Etherow Country Park
Encyclopedia
Etherow Country Park is situated at Compstall
, England
between Marple Bridge
and Romiley
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
, Greater Manchester
.
It was one of England's first country park
s. Originally it was an industrial area incorporating a mine, a mill and a mill pond. The River Etherow
flows through the park and is the source for the mill pond. With the decline of industry, the mill pond and park have become a nature reserve and a place for people to spend time walking and taking in the peaceful surroundings.
Compstall Nature Reserve is a 12.8 hectare (31.6 acre) region of the park which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The area was designated an SSSI in 1977 for its biological interest, in particular its wide range of habitats including open water, tall fen, reed swamp
, carr and mixed deciduous woodland
. The site is also of considerable ornithological interest with water rail
, a particularly uncommon species, having been recorded.
Etherow Country Park has many local groups associated with it. Etherow Country Park Sailing Club is a small sailing club which has good results nationally, it recently came 20th out of 78 in the Southport 24 Hour Race. The friends of Etherow are a small local community group; other groups include the anglers and the model boaters.
Compstall
Compstall is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England, between Marple Bridge and Romiley. It was formerly a mill village, built by George Andrew in the 1820s to house his 800 workers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
between Marple Bridge
Marple Bridge
Marple Bridge is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Goyt, which runs through the centre of the village, and is close to the town of Marple....
and Romiley
Romiley
Romiley is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It borders Marple, Bredbury and Woodley. In Roman times there is thought to have been a settlement along Sandy Lane...
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in north west England, centred around the town of Stockport. It has a population of about 280,600 and includes the outyling areas of Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Bredbury, Reddish and Romiley...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
It was one of England's first country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
s. Originally it was an industrial area incorporating a mine, a mill and a mill pond. The River Etherow
River Etherow
The River Etherow is a river in northern England, and a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire. The upper valley is known as Longdendale...
flows through the park and is the source for the mill pond. With the decline of industry, the mill pond and park have become a nature reserve and a place for people to spend time walking and taking in the peaceful surroundings.
Compstall Nature Reserve is a 12.8 hectare (31.6 acre) region of the park which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The area was designated an SSSI in 1977 for its biological interest, in particular its wide range of habitats including open water, tall fen, reed swamp
Reed bed
Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions andestuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground...
, carr and mixed deciduous woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. The site is also of considerable ornithological interest with water rail
Water Rail
The Water Rail is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range...
, a particularly uncommon species, having been recorded.
Etherow Country Park has many local groups associated with it. Etherow Country Park Sailing Club is a small sailing club which has good results nationally, it recently came 20th out of 78 in the Southport 24 Hour Race. The friends of Etherow are a small local community group; other groups include the anglers and the model boaters.