Kersal Historic Industrial Past - Salford, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Riverside Walkway is a public footpath on a raised embankment alongside the River Irwell. The embankment and ground next to it were built as flood defences but are used for public recreation at other times.

Welcome to
Lower Kersal
Riverside Walkway

The importance of Kersal and its historic industrial past...

...was reflected by various features situated in the area along the Irwell.

A Kersal Dale

Kersal Dale is a Local Nature Reserve that was initially developed for the homes of the wealthy. The Friends of Kersal Dale and Salford City Council Rangers currently look after the site.

B Douglas Cotton Mills

Near the Douglas Green Weir lies the former foundation of the Douglas Cotton Mills owned by William Douglas of Charlestown. Children laboured in the mills for up to 16 hours a day. The mills were nicknamed the 'White Slave Mills' and 'The Cripple Factory' because of the severe deformity of many survivors. Douglas died in 1810 and was buried in St. Thomas Church, Salford. For half a century after his death local children feared seeing the ghost of 'Owd Billy' or 'Black Douglas'.

C Agecroft Hall

Agecroft hall was a Tudor manor house built in the late 15th century. and was the home of the Langley and Dauntesey families from Prestwich for many centuries. The hall was situated close to Agecroft Road until fire ravaged the architecture, and it was sold at auction in 1925. Agecroft Hall now operates as a museum in Virginia, USA after being dismantled, shipped and then reassembled in the United States.

D Kersal Cell

A Grade II listed Tudor building. The cell, reputed to be haunted, is the second oldest building in Salford. John Byrom (1692-1763), who penned the hymn Christians Awake and who also invented shorthand, made Kersal Cell his home. Kersal Cell has been used for various functions including a museum, country club, girl's school, a restaurant and presently as private housing.

E Lower Kersal Flats

The construction of 492 flats began in 1952, with the first being opened in 1962. Known as 'Communities in the Sky', the flats became home to thousands, as part of the post-war solution to the massive housing crisis. Each block of flats were named after famous poets such as Keats Browning, Shelley, John Bacon, Spencer, Johnson, Cowper, Chaucer, Milton, Blake, Burns and Shakespeare. By the late 1970's the 'Concrete Jungles' became the focus of problems linked to high-rise living and in 1990 eight of the blocks were demolished.

F Kersal Moor

Designated as a Site of Biological importance and local nature reserve, Kersal Moor provided some of the earliest known evidence of human activity in Salford (Neolithic flint arrow heads from 7-10,000 years ago). Amateur naturalists and botanists studied the moor (Fredrich Engels wrote about it in 1844), while others used the moor for dog walking, leisurely strolls, horseracing, golf, archery and other activities such as army manoeuvres, duelling, large gatherings, public hangings and civil protests (1838 Chartist protest for the vote). The Diary of a local Constable (1838) tells of 'naked foot-racing' on the moors that provided a glimpse of the male form to ladies.

G Thirlmere Aqueduct

Carried the first of its 55 million gallons of water (per day) from the Thirlmere Reservoir in the Lake District to Manchester on the 13th October 1894.

H Agecroft Cemetery

Home of the Agecroft Church Of England Grade II Listed Chapel and Gothic Tower which opened in 1903. The site is the final resting place of Peter Lobengula the 'African Prince' and the seven crew members of the 106 Squadron whose Lancaster Bomber crashed into the Littleton Road Playing Fields in July 1944. It is reported that one of the crew was a local man from Pendlebury whose family lived just two miles from the scene of the crash.

Type of Historic Marker: Standalone metal board Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Environment Agency Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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