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54. Manchester Pennine Fringe
• Transitional zone between wild open moorlands and densely populated urban areas with an abrupt boundary where the town stops and the countryside starts.
• 18th and 19th century stone and brick-built industrial buildings including mill lodges and reservoirs originating from the woollen and cotton industry along the valley bottoms and providing important heritage features.
• Broadly similar elevational range of 100-300 metres largely comprising ridges and steep sided valleys with fast flowing rivers.
• Stock rearing and rough grazing on improved grassland between urban areas.
• Field boundaries include dry 'gritstone' walls at higher elevations and hedgerows at lower elevations with predominance of holly along valley bottoms.
• Countryside with an unkempt appearance due to heavy recreational demands and diversification of farming into uses such as haulage and riding schools.
• Mineral extraction related to the quarrying of local sandstones creates prominent scars on the landscape.
• Historic trans-Pennine communication routes, especially railways and canals, form important part of the cultural landscapes.
• Woodland cover is sparse overall with concentrated pockets confined to narrow, steep-sided river valleys.
• Overspill housing estates including high rise blocks form unsympathetic elements in the landscape.
• Elevated vantage points providing extensive views across adjacent Manchester conurbation.
For further details on this character area and for an introduction to the region, please see the PDF documents in the box at the top right hand side of this page.
