A Walk Along the Cornbrook
Original content by Dr John Piprani and Alexandra McGaughrin Cross. Edited by Grant Collier.
Manchester has many waterways; the Rivers Irk, Irwell and Medlock all run through the city, plus many canals such as the Ashton, Rochdale and Bridgewater Canals. These aren’t always obvious, and you might be standing over a river without even knowing it. The River Medlock, for example, mainly runs underneath the city since it was built over, or ‘culverted’, in the 1830s. The Cornbrook, a small river running south of Manchester underneath Oxford Road, is another example. Though invisible, rivers such as the Cornbrook are important and interesting features of the urban environment.
Beginning in east Manchester, the Cornbrook travels west below The University of Manchester campus before finally emptying into the Manchester Ship Canal near the Cornbrook tram stop. The route of the culverted Cornbrook runs under and beyond the University of Manchester campus, linking together local and university communities. To explore these connected social histories, University staff created a digital interactive map that reveals the route of the hidden Cornbrook watercourse by highlighting clues within the present landscape. Photograph, text, and video were all used to tell the social histories associated with the various sections of the course.
The Walk Along the Cornbrook project has two aims: firstly, to show how research within the university can be used to promote social justice, equality, and diversity; secondly, to offer new opportunities for local communities to engage with work produced by staff and students in the School of Arts, Languages, and Cultures. Researching and exploring this route has developed partnerships with external cultural organisations and practitioners, as well as important local social projects.
Discussion Points
- How does the Cornbrook continue to shape the city and its inhabitants today?
- How does the Cornbrook help to frame the narrative of the university and its connections to local people and places?
- How can special collections and modern technology offer new insights into our understanding of the people and places around us?
Digital Cornbrook map and content available here: https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1YQCx_1FnUfgcJRRW3V_4Zfti-_tlkxDQ?usp=sharing
Originally posted on the SALC ‘Making a difference’ blog: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/salc-making-a-difference/2022/08/23/a-walk-along-the-cornbrook/
