Hyde Falls - Manchester

History

A stormwater culvert in Hyde carrying part of the Wilson Brook beneath the Peak forest canal and the M67, before the stream eventually joins the River Tame. The culvert was built as part of the large scale urban drainage works that took place across Greater Manchester during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when rapid industrialisation led many smaller rivers and brooks to be buried underground to control flooding, manage pollution from mills and factories, and create space for development. Inside the culvert is a large chamber where the brook drops over two waterfalls into a rocky basin, a feature that gave the site its informal name. The structure combines engineered concrete box culverts with sections that follow the natural rock bed of the brook, and later reinforcements such as sprayed concrete were added to prevent erosion.