SD7912 : Burrs Mill Chimney
taken 4 years ago, near to Limefield, Bury, England
Burrs Country Park lies on the River Irwell one mile to the northwest of Bury town centre.
The area now covered by the park has seen human activity since pre-Roman times when a settlement was established at Castlesteads. In 1752 a farmhouse was built on the north side of the river. The original farmhouse is still in existence and is now the Brown Cow public house.
Burrs Mill and Higher Woodhill Mill were constructed during the industrial revolution. Initially they were powered by water from the river Irwell and a weir and goit were constructed to carry the water to the mills. The construction of the Manchester, Bolton Bury Canal meant that a water supply was required to feed the header reservoir at Elton. To accommodate this, the canal feeder was constructed around 1803 and connected into the existing goit.
In 1930 Higher Woodhill Mill was demolished and in 1933 the depression caused the remaining mills to close. In 1952 the earliest part of Burrs Mill was demolished. The rest of the mill followed in 1982 leaving only the chimney and the workers cottages. The site was acquired by Bury Metro in 1986 and, since then, the area has been transformed from a derelict industrial site to a modern country park. Important historical features such as Burrs mill chimney, the mill floor and the water wheel pit have been retained so that the history of the site can be appreciated. In 2001 a purpose built agricultural show ground was constructed at Burrs where Bury Agricultural Society stage their annual show in each July.
Burrs features a wide variety of different wildlife habitats - woodland, open space, wetland, ponds and waterways. There is also a Caravan Club site. In 2016, the East Lancashire Railway opened a halt on the eastern side of the park, next to the caravan site.
Link Bury MBC
Link Caravan and Motorhome Club
Link Friends of Burrs Country Park