Victoria meadow, Salford, Greater Manchester

Victoria Meadow, named for Queen Victoria who visited here twice, was drained during construction of the Bridgewater Canal and then used for intensive farming until the latter half of the 20th century. As a result of ecologically insensitive agricultural practises the meadow currently lacks any depth of plant diversity and correspondingly any breadth of the potentially rich, associated wildlife.

Reintroducing Biodiversity

The vision for Victoria Meadow is to transform it into a rich landscape of native flora that will thrive in the peaks and troughs of the undulating landscape. Improving the biodiversity of the meadow will take time and will happen when excessive soil nutrient levels from past farming reduce sufficiently to allow introduced species to establish.

In summer, the meadow will be packed with grasses and seed heads, and from harvest time the yellow stubble of the hay crop will be on the horizon. Our aim is to promote a biodiverse, unimproved neutral grassland that has benefits for the wider environment.

Chat Moss

Chat Moss is an ancient lowland raised peat bog that covers about 10 square miles, though it once covered a much larger area that included the low lying southern part of RHS Garden Bridgewater. The area has significant value to wildlife including overwintering raptors like the hen harrier, merlin and short-eared owl. Soil movements and excavation on Victoria Meadow disturbed deeply buried, historic seed banks associated with the black peaty soils of Chat Moss. Amongst those to germinate was the distinctive Galeopsis speciosa, a beautiful and once common annual species associated with peat-based agricultural land.

Wildflowers, such as Galeopsis speciosa, also known as the Hemp-nettle will soon establish across Victoria Meadow.

Celebratory Planting

The historic tree copse, which consists of mature beech, oak, ash and hawthorn, will soon be joined by three new groups of trees on the meadow.

The additional planting commemorates Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee - celebrated for seventy years of service. Known as the Queen's Green Canopy, the seventy trees were first displayed at the 2021 Chelsea flower show before being relocated to Victoria Meadow.

Victoria Meadow: Proud Heritage

The Bridgewater Canal runs just beyond the southern edge of Victoria Meadow. First opened in July 1761, the canal network was one of the most important industrial developments in the history of Britain.

Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution

Bridgewater Canal, named after its owner, Francis Egerton 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, was built to transport coal from the underground mines at Worsley Delph to the Barton Aqueduct in Salford. This access to coal sparked massive investment in Manchester, and is considered a major catalyst in the Industrial Revolution.

Bridgewater Canal was the first to be built without following an existing watercourse and was nicknamed the "Duke's Cut". This approach to engineering canals revolutionised coal transport and marked the beginning of the golden canal era which followed for the next 50 years.

The section of the canal adjacent to the garden runs between Worsley and Leigh. This route was built in 1795 and linked the canal with the Wigan branch of the Leeds to Liverpool canal network.

Royal Visits

Victoria Meadow is named after one of Worsley New Hall's most famous visitors, Queen Victoria. The Queen first stayed in 1851, travelling to the Hall along the Bridgewater Canal. To commemorate her visit, attempts were made to dye the water blue and a steam powered royal barge and landing stage were built for the occasion. Victoria stayed at the Worsley New Hall and noted

"The terraces in front of the house are very pretty, and the view from them very extensive... Several electric lights were displayed on the terrace, giving quite the effect of sunshine, really wonderful." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RHS_Garden_Bridgewater

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Taken in: UK / England / Worsley (show map)

Taken on: May 8, 2022

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Sets appears in: • Planted • Manchestered

Groups appears in: • RHS Bridgewater

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