541:, quote: "The south bank of the Irk is here very steep and between fifteen and thirty feet high. On this declivitous hillside there are planted three rows of houses, of which the lowest rise directly out of the river, while the front walls of the highest stand on the crest of the hill in Long Millgate. Among them are mills on the river, in short, the method of construction is as crowded and disorderly here as in the lower part of Long Millgate. Right and left a multitude of covered passages lead from the main street into numerous courts, and he who turns in thither gets into a filth and disgusting grime, the equal of which is not to be found - especially in the courts which lead down to the Irk, and which contain unqualifiedly the most horrible dwellings which I have yet beheld. In one of these courts there stands directly at the entrance, at the end of the covered passage, a privy without a door, so dirty that the inhabitants can pass into and out of the court only by passing through foul pools of stagnant urine and excrement. This is the first court on the Irk above Ducie Bridge - in case any one should care to look into it. Below it on the river there are several tanneries which fill the whole neighbourhood with the stench of animal putrefaction. Below Ducie Bridge the only entrance to most of the houses is by means of narrow, dirty stairs and over heaps of refuse and filth. The first court below Ducie Bridge, known as Allen's Court, was in such a state at the time of the cholera that the sanitary police ordered it evacuated, swept and disinfected with chloride of lime. Dr. Kay gives a terrible description of the state of this court at that time. Since then, it seems to have been partially torn away and rebuilt; at least looking down from Ducie Bridge, the passer-by sees several ruined walls and heaps of debris with some newer houses. The view from this bridge, mercifully concealed from mortals of small stature by a parapet as high as a man, is characteristic for the whole district. At the bottom flows, or rather stagnates, the Irk, a narrow, coal-black, foul-smelling stream, full of debris and refuse, which it deposits on the shallower right bank."
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284:(1830) the Irk had "more mill seats upon it than any other stream of its length in the Kingdom" and "the eels in this river were formerly remarkable for their fatness, which was attributed to the grease and oils expressed by the mills from the woollen cloths and mixed with the waters." However, by the start of the 20th century the Irk Valley between
268:. In the 16th century, throwing carrion and other offensive matter into the Irk was forbidden. Water for Manchester was drawn from the river before the Industrial Revolution. A bridge over the Irk was recorded in 1381. The river was noted for destructive floods. In 1480, the
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which "the water of Irk had worn out". In 1816, of seven bridges over the Irk, six were liable to be flooded after heavy rain but the seventh, the Ducie Bridge completed in 1814 was above flood levels.
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electric train fell from the viaduct over the River Irk after colliding with a local steam train. Ten people were killed and 58 injured in what became known as the
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The river has since been culverted as it reaches the city centre. It disappears beneath
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The source of the Irk (left) and its confluence with the Irwell (right)
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times, there was a mill by the Irk at which the tenants of the
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456:. Vol. 2. The Scottish Place-Name Society. p. 166.
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of
Manchester described the highway between Manchester and
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ground their corn and its fisheries were controlled by the
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The Irk Valley
Project at Manchester City Council website
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into a brick tunnel at Ducie Bridge and empties into the
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is a river in the historic county of
Lancashire in the
1294:
Parliamentary constituencies and
Members of Parliament
430:
The
Concise Oxford Dictionary Of English Place-Names
233:The Irk's name is of obscure etymology, but may be
554:. Danger Ahead! – Historic Railway Disasters
495:"The city and parish of Manchester: Introduction"
1449:
492:
466:
302:at the height of the city's industrial excess.
71:Location of the mouth within Greater Manchester
1468:Rivers of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
499:A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4
473:A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4
635:
538:The Condition of the Working Class in England
525:. Holborn: Henry Teesdale and Co. p. 72.
493:Farrer, William; Brownbill, J., eds. (1911),
467:Farrer, William; Brownbill, J., eds. (1911),
1473:Rivers of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
1120:List of civil parishes in Greater Manchester
433:. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. p. 254.
642:
628:
501:, British History Online, pp. 174–187
475:, British History Online, pp. 230–251
19:"Irk" redirects here. For other uses, see
689:Greater Manchester Statutory City Region
316:On 15 August 1953, the front coach of a
237:in origin and related to the Welsh word
450:The Brittonic Language in the Old North
442:
440:
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253:, also takes its name from this word.
1263:Manchester and Salford Junction Canal
1243:Manchester and Salford Junction Canal
684:Greater Manchester Combined Authority
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469:"Townships: Manchester (part 2 of 2)"
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16:River in Greater Manchester, England
307:Manchester Victoria railway station
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1258:Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
1248:Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal
298:described the banks of the Irk in
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1334:Greater Manchester County Council
740:Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
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1425:Transport for Greater Manchester
750:Metropolitan Borough of Trafford
745:Metropolitan Borough of Tameside
735:Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
519:Clarke, Steven Reynolds (1830).
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282:The New Gazetteer of Lancashire
730:Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
720:Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
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151: • coordinates
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755:Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
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225:in the centre of Manchester.
95:Physical characteristics
1458:Rivers of Greater Manchester
1268:Mersey and Irwell Navigation
725:Metropolitan Borough of Bury
522:The New Lancashire Gazetteer
326:Irk Valley Junction disaster
7:
694:Mayor of Greater Manchester
313:beneath a railway viaduct.
139: • location
113: • location
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1375:Grade II* listed buildings
597:Next confluence downstream
552:"Irk Valley Junction 1953"
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1370:Grade I listed buildings
1233:Hulme Locks Branch Canal
589:Next confluence upstream
221:before merging with the
173:53.4869250°N 2.2450361°W
576:Buried River Irk Photos
427:Ekwall, Eilert (1947).
1278:Stockport Branch Canal
1238:Islington Branch Canal
703:Metropolitan districts
178:53.4869250; -2.2450361
1253:Manchester Ship Canal
677:Statutory City Region
1463:Rivers of Manchester
1435:Manchester Metrolink
778:Ashton-in-Makerfield
447:James, Alan (2019).
21:Irk (disambiguation)
1385:Scheduled monuments
766:(cities in italics)
209:and runs west past
169: /
1430:Manchester Airport
1415:Places of interest
918:Ince-in-Makerfield
843:Chorlton-cum-Hardy
710:City of Manchester
658:Greater Manchester
535:Friedrich Engels,
373:Boggart Hole Brook
369:(later Moss Brook)
200:Greater Manchester
196:North West England
1445:
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1273:Peak Forest Canal
1223:Bridgewater Canal
783:Ashton-under-Lyne
764:Major settlements
652:Ceremonial county
618:
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399:Tandle Hill Brook
266:lord of the manor
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1228:Fletcher's Canal
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612:River Medlock
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161:53°29′12.93″N
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943:Little Lever
667:
593:River Irwell
556:. Retrieved
546:
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531:
521:
514:
503:, retrieved
498:
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477:, retrieved
472:
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383:Wince Brook
377:Heaton Brook
367:Moston Brook
315:
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281:
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255:
251:Denbighshire
238:
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223:River Irwell
204:
191:
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164:2°14′42.13″W
144:River Irwell
25:
1336:(1974–1986)
1112:Wythenshawe
1047:Stalybridge
893:Hazel Grove
603:River Croal
558:12 December
402:Thorp Brook
391:Whit Brook
332:Tributaries
176: /
42:The Irk at
1483:Chadderton
1452:Categories
1319:Public art
1309:Demography
1097:Whitefield
1072:Tottington
1005:Ramsbottom
990:Pendlebury
985:Partington
949:Manchester
873:Failsworth
863:Dukinfield
828:Chadderton
773:Altrincham
415:References
408:Long Brook
394:Trub Brook
318:Manchester
300:Manchester
274:Collyhurst
247:Afon Iwrch
241:, meaning
211:Chadderton
1420:Transport
1329:Geography
1116:See also:
1077:Tyldesley
1062:Stretford
1057:Stockport
1000:Radcliffe
995:Prestwich
960:Middleton
878:Farnworth
858:Droylsden
798:Audenshaw
608:River Irk
505:12 August
479:12 August
286:Crumpsall
270:burgesses
235:Brittonic
215:Middleton
192:River Irk
44:Crumpsall
31:River Irk
1355:Churches
1052:Standish
1015:Rochdale
928:Kearsley
883:Golborne
848:Didsbury
818:Bredbury
813:Bramhall
803:Blackrod
793:Atherton
290:Blackley
258:medieval
219:Blackley
80:Location
1410:Museums
1395:History
1350:Castles
1324:Schools
1304:Cycling
1192:Spodden
1177:Medlock
1157:Etherow
1152:Douglas
1107:Worsley
1087:Walkden
1082:Urmston
1067:Swinton
1036:Salford
1020:Romiley
1010:Reddish
970:Mossley
965:Milnrow
908:Horwich
903:Hindley
898:Heywood
833:Cheadle
243:roebuck
229:History
89:England
85:Country
1340:Places
1314:People
1287:Topics
1216:Canals
1182:Mersey
1172:Irwell
1142:Bollin
1130:Rivers
1025:Royton
980:Orrell
975:Oldham
955:Marple
868:Eccles
853:Denton
808:Bolton
788:Astley
614:(East)
605:(West)
311:Irwell
245:. The
207:Royton
133:
118:Royton
107:
104:Source
1390:SSSIs
1380:Mills
1299:Crime
1207:Tonge
1147:Croal
1102:Wigan
933:Leigh
923:Irlam
454:(PDF)
262:manor
239:iwrch
129:Mouth
1360:Flag
1197:Tame
1187:Roch
1162:Goyt
1137:Beal
1042:Shaw
1030:Sale
913:Hyde
888:Hale
823:Bury
560:2007
507:2012
481:2012
322:Bury
288:and
217:and
190:The
1202:Tib
1167:Irk
655:of
320:to
256:In
1454::
497:,
471:,
439:^
328:.
213:,
202:.
643:e
636:t
629:v
562:.
23:.
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