On a beautiful sunny afternoon, a group of ten assembled in Lower Broughton Road. Salford. Most of us had arrived on foot or by
the excellent GM public transport system. Tony explained that we were on the northern edge of the Cheshire Basin, on rocks of the
Permo-Triassic (295-200 ma) that are cut by north-west trending faults of the Carboniferous Coal Measures, and dip at a slight angle
to the south and south west. During the Quaternary they were covered with a thick and extensive 'blanket' of glacial and glaciofluvial
deposits that provide an economic resource in the region.
Walking a short distance up Lower Broughton Road Tony pointed out a row of Arts and Crafts Movement houses built in 1906 for teachers at Manchester Grammar School, and further on the training ground of Manchester United Football Club. On the right, in Priory Grove, is the site of the home of William Crabtree (1610-1644), a mathematician and close observer of the planets, especially Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. His aim was to refine Kepler's predictions of planetary motion after the lost chance to view the transit of Venus in 1619. Crabtree corresponded with Jeremiah Horrocks (1619-1641) a mathematician and amateur astronomer of Toxteth, and using the Rudolphine Tables the transit of Venus was predicted for 24 November 1639. With Horrocks in Bretherton, near Preston, and Crabtree in Broughton, the successful transit of Venus across the setting sun was recorded by them both. The transit of Venus is a rare event, having most recently occurred on 6 June 2010. The next occasion will be in 2117. |
The Cliff landslip - note the precarious position of the houses (Photo: Marjorie Mosley) |
At the top of the hill is The Cliff, composed of glacial sand and gravel on top of boulder clay, part of a ridge of glaciofluvial outwash sands extending from Swinton through to Pendlebury and across the Irwell valley to Prestwich and Cheetham Hill. At The Cliff the River Irwell, meandering against the ridge between Lower Kersal and Higher Broughton, has undercut a steep slope in these sands and gravels resulting in an unstable area of landslips and erosion. Evidence of this can be seen from the precarious position of the remaining tramlines, some sections of which, along with the road and pavement have slipped downwards towards the river. This instability resulted in the tramway being diverted in 1927. More landslips are to be expected, especially after heavy rain, as water moving down through the sand to the impervious clay, causes slip and movement sideways. Interestingly, the edge of the remaining pavement still has its metal studded safety kerb to protect the stone from wear and tear by horses' hooves. |