Drinkwater Park

Drinkwater Park is situated in the Irwell Valley on the western border of Prestwich, near Manchester, bounded by the River Irwell to the west, Agecroft Road and Rainsough Brow (A6044) to the south, Butterstile Lane and Carr Clough estate to the east and Bunkers Hill to the north. The park is administered by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council and is part of Prestwich Forest Park, which also incorporates Philips Park, Mere Clough, Prestwich Clough and Waterdale Meadow.

Much of Drinkwater Park is very flat as it is on the flood-plain of the River Irwell but the valley rises steeply to the east in the area known as Carr Clough. There is a long narrow reservoir running up the centre of the park which, on the 1894 map, appears to have been used as a water supply for the Clough Bleach and Dye Works, although the narrow northern arm has long since been culverted. Most of the land in the park was very open and windswept until the early 1990s, as can be seen on the 1982 photograph by John Davies. Since that time there has been a programme of tree planting carried out as part of the Red Rose Forest Scheme. Most of the park, apart from the football playing fields, is now thickly wooded with a diverse selection of broadleaved trees.

The area to the northeast owned by Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, was used as a landfill area from 1946 to 1983 but has since been planted with trees as part of the "Green Tips Project" for landfill areas in Greater Manchester. The main paths have been gravelled and some raised decking paths have been erected across the wetland areas to the east of the reservoir. The only vehicular entrance to the park is on the south side from the roundabout at the junction of Agecroft Road, Kersal Vale Road and Rainsough Brow, which leads to the car park. This entrance is only open to vehicles on Saturday and Sunday mornings when amateur football is being played in the park. The other entrances are only accessible by pedestrians or cyclists. A Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority recycling centre was formerly located at the northern end of the park, accessed via Buckley Lane. This facility was closed in 2011.

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Wikipedia