River Manifold

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Manifold
Manifold valley (from Thors Cave).jpg
Manifold Valley from Thor's Cave
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationSouth of Buxton near Axe Edge
Mouth  
  location
Confluence with the Dove
  coordinates
53°3′0″N1°47′5″W / 53.05000°N 1.78472°W / 53.05000; -1.78472
Length12 miles (19 km)
Basin size9,111 hectares (22,510 acres) [1]
Basin features
Progression DoveTrentHumberNorth Sea
Tributaries 
  rightOakenclough Brook, Warslow Brook, Hoo Brook, River Hamps
A bridge over a dry River Manifold, near Grindon Dry river Manifold.jpg
A bridge over a dry River Manifold, near Grindon

The River Manifold is a river in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove (which also flows through the Peak District, forming the boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire).

Contents

The Manifold rises at Flash Head [2] just south of Buxton near Axe Edge, [3] at the northern edge of the White Peak, known for its limestone beds. It continues for 12 miles (19 km) [4] before it joins the Dove. For part of its course, it runs underground (except when in spate), from Wetton Mill to Ilam. [2] During this section it is joined by its major tributary, the River Hamps.

Villages on the river include Longnor, Hulme End and Ilam.

Its name may come from Anglo-Saxon manig-fald = "many folds", referring to its meanders.

Manifold Way

The Manifold Way is an 8-mile (13 km) long-distance footpath and cycle track from Hulme End to Waterhouses, along the former route of the narrow-gauge (2' 6") Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway which operated between 1904 and 1934. [5] Opened in July 1937 after the LMS handed over the trackbed to Staffordshire County Council, it is tarmacked throughout.

The Manifold Valley Visitor Centre is housed in Hulme End Station, which also has a model of the railway. [6]

Limestone crags and caves

[ This paragraph needs citation(s) ]The limestone cliffs that fringe the valley contain several rock-climbing areas, and named rock features, including Thor's Cave (grid reference SK098549 ) and Beeston Tor (grid reference SK105540 ), which overlooks the confluence with the River Hamps.

Mining in the Manifold valley

The Manifold valley was famous for the mining of copper and lead, and the mines at Ecton were some of the richest in the country. The discovery of Stone Age implements in some of the caves imply that minerals were mined around the Manifold valley thousands of years ago. Nowadays there is little trace of the industry that made many people (mainly the Duke of Devonshire who at one time owned the Ecton mines) very rich. [3] The main areas of interest are around Ecton where the old spoil banks and the old engine house still remain.

Ecology

The river has been noted as being important for European bullhead and lamprey. In the underground section of the river where it resurfaces at Ilam, the bullhead have no pigmentation. It was previously a stronghold for white-clawed crayfish, but most of the river's population were wiped out by crayfish plague in 2008. [7] Crayfish have been noted in the tributaries of the Manifold and it is hoped that re-colonisation can be achieved by the surviving upstream crayfish.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derbyshire</span> County of England

Derbyshire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south and west, and Cheshire to the west. Derby is the largest settlement, and Matlock is the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hartington, Derbyshire</span> Human settlement in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilam, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Ilam is a village in the Staffordshire Peak District of England, lying on the River Manifold. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 402.

The Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway (L&MVLR) was a narrow gauge railway in Staffordshire, England that operated between 1904 and 1934. The line mainly carried milk from dairies in the region, acting as a feeder to the 4 ft 8+12 instandard gauge system. It also provided passenger services to the small villages and beauty spots along its route. The line was built to a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge and to the light rail standards provided by the Light Railways Act 1896 to reduce construction costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Dove, central England</span> River in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, England

The River Dove is the principal river of the southwestern Peak District, in the Midlands of England, and is around 45 miles (72 km) in length. It rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and flows generally south to its confluence with the River Trent at Newton Solney. From there, its waters reach the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. For almost its entire course it forms the boundary between the counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The river meanders past Longnor and Hartington and cuts through a set of deep limestone gorges, Beresford Dale, Wolfscote Dale, Milldale and Dovedale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dovedale</span> Valley in the Peak District, England

Dovedale is a valley in the Peak District of England. The land is owned by the National Trust and attracts a million visitors annually. The valley was cut by the River Dove and runs for just over 3 miles (5 km) between Milldale in the north and a wooded ravine, near Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill, in the south. In the wooded ravine, a set of stepping stones cross the river and there are two caves known as the Dove Holes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thor's Cave</span> Cave and archaeological site in the United Kingdom

Thor's Cave is a natural cavern located at SK09865496 in the Manifold Valley of the White Peak in Staffordshire, England. It is classified as a karst cave. Located in a steep limestone crag, the cave entrance, a symmetrical arch 7.5 metres wide and 10 metres high, is prominently visible from the valley bottom, around 80 metres (260 feet) below. Reached by an easy stepped path from the Manifold Way, the cave is a popular tourist spot, with views over the Manifold Valley. The second entrance is known as the "West Window", below which is a second cave, Thor's Fissure Cavern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beeston Tor</span> Limestone cliff in Staffordshire

Beeston Tor is a limestone cliff in Staffordshire. It overlooks the confluence of the River Hamps with the River Manifold, and is a popular venue for rock climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Hamps</span> River in Staffordshire, England

The River Hamps is a river in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Manifold, which itself flows into the River Dove near Ilam. For much of its length the river flows through the Peak District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterhouses, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Waterhouses is a village in the south of the Staffordshire Peak District in England. It is around 8 miles from Leek and Ashbourne, being nearly the halfway point between the two towns on the A523 road, which roughly follows the southern boundary of the Peak District National Park. Waterhouses is also a civil parish, created in 1934 when the parishes of Calton, Cauldon, Waterfall and part of Ilam were merged; previously the village of Waterhouses was on the boundary of Waterfall and Cauldon parishes. The hamlet of Winkhill is also in the parish. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,134.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecton, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Ecton is a hamlet in the Staffordshire Peak District. It is on the Manifold Way, an 8-mile (13 km) walk and cycle path that follows the line of the former Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway. Population details as at the 2011 census can be found under Ilam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manifold Way</span> Bridlepath in the English Peak District

The Manifold Way is a footpath and cycle way in Staffordshire, England. Some 8 miles (13 km) in length, it runs from Hulme End (53.1307°N 1.8480°W) in the north to Waterhouses (53.0480°N 1.8654°W) in the south, mostly through the Manifold Valley and the valley of its only tributary, the River Hamps, following the route of the former Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway, a 2 ft 6 in gauge line which closed in 1934 after a short life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grindon, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Grindon is a small village in the Staffordshire Peak District of England.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetton, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Wetton is a village in the Peak District National Park, North Staffordshire, at the top of the east side of the Manifold Valley. The population recorded in the 2001 Census was 157. At the time of the 2011 Census the population was recorded under Ilam. This article describes the location, some of the main features of the village, and a number of places of historical or general interest in or near the village. These include Long Low, Wetton, a prehistoric burial site unique to England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peak District Boundary Walk</span> Long distance footpath in England

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References

  1. "Manifold - Source to conf R Dove". Environment Agency. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 Jacklin, Tim (June 2008). "Advisory visit to the River Manifold, Derbyshire" (PDF). The Wild Trout Trust. p. 2. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 "River Manifold". Peak District online. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  4. Bridgland, David; Howard, Andy; White, Mark; White, Tom (2014). "6 Synthesis: the Pleistocene evolution and human occupation of the Trent catchment". Quaternary of the Trent. Oxford: Oxbow Books. p. 362. ISBN   978-1-78297-026-2.
  5. "River Manifold". Peak District Information. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  6. "The Manifold Valley & Manifold Trail". Hulmeend.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  7. "Rare crayfish wiped out in River Manifold". Stoke Sentinel. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2016.