Crompton Moor

Home , Newhey, Oldham, Shaw and Crompton, South Pennines

Hi there, I’m Boggy the ‘super sponge’ moss plant. I’m here to show you around my home here on the moor.

Come and explore Crompton Moor Boggy’s home Past land use Crompton Moor is located on the outskirts of Shaw Crompton Moor has an interesting history and the use of the land has and Crompton in Oldham. It is a mix of moorland, changed a lot over time. In the past, the moor was used for farming, pine and other trees, disused quarries, as well a grazing sheep and mining. waterfall! It is known as the gateway into the South 2000 BC 1920 Pennines and is home to peatland and blanket bog Home, An early type of axe called a palstave After World War 1 there was little which is a very important place for wildlife. sweet is found on Crompton Moor time to build new mills so high The site covers a huge 185 acres—that’s around 185 suggesting our ancestors used this prices were paid to own a share in football pitches! Home! site over 4000 years ago. The area existing factories. Crompton had The highest point can be found at would have been woodland then! more millionaires per person than Crow Knowl, 391 meters above 400 AD anywhere else in the world! It became sea level. That is about People begin to settle permanently known as ‘The Golden City’. The 2½ times as tall as the during the middle ages building number of cotton mills peaked at 36. Blackpool tower! farms and small villages. 1900s 1400 AD Open cast mines for coal and quarries Farms in the area form clear for sandstone were excavated across boundaries, the drystone wall Crompton Moor. This fuelled the mills remains can still be seen today. and provided rock for the local roads and building Brushes Clough reservoir. 1760s The 18th Century Enclosures Acts 1950s leads to more farms being built. The industrial era comes to an end and large scale factories begin to 1850 shut down. Textile industry (cloth) begins to boom and many factories are 1970s built in the North West. The damp The quarries close and the local weather was the perfect condition community protest about any more for cotton weaving as the material opening. Oldham council buy the land wouldn’t dry out and break. and begin to restore the moor, filling in mining shafts and planting trees. 1890s Large cotton mills become active 1989 in Crompton and Shaw. The last industrial mill closes. Pollution and fire What makes Sphagnum Moss so important?

Over the past 200 years, Sphagnum is like a industrial pollution and wild fires ‘super sponge’, able have left the peatland areas in to hold up to 26 times the South Pennines some of the its own weight in water. most damaged in the world. The A single Sphagnum plant may be burning of coal to fuel the cotton very tiny but has an interesting mills released chemicals called We don’t have polluting structure. Each stem has two Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen factories like that anymore in types of branch; some stick out oxides. Combined with water in Shaw and Crompton but there and give the plant its shape and the atmosphere this fell as acid is another danger! some press against the stem and rain. This destroyed many plants, Fires cause a big problem at draw up water. Sphagnum can help reduce in particular Sphagnum moss, Crompton Moor and they can destroy Water gets trapped between the flood risk which is why it is so the main species of plant found whole areas of plant life leaving bare tiny individual plants or stored important that we protect it. in blanket bogs. peat (soil) which erodes quickly. inside the plant cells. This gives The water filtered through Peat grows very slowly building Sphagnum its water holding healthy sphagnum peat bogs is up around 0.5-1mm a year, so it super power! cleaner than the water passing can take 100 years to replace just When moss is destroyed grasses through damaged bogs, making 10cm! Fire usually occurs from grow in its place and these hold it cheaper to treat as drinking human mistakes – BBQs or camp very little water. Water then runs water. Peat bogs cover just 11% fires have caused serious damage off the moor and can contribute of Britain but help to filter up to and are not allowed on the moor. to flooding of nearby towns. 70% of our drinking water. Radio Mast

Old Brook Heather moorland

To Newhey

Radio Mast

Waterfall Pingot quarry Old Brook Heather moorland

Brushes Clough

To Newhey

Waterfall To Shaw Pingot quarry

Brushes Clough Hillside Ave. Golden St.

To Shaw N

Hillside Ave. Golden St.

Road

Footpath N Bridleway Walking trail (1.6 miles)

Walking trail (2.2 miles)

Walking trail (2.5 miles) Walking Map Heather moorland

Road Coniferous trees

Footpath Deciduous trees

Bridleway Quarry face

Walking trail (1.6 miles) Viewpoint Radio Mast

Walking trail (2.2 miles) Picnic bench

Walking trail (2.5 miles) Walks start point Old Brook Heather moorland Heather moorland

Coniferous trees To Newhey Deciduous trees

Quarry face Waterfall Viewpoint Pingot quarry

Picnic bench

Brushes Walks start point Clough

To Shaw

Hillside Ave. Golden St.

These look like great walks, wish I had legs! N

Road

Footpath

Bridleway

Walking trail (1.6 miles)

Walking trail (2.2 miles)

Walking trail (2.5 miles)

Heather moorland

Coniferous trees

Deciduous trees

Quarry face

Viewpoint

Picnic bench

Walks start point Marvellous moss and terrific trees Crompton Moor has been a Site of Biological Importance (SBI) since 2003 because of the peat bog habitat and the different types of Research on Crompton Moor wildlife that are found there. City of Trees is planting small They are looking into how Funded by the Environment Agency an areas of woodland on Crompton these change over time and are amazing team are helping to restore Moor to see how the trees can also measuring the amount of the super powers of the blanket bog by help to capture rain, and reduce water that replanted peat bog planting plugs of sphagnum moss on water running off the moor. can hold onto. areas of bare peat to create a natural Moors for the Future Partnership Friends of Crompton Moor and super sponge. and local universities are Oldham Countryside Volunteer They are also planting young surveying the moorland wildlife, Ranger Service are also involved trees in areas where there are plants, trees and chemicals with important maintenance no peat bogs to attract even found in the soil. work on the moor. more wildlife to the moor.

Moss fact: Sphagnum moss does not rot easily because it contains a chemical called sphagnol which stops almost all bacterial activity, helping to make it germ free. This led to sphagnum being used in bandage packs as a wound dressing in WWI.

If you spot me when you I may be Boggy, are out walking try not but I’m clean! to step on me because I won’t be able to hold onto the rainwater! Check out the Moorland creatures you can find on Puzzle Time 1 the moor Can you find the key words 2 from this leaflet?

Swallow Answers on the back page

Have a go at our quick 4 5 crossword Curlew Ring Ouzel Red Grouse 6 7

Across 9 Common Lizard Brown Hare Orange tip Butterfly 2. I’m a butterfly but I share my name with a bird. 10 3. Sphagnum moss holds water which helps to stop what from happening? Down 4. Who has the longest beak on 1. What type of moss is Boggy? Kestral Peacock Butterfly Adder the moor? 5. What type of habitat can be 7. I’m a common warty amphibian planted to help capture rain like but I’m not a frog. moss does? 9. Factories burning coal can cause 6. This used to be mined at what type of rain? Crompton Moor. Tick off the 10. What type of Grouse is found 8. What danger can BBQs cause Common Toad ones you spot in northwest England? on the Moor? Rochdale A640 Want more adventures? Milnrow Newhey A640 M62 Crompton Contact my friends! Moor

B6197 M62 A671 Shaw Delph A663 A627 (M)

A672

A663

Oldham

The car park is at Brushes Clough off Buckstones Road.

If you want to be involved in Crompton Moor is managed any events or wildlife walks by Oldham Council, Park and please contact: Countryside Services, Friends of Crompton Moor Alexandra Park [email protected] Kings Road Friends of Crompton Moor Oldham OL8 2BH 0161 770 4056 environmentalservices

@oldham.gov.uk

Red. Red. 10. Acid, 9. Fire, 8. Toad, 7.

Coal 6. Woodland, 5. Curlew, 4.

Flooding, 3. Peacock, 2. Sphagnum, 1. Weather can change in summer and

winter. Always have warm clothing

Answers to word puzzle: puzzle: word to Answers and suitable footwear for steep terrain.