Werneth Low

Infobox Mountain
Name = Werneth Low
Photo = Werneth Low.jpg
Caption = Werneth Low, showing the cenotaph, and the Greater Manchester Urban Area in the background.
Elevation = 279 m (915 ft)
Location = Greater Manchester, England
Range = Pennines
Prominence = "c." 112 m
Coordinates =
Topographic
OS "Landranger" 109
Grid_ref_UK = SJ968930

Werneth Low is a hill in Greater Manchester, England, and a part of the Pennine mountain chain. It is located on the borders of Stockport and Tameside and rises to height of 279 metres (915 feet). The villages of Gee Cross, Mottram and Romiley lie on the sides of the low.

The term "low" does not refer to any lack of altitude, it being a North English word for hill.

Werneth Low offers panoramic views over the Greater Manchester Urban Area and in clear weather, the Winter Hill transmitting station can be seen from here. To the south, Stockport town centre, part of
Wythenshawe in south Manchester and the Welsh Mountains can be viewed in clear weather.

Manchester landmarks can be seen from the top of Werneth Low; Manchester's Beetham Tower can be seen and the Oldham Civic Centre.

History

A flint knife and a Bronze Age stone mace head have been discovered on Werneth Low. [Nevell (1992), p. 38.] Hangingbank is the site of a possible Iron Age farmstead dating to the first millennium BC, enclosed by a double ditch and featuring crop marks. [Nevell (1992), p. 51.] A Roman road from Melandra to Astbury probably crosses the hill, however the exact course has not been identified. [Nevell (1992), pp. 60-61.] The site covers convert|1.23|ha|acre.Nevell (1992), p. 68.] There is also evidence of Romano-British activity on Werneth Low, a sherd of Roman pottery dating to the 2nd century AD was discovered in the material filling one of the ditches at Hangingbank, indicating that was when the site fell out of use. There is a possible temporary Roman camp and excavations have recovered a posthole. [cite web |title=Monument no. 1085608 |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1085608 |publisher=Pastscape.org.uk |accessdate=2008-05-26] The name Werneth derives from the Welsh "verno" for alder meaning 'the place where alders grow'. [Nevell (1992), p. 85.]

In 1920 Lower Higham Farm and all its land was purchased by the War Memorial Committee of the Hyde Borough Council in 1920, and in 1921 Hyde's main war memorial was officially unveiled.cite web |title=Werneth Low country park |url=http://www.tameside.gov.uk/tmbc2/werneth.htm |publisher=Tameside.gov.uk |accessdate=2008-05-25] A Royal Observer Corps monitoring post was active here from 1962 to 1968, [cite web |title=Hyde |url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/cgi-bin/webdata_roc.pl?fid=988264180&query=pagenum%3D1%26cgifunction%3DSearch%26County%3DCheshire&cgifunction=form |publisher=Subterranea Britannica |accessdate=2008-05-25] it was intended to give warning of hostile aircraft and nuclear attacks on the United Kingdom. [cite web |title=Monument no. 1414423 |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1414423 |publisher=Pastscape.org.uk |accessdate=2008-05-26] In the late 1980s, Greater Manchester Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and the Hyde War Memorial Trust worked together to establish Werneth Low country park which covers convert|80|ha|acre; the park was officially opened in 1980.

References

Bibliography

*

External links

* [http://www.tameside.gov.uk/tmbc2/werneth.htm Werneth Low Country Park]