Every now and again a local history book is published and is hailed as a classic of it's kind, and over the years acquires cult status and making it a more desirable read, such a book is, The Lost Rivers Of Manchester published in 1987 and written by Geoffrey Ashworth, and I am happy to say a new updated version is to be released, November 8th this year. Geoff now lives in New Hampshire and so we decided to contact him for an update on the book and to ask him a couple of questions and a some readers questions Geof told me: "The original took about two years of research. I was working for Burmah-Castrol at Ellesmere Port in 1981 when I got laid off. I blame Thatcher, but it could have had something to do with the Iranian revolution. "The company kept me on full wages while I found a job, which I landed in 1982 in the US. In the meantime I spent some time at the Central Ref, Engineers Dept in the Town Hall, and walking the streets following my passion. I don't think I ever thought of publication when I started, but I contacted Keith Warrender of Willow before I left and to my surprise he wanted to publish. "With me being in the US trying to start a new life it took a while, but we did get there in the end, life was slower back then and I never dreamed it would sell as well as it did over the years, I was looking at books published in other major urban centre's and it seems there are a series of "Lost Rivers" books around, it must have hit some kind of nerve! "I made some corrections to the original, as well as including new research from archaeology around the Cathedral, additionally over the years I contributed to several Manchester History FB groups and used material I dug up from there relevant to the river courses. "This includes notable inhabitants, families, buildings, and events. I also expanded the scope of the book to include more rivers, especially the Irk and Medlock tributaries I missed in the first book". Me: You obviously have a great love of Manchester and this reflects in your book, is there anything as yet undiscovered in underground Manchester that you know off or would love to know more about? Geof: "Good question, and I haven't really thought about that, finally showing that Hanging Ditch was a defensive structure built by Edward the Elder in AD 923 would be nice, locating Alport Hall perhaps? "I would also like to solve the riddle of the Gathorne family (it defeated Mr. Earwaker when he was editing the Court Leet records)". Me: What are your views on the "Urban Explorers" who go searching in sewers, canal outlets etc, foolhardy or genuine researchers? Geof: "Being claustrophobic myself, I am in awe of what they do. I worked with Martin "Zero" on a number of his projects over the last few years and I admire his bravery. You would never get me down there with the rats, bugs, etc. I am sure some are idiots, like the population at large, but some are genuine explorers in the footsteps of Da Game, Columbus, Franklin, etc. OK that was a bit exaggerated but you get the idea". Mike Duff a well known Manchester author poet and local historian, posed the following questions to Geoffrey: The River Tib how far would you have to dig to unearth its rise? Geof, replied: "The Tib, according to historians, rises in Cooper's Pits just south of Collyhurst Road, it must have been a substantial spring as the water can be seen on the 1755 sketch of New Cross not too far downstream. "The location of the source got covered by the L&YR and I assume dried up, the surface water that fed it diverted into drains and sewers". Me: Would it be possible to produce a map of Manchester showing all rivers and brooks? Geof: "I have a very detailed map of the rivers I found. I took Johnson's 1819 map of the Manchester Parish, adjusted it for errors as Mr Johnson did not have GPS and it was quite a bit out on the periphery, and traced them on a modern map. "Additionally I used the 1848 OS map to find rivers that Johnson omitted, it took a while, and a smaller version is in the new book, I have my original if you would like a copy." Me: How many uncharted brooks are there and what defines a brook and a stream? Geof: "I don't really think any are uncharted., you just have to know where to look! Brook, Burn, Stream, River, are interchangeable it seems. The River Tib is way smaller than Gore Brook. I don't think any called... Stream... Interesting!" Me: How did the run of brooks streams etc affect the building of canals? Geof: "Brindley used the Medlock, Corn Brook, and Longford Brook as sources of water for the Bridgewater Canal, the Ashton Canal overflowed into the Dukes Tunnel, and the Rochdale Canal used water from several streams for additional water, as well as overflow channels during high water. Me: Was Manchester Cathedral built where it was because of the course of the forgotten River Dean? Geof: "I now do not believe there was a "River Dene", springs on Shude Hill and at the back of Withy Grove may have fed water into a defensive ditch to form a moat protecting the peninsula between the Irwell and Irk, possibly built by King Edward of Wessex in 923 as a defence against the Danes. "That is where the medieval town grew including a church dedicated to St. Mary. I have not found evidence linking St. Mary's Gate to the Cathedral, but it must exist somewhere." Me: How deep under Strangeways were the three Strangeways brooks, could prisoners have tunnelled out and used these brooks? Geof: "What a great question as the Strangeways brooks were part of a water feature of the park, I am not sure how much survived when the lakes were filled during the prison construction the springs were surely built over by then, but it might be worth looking for evidence". I for one can't wait for this publication to hit the proverbial streets and is bound to be a best seller with people replacing old or lost copies, and also a whole new generation of people keen to find one what is going underneath our city's streets and dare I say the ideal Christmas present? cheesy but true. The book will be available from Willow Publishing, 36, Moss Lane, Timperley, Altrincham, WA15 6SZ telephone 0161 980 2633 from November 8th 2023.
