A Walk Along the Cornbrook Part 1: Pooley House
Original content by Dr John Piprani. Edited by Grant Collier.
Graham Smith is a local lad brought up in Hulme. When he was a child, he nearly fell into the Cornbrook culvert that runs just behind the Pooley House. In this video, Graham tells of how the Cornbrook here was culverted and directed to flow into the Bridgewater Canal. He describes the river then as like an ‘open sewer’, carrying waste from the factories and workshops of east Manchester.
Graham explains that Pooley House was inhabited by millowners, and that neighbouring soldiers were involved in the Peterloo Massacre in 1819. During the nineteenth century, pastures and ornate gardens filled the surrounding areas. At that time, the wealth of this area was built on exploitation of workers in industry with poor labour practices and safety standards. Today, the path of the Cornbrook still marks the boundary between the city of Manchester and Trafford.
Discussion points:
- To what extent was Pooley House typical of Manchester housing in the nineteenth century?
- How has this area changed since the beginning of the industrial revolution, and why?
