Visit Kersal Places

Welcome to Visit Kersal Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Kersal

  

Kersal Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Kersal

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Kersal history

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Kersal has been variously known as Kereshale, Kershal, Kereshole, Carshall and Kersall. The name incorporates the Old English word halh, meaning “a piece of flat alluvial land by the side of a river”. “Kersal” indicates that this was land where cress grew. In 1142, Kereshale was given to the Priory of Lenton, an order of Cluniac monks, who established an early cell there named St Leonard’s. On the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540 Henry VIII sold the priory and its lands to one Baldwin Willoughby. It was sold eight years later to Ralph Kenyon, who was acting on behalf of himself, James Chetham of Crumpsall and Richard Siddall of Withington. The Kenyon third was sold about the year 1660 to the Byroms of Manchester, whose line terminated on the death of Eleanora Atherton in 1870. All the land eventually descended to, or was bought by, the Clowes family (the Lords of the Manor of Broughton) who began to sell off the land for development in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The most famous resident of Kersal Cell was John Byrom (1692–1763). It is said that he wrote the hymn Christians Awake there, but it is more likely that it was written at his home in the Old Shambles in Manchester above what is now the Wellington Inn. In the 17th century, the Kersal Moor races were the great event of the year. They usually took place around Whit Week when large numbers of people turned the area into a giant fairground for several days. The moor was also used for nude male races, allowing females to study the form before choosing their mates. Indeed, in the 18th century, Roger Aytoun, known as “Spanking Roger”, later a hero of the Siege of Gibraltar, acquired Hough Hall in Moston, through marriage after such a race. Kersal Moor was also host to one of the great political events of the 19th century, when it was the meeting place for the largest of the Chartist Assemblies attended by at least 30,000 people in September 1838 and again in May 1839. It was also the site of one of the first golf courses to be built outside Scotland. Kersal Links opened in 1818, and was the oldest golf course between the Thames and the Tweed until it closed in 1960. The Kersal Moor races began prior to 1680 and continued, with various interruptions, until 1847 when the course was switched to the other side of the River Irwell, to Castle Irwell, where it remained until 1963. In 1961 the Members’ Stand at the Castle Irwell Racecourse was opened and contained the world’s first executive boxes. The architect for the racecourse, Ernest Atherden, showed this to the directors of Manchester United who opened their first executive box in 1965, and hence began the modern corporatisation of sport. Kersal remained a rural area until about 1840 when the Clowes family, who owned most of the land in the area, began to sell it off for development, and merchants and manufacturers began to build their mansions in the green fields of Higher Broughton and Kersal. In keeping with their own ideas of social engineering they imposed strict covenants on how the land was used, reserving the higher ground for more well-to-do residents and the lower ground for workers’ cottages. The number of public houses was severely restricted and then, only beer houses that didn’t sell spirits were allowed. Singleton Road and Moor Lane were the only roads connecting Bury Old Road and Bolton Road and there was a toll bar on the corner of Bury Old Road. When Bury New Road was built in 1831 a gate or bar was erected and travellers had to pay a toll to the turnpike trust to pass through. A toll house was erected on Bury New Road with a bay window projecting out so that the toll collector had a clear view of the road. By 1848 the local authority had taken over the road, the tolls were abolished and the toll collector’s house became a newsagent’s. This was the only shop in an area where the landowner’s restrictive covenants prevented commercial development. The exterior of the house remains largely unchanged to this day, although it was renovated in 2007 with a two-storey extension being added to the rear. The Toll House is now a Grade II listed building. In the 1930s a large council housing estate was built to the east of Littleton Road. Twelve high-rise tower blocks, known as Kersal flats, were constructed for Salford Council in the 1960s. Eight of these were demolished in 1990. The other blocks were sold to private developers to renovate for private sale. The Housing Act 1980 gave tenants the right to buy. Since then much of the council estate has been sold to sitting tenants and by 2011 just over 50% of homes in the Kersal Ward were in owner-occupation.

Kersal geography / climate

Kersal is bounded on the north by Singleton Brook, which defines the border with Prestwich, on the south and west by the River Irwell and on the east by Broughton. The west and south of the district lie in the flood-plain of the river, and consequently have historically been subject to flooding. Serious floods were documented in 1866, 1946, 1954 and 1980.

You can visit Kersal places with Walkfo Kersal to hear history at Kersal’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Kersal has 220 places to visit in our interactive Kersal map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Kersal, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Kersal places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Kersal & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 220 audio facts unique to Kersal places in an interactive Kersal map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Kersal Places Map
220 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Kersal historic spots	Kersal tourist destinations	Kersal plaques	Kersal geographic features
Walkfo Kersal tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Kersal

  

Best Kersal places to visit

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Kersal has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Kersal’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Kersal’s information audio spots:

Blackley Cemetery Blackley Cemetery is a large, municipal cemetery situated within the northern suburbs of Manchester . It is owned, operated and maintained by Manchester City Council . It was opened in 1953 on land that was previously a golf course .

Church of the Ascension, Lower Broughton The Church of the Ascension is a Grade II listed Anglican church in Lower Broughton, Salford, England. In February 2017 a fire destroyed the roof and interior of the building.

HM Prison Manchester HM Prison Manchester is a high-security men’s prison in Manchester, England, operated by Her Majesty’s Prison Service. It is known for its prominent ventilation tower and imposing design. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1868 alongside the demolished Manchester Assize Courts.

Pendlebury (ward) Pendlebury is an electoral ward of Salford, England. It is represented in Westminster by Rebecca Long-Bailey MP Rebecca Long Bailey. A profile of the ward conducted in 2014 recorded a population of 13,434.

Irwell Riverside (ward) Irwell Riverside (ward) is an electoral ward of Salford, England. The ward is bounded by meanders of the River Irwell and includes the main university campus. It is represented in Westminster by Rebecca Long-Bailey MP for Salfords and Eccles.

St Thomas’ Church, Pendleton St Thomas’ Church is on Broad Street, Pendleton, Salford, Greater Manchester. It was a Commissioners’ church, having received a grant towards its construction from the Church Building Commission. It is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.

Greater Manchester Built-up Area The Greater Manchester Built-up Area has a population of 2,553,379 according to the United Kingdom Census 2011. It is the second most populous conurbation in the UK after the Greater London built-up area. The area is not conterminous with Greater Manchester, for it excludes settlements such as Wigan and Marple from Greater Manchester.

HM Prison Forest Bank HM Prison Forest Bank is a Category B men’s private prison. It is located in the Agecroft area of Pendlebury in Salford near Manchester. The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services.

Irlams o’ th’ Height Irlams o’ th’ Height is a suburb of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is located in the centre of the city’s population.

Salford Acoustics Salford Acoustics is based in two locations: (i) 3 km west of Manchester city centre, UK, and (ii) on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal at MediaCityUK. It undertakes public and industrial research in acoustics and carries out commercial testing.

Visit Kersal plaques