Broughton, Salford

Broughton
Lancashire
Clowes Park, Broughton
Location
Grid reference:	SD828002
Location:	53°29’54"N, 2°15’31"W
Data
Population:	13,869  (2011)
Post town:	Salford
Postcode:	M7
Dialling code:	0161
Local Government
Council:	Salford
Parliamentary constituency:	Blackley and Broughton

Broughton is a southern Lancashire village which has been swallowed in town growth long since so as to become a mere suburb of Manchester and Salford. It stands on the east bank of the River Irwell and on the A56 road, north-east of Salford, a mile and a half north of Manchester city centre and two miles south of Prestwich. Broughton is itself divided, consisting of Broughton Park, Higher Broughton and Lower Broughton.

Broughton anciently constituted a township and chapelry in the Parish of Manchester, within the Salfordshire Hundred. The former manor house, Broughton Hall, belonged to the Chethams and the Stanleys, both of whom were distinguished local families, and later passed, by marriage, to the Clowes family.

Since the turn of the 21st century, parts of Lower Broughton and Higher Broughton have been redeveloped with a mixture of town houses and flats. Together with neighbouring Prestwich and part of Crumpsall, Broughton is home to a large Jewish community: at the 2011 census, 14.2% of residents gave their religion as Jewish, compared to 3.3% for the City of Salford as a whole.

History

Early history

Old entrance gate in a garden wall on the Cliff

Some neolithic implements and other pre-Roman remains have been found in Broughton. The Roman road from Manchester (Mamucium) to Ribchester (Bremetennacum) passed through the area and Roman coins have also been found.

The township of Broughton dates back to 1177 when it appears as 'Burton', bounded mainly by the meandering River Irwell. To the west of this township, close to a ford across the Irwell, lay the hamlet of Broughton. The Manor of Broughton was formerly an ancient demesne of the honour of Lancaster, being a member of the Royal Manor of Salford. It descended through various families and in 1578 was bought by Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby.

Lower Broughton in the 17th century

In the 17th century Broughton was still regarded as a member or hamlet of Salford and the area around what is now called The Priory at the northern end of Lower Broughton Road was a picturesque hamlet with a spring, known as Broughton Spout. This was home to the amateur astronomer and mathematician William Crabtree. Crabtree's friend and correspondent Jeremiah Horrocks had correctly predicted the 1639 transit of Venus across the Sun and Crabtree and Horrocks were the first astronomers to observe and record this event on the 24th of November of that year. The two correspondents both recorded the event in their own homes and may never actually have met, but Crabtree's calculations were crucial in allowing Horrocks to estimate the size of Venus and the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The recording of the event is now seen as the birth of modern astronomy in Britain. In June 2004 a commemorative street nameplate in memory of William Crabtree was unveiled at the junction of Lower Broughton Road and Priory Grove. This site marks the location that is thought most likely to have been the home of Crabtree and his family at the time when he was collaborating with Horrocks. A commemorative plaque was erected in 2005 a few yards away near Ivy Cottage, which is thought to be the house from which Crabtree made his observations.

Clowes family become the landowners; early 19th century

Plaque commemorating Crabtree's observation of the Transit of Venus

In 1772 the Manor of Broughton became the property of Mary, sister of Edward Cheetham of Nuthurst and Smedley who was married to Samuel Clowes. The manor then descended through the Clowes family to the Captain Henry Arthur Clowes.

By 1801 the population of the township of Broughton with Kersal was 866. Much of the land was owned by the Clowes family of Broughton Old Hall and the Byroms of Kersal Cell, and was either farmed, or supported cottage industries such as spinning and weaving. Broughton Park, which stretched from Singleton Road to Broom Lane with Broughton Old Hall at the centre, was the estate of the Clowes family. The highlight of the year was the Kersal Moor Races held during Whit Week when the Kersal area became a giant fairground. Archery was also a popular sport for which the Broughton Archers were renowned countrywide.

Tram lines at the end of Great Clowes Street

During the 19th century the population rose rapidly with the Clowes family controlling the development of the area allowing the wealthy merchants to purchase large plots in Higher Broughton to build their mansions and some grand terraces. By the mid-19th century the majority of residents who lived in the area known as "the Cliff" were members of the professional classes but a number of merchants also resided there. The Cliff was one of the earliest residential suburbs for "commuters" into Manchester and Salford. A number of the houses built for them still stand today and are protected as listed buildings.

In 1838 Manchester Zoological Gardens were opened on a site between Northumberland Street and Broom Lane but the venture was not a commercial success and closed 1842.

Church of the Annunciation

The world-leading cotton industry of Manchester brought money to Broughton as merchants from all over Europe and the Mediterranean Sea established branches in Manchester close to the source of supply. In Higher Broughton by mid century there were many prosperous merchants from the Ottoman Empire who had settled around Northumberland Street and by 1861 they had built a Greek Orthodox church, the Church of the Annunciation, on Bury New Road. Much of Lower Broughton was undeveloped at this time as it was prone to flooding and one of the few houses, built close to Broughton Bridge was called "Noah's Ark" as it was built on an artificial mound to raise it above the level of the floods. The Church of the Ascension was built in 1869.

In 1844, the township of Broughton-cum-Kersal was administratively incorporated into the Salford Borough, despite much opposition from some of the more wealthy residents, who did not wish to be associated with "the cotton of Manchester or the filth of Salford" even though their wealth had been made in those towns.

During the latter part of the century large numbers of terraced houses were built for the workers until eventually all of Lower Broughton was built upon. During the course of development the Clowes family kept tight control over the area to ensure that it remained "good class". The land in Higher Broughton was sold in large plots for "villa" type properties and they also restricted the number of pubs that could be built, and then only allowed beer to be sold and not spirits. By 1901 the population had grown to around 49,048.

During the 20th century many of the large houses were divided up and rented out as flats, causing the area to become run down and neglected. Some of the fine Victorian terraces were demolished and replaced with modern housing. The Cliff was designated as a conservation area by Salford City Council in 1976. The designation now covers an area of 64 acres and has preserved the character of the area with its cobbled streets and many fine buildings.

Albert Park

Albert Park is a public park, by Great Clowes Street and Great Cheetham Street West, on the borders of Higher and Lower Broughton. The park was opened in 1877, named in commemoration of the late Prince Consort.

Today the park features a multi-use games area, bowling green, all-weather sports pitch, children's play area and informal five-a-side pitch as well as paths, shrubs and many established trees. and was described as "16 acres of terraced walkways making it possible to walk five miles around the park without traversing the same ground twice". The park originally featured a two-acre lake which was filled in during the late 1940s.

Sport

• Rugby:
  • Broughton RUFC, formerly Broughton Wasps. The team was the first Broughton football club in Manchester, and played using the rugby code, founded by members of a club known in 1869 as Broughton College, a public school in Salford at the time
  • Broughton Park Rugby Union F.C., one of the oldest rugby union clubs in the land, established in 1882
  • Broughton Rangers, founded in 1877 as a rugby union club, but which became a rugby league club in 1895
  • Mancunians RL, founded in 2009, play at Broughton Park
• Football: The Cliff in Higher Broughton was the training ground of the profession club Manchester United F.C. until 1999. The training ground still hosts some Manchester United junior and academy team matches.

Outside links

• The Friends of Albert Park

References

• Broughton and Cheetham Hill in Regency and Victorian times by Monty Dobkin Second Edition Published by Neil Richardson 1999 ISBN 1-85216-131-0