Worsley Village
| Designation date: | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Area: | 13.84 ha (34.25 acres) |
| Listed buildings: | 48 |
Worsley village
Worsley village was designated as a conservation area by the former Lancashire County Council. The boundary was drawn to include, at that time, approximately 40 listed buildings, together with some less attractive but historically interesting industrial buildings.
The character and historical background of Worsley is unique in South East Lancashire and Greater Manchester. The relationship of historic buildings, canal basins and open spaces with a landscape setting of mature trees adds to the general interest of the area and contributes to its exceptional character.
The settlement originated in the last quarter of the 18th century as a group of industrial buildings, cottages, shops, inns and other community buildings at the Delph where the entrance to the Duke of Bridgewater’s underground coal mining and canal system was situated. From this point coal was transported to Manchester by the Bridgewater Canal, the first commercial system to be developed in Britain (see "Revolution in Salford!").
Visually separate from the canal, Worsley Green is an area of public open space, bordered by a heavily trafficked road and by terraces of 18th century cottages and 19th century houses with elevations in black-and-white vernacular style. The Victorian ornamental fountain, an important feature of the Green, originally formed part of a chimneystack on factory buildings that stood on the site of Worsley Green.
In the area north of Worsley Road the Delph – one of Salford’s three scheduled ancient monuments – is the main feature of interest. The Duke of Bridgewater commissioned James Brindley to design the Bridgewater Canal and then in 1760 he engaged the engineer John Gilbert to create 46 miles of underground canals, together with a series of locks that lifted loaded barges from one canal to another. Two main canals, one 30 metres (100ft) above the other, run northwards from Worsley Delph to Farnworth. A herringbone of minor canals link up to dozens of pits on either side.
Two tunnels were driven in from the Delph about 25 metres (82ft) apart which joined after about 456 metres (1,500ft), the overall height being 2.4 metres (8ft) with approximately 1.2 metres (4ft) of water below and a breadth of 3 metres (10ft), with the first seam lying about 684 metres (2,250ft) from the Delph. The scheduled ancient monument at the Delph relates to the tunnel entrances, sluice gates and apron platform between; it does not include the canal itself.
The principal buildings of interest in this area are the Bridgewater Estate Offices, the Nailmaker’s House, Rock House, Packet House, Court House and former Police Station (The Old Nick).
Update
The village continues to develop, for example, the former oil store was converted to dwellings and the timber framed Gatekeeper's Lodge repaired and repositioned from a copse close by Worsley Hall Farm to its current location, adjacent the Packet House.
| Listed buildings | Grade |
|---|---|
| Worsley Court House | Grade II |
| Rock House | Grade II |
| Footbridge over the Canal from The Green | Grade II |
| 3 & 5 Barton Road (The Old Nick) | Grade II |
| The Packet House | Grade II |
| 10 to 16 (consecutive even) Barton Road | Grade II |
| 11 to 23 (consecutive odd) The Crescent | Grade II |
| The Delph Sluice gates | Grade II |
| 2 & 3 The Delph | Grade II |
| The Boat House | Grade II |
| The Dry Docks | Grade II |
| Former Oil Store (Dukes Wharf) | Grade II |
| Fountain on The Green | Grade II |
| 140 to 153 (consecutive) | Grade II |
| Telephone Kiosk (K6) | Grade II |
| Worsley Road Bridge | Grade II |
| 3 & 5 Worsley Road | Grade II |
| 10, 12 & 14 Worsley Road | Grade II |
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This page was last updated on 28 October 2008
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