| Manifold | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Manifold Valley from Thor's Cave | |
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | South ofBuxton nearAxe Edge |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with theDove |
• coordinates | 53°3′0″N1°47′5″W / 53.05000°N 1.78472°W /53.05000; -1.78472 |
| Length | 12 miles (19 km) |
| Basin size | 9,111 hectares (22,510 acres)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Dove—Trent—Humber—North Sea |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Oakenclough Brook, Warslow Brook, Hoo Brook, River Hamps |
TheRiver Manifold is a river inStaffordshire, England. It is atributary of theRiver Dove (which also flows through thePeak District, forming the boundary betweenDerbyshire and Staffordshire).
The Manifold rises at Flash Head[2] just south ofBuxton nearAxe Edge,[3] at the northern edge of theWhite Peak, known for itslimestone beds. It continues for 12 miles (19 km)[4] before it joins the Dove. For part of its course, it runs underground (except when in spate), fromWetton Mill toIlam.[2] During this section it is joined by its major tributary, theRiver Hamps.
Villages on the river includeLongnor,Hulme End andIlam.
Its name may come fromAnglo-Saxonmanig-fald = "many folds", referring to itsmeanders.
The Manifold Way is an 8-mile (13 km)long-distance footpath and cycle track fromHulme End toWaterhouses, along the former route of the narrow-gauge (2' 6")Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway which operated between 1904 and 1934.[5] Opened in July 1937 after the LMS handed over the trackbed to Staffordshire County Council, it is tarmacked throughout.
The Manifold Valley Visitor Centre is housed in Hulme End Station, which also has a model of the railway.[6]
[This paragraph needs citation(s)]The limestone cliffs that fringe the valley contain several rock-climbing areas, and named rock features, includingThor's Cave (grid referenceSK098549) andBeeston Tor (grid referenceSK105540), which overlooks the confluence with the River Hamps.
The Manifold valley was famous for the mining of copper and lead, and the mines atEcton were some of the richest in the country. The discovery ofStone Age implements in some of the caves imply that minerals were mined around the Manifold valley thousands of years ago. Nowadays there is little trace of the industry that made many people (mainly theDuke of Devonshire who at one time owned theEcton mines) very rich.[3] The main areas of interest are around Ecton where the old spoil banks and the old engine house still remain.
The river has been noted as being important forEuropean bullhead andlamprey. In the underground section of the river where it resurfaces at Ilam, the bullhead have no pigmentation. It was previously a stronghold forwhite-clawed crayfish, but most of the river's population were wiped out bycrayfish plague in 2008.[7] Crayfish have been noted in the tributaries of the Manifold and it is hoped that re-colonisation can be achieved by the surviving upstream crayfish.
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| International | |
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| National | |
