Portal:Greater Manchester/Selected article/2

Chat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30% of the City of Salford. It is north of the River Irwell, 5 mi to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about 10.6 sqmi. It is thought to be about 7,000 years old, but peat development seems to have begun about 10,000 years ago.

Much work was carried out, particularly during the 19th century, to reclaim large areas of Chat Moss. The bog threatened the completion of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, until George Stephenson succeeded in constructing a railway line in 1829, which "floated" on a wood and stone foundation. Today, the M62 motorway also crosses the moss.

Much of Chat Moss is prime agricultural land, although farming in the area is in decline. A large-scale network of drainage channels is required to keep the land from reverting to bog. A 228 acre area of Chat Moss, notified as Astley & Bedford Mosses, was designated an SSSI in 1989. Along with nearby Risley Moss and Holcroft Moss, Astley & Bedford Mosses has also been designated as a European Union Special Area of Conservation, known as Manchester Mosses. More...