name Carrington might be derived from the Goidelic Celtic root Cathair, a fortress, but a more recent theory is that it derives from an Anglicised form of a Scandinavian personal name. Carrington Hall, seat of the Carrington family, once existed to the north of Carrington moss, at the junction formed by the modern-day A6144 and B5158 roads.

The bog’s virgin moss was cultivated and drainage channels cut through at regular intervals, the first step in the area’s reclamation. By the 1880s, night soil accounted for about 75% of Manchester’s 200,000 long tons of refuse. Along with parts of Moss Side and Withington, in 1885 Bradford, Harpurhey and Rusholme became part of Manchester. Manchester Corporation began to look for disposal sites. A number of locations were considered, including one on Deeside and another in Nottinghamshire. The corporation rented 700 acres of land in small holdings to local farmers and kept 400 acres for itself. It paid about £38,000, for the site, but the bog’s depth, between 17 and 20 feet or 5. 2 and 6. 1 metres deep pushed the total development cost to almost £94,000. The 1,101-acre estate included 600 acres of wild mossland, 209 acres of partly cultivated mossland and 282 acres of mossland under cultivation and 10 acres of incomplete roads. A network of tramways and roads was constructed using clinker and other materials brought from the city. A water supply also installed.