Coordinates: 53°31′26″N 2°19′13″W / 53.5239°N 2.3203°W
| Clifton | |
  Clifton
Clifton shown within Greater Manchester |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan borough | Salford |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SALFORD |
| Postcode district | M27 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Eccles |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford.
Historically a part of Lancashire, Clifton, a former centre for coal mining, once formed part of the municipal borough of Swinton and Pendlebury.
Contents |
History
Clifton is derived from the Old English clif and tun, and means the "settlement near a cliff, slope, or riverbank".[1]
Transport
Clifton is served by Clifton railway station, a small railway station on the main Manchester to Preston Line. In earlier and more labour-intensive times, the station was known as "Clifton Junction" due to it being located at the junction of the Manchester and Bolton Railway and Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway lines. The Bury line left the station/junction and soon passed over Clifton Viaduct[2][3] across the River Irwell Valley known locally as "the thirteen arches". Clifton Junction was, in the days before mass ownership of the family car, vitally important in bringing workers to the three large factories located minutes away, namely, Magnesium Elektron (M.E.L.), Chloride Batteries and Pilkington's Tiles. The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal also runs through Clifton and once served these businesses. The Clifton Aqueduct carried the canal across the Irwell[4] and is preserved as a Grade 2 Listed Building[3] There are plans to restore the canal for leisure use at a cost of over £50M.
Sport
Clifton Cricket Club play in the Central Lancashire Cricket League. The Club's ground is on Manchester Road (A666 road), Clifton (near Swinton), about half a mile along the A666 road in a north-westerly direction from Junction 16 of the M60 motorway.
Coal mining
Clifton Hall Colliery was situated a few yards to the west of Lumn's Lane on a site currently occupied by a domestic refuse and recycling site, run by the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. It is thought that the colliery was operating by 1820, and its tramway is shown on a parliamentary plan from 1830. It is also shown on an 1845 map. Clifton Hall Colliery closed in 1929.
On 18 June 1885, an explosion within the colliery killed 178 men and boys. It is thought that the explosion was caused by firedamp igniting upon contact with a candle. Blacksmith George Hindley (aged 16 at the time) and fireman George Higson, were part of a band of men who descended into the mine immediately after the explosion. They both later received an Albert Medal (2nd class) in recognition of their heroism.
The remains of the Wet Earth Colliery are located in Clifton Country Park.
Education
Clifton currently has two primary schools and a pupil referral unit within its boundaries:
| School | Locality | Description | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Primary School | Wroe Street, Clifton, M27 6PF | Primary school | 105907 |
| St Mark's R.C. Primary School | Queensway, Clifton, M27 8QE | Primary school | 105956 |
| The Clifton Centre | Silverdale, Clifton, M27 8GW | Pupil referral unit | 130007 |
See also
References
- ^ Mills, A.D. (2003), A Dictionary of British Place-Names (subscription required), Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-852758-6, http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t41.e694
- ^ Clifton Railway Viaduct: A brief description
- ^ a b Listed Building Register C - Salford City Council
- ^ Clifton Aqueduct on the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
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