Summer days in south Manchester No 8 on the meadows circa 1900

It’s a picture that often crops up in the collections and the reason is obvious.

For while large parts of Chorlton were fast being built over, the meadows and the area between the brook and the Mersey remained open land.

Now this was mainly because we are on the flood plain of the river and back then people were well aware that you don’t build on a flood plain.

And when you do the houses are apt to be washed away as were the two cottages in Hardy which were flooded out in the mid 19th century and abandoned.

So this area was developed as meadowland and in the summer months was a perfect place to come and walk.

The bridge was one of those used to cross the irrigation channels which crossed the land and were used to flood the fields.

Picture; summer on the Meadows, circa 1900 from the Lloyd collection