Fears plan could cut old Roman road route
ACOLOSSAL development of 4,000 houses on green belt land between High Lane and Hazel Grove is alarming conservationists as well as residents.
If the proposal went ahead it would destroy the route of a major Roman road which linked Manchester and Stockport to Buxton and threaten other monuments.
Enough evidence has been unearthed to establish that the main Roman Highway from Londinium to Mancunium (the M6 of its day) cut across fields between High Lane and Bosden Fold, passing close by listed Broadoak Moat.
A place name ‘The Pavement’ indicates a Roman origin, and workmen building Bosden Farm estate in the 1970s found ‘a very solid layer of stones and packed gravels’ about 1.5 metres down.
In 1996 a geophysical survey near Broadoak Moat revealed evidence for the road on a NW/SE alignment.
This continues across the proposed development site towards High Lane and Disley and at Higher Disley the road was again confirmed by excavation and a coin of emperor Valentinian I (364-75) was uncovered.
Broadoak Moat itself, though not on the proposed site, is nearby on land which could be affected by improvements to infrastructure. It is a medieval moated site built in 1354 by John de Legh on land from which he had cleared 60 acres within the Forest of Macclesfield and may have had an earlier origin as a Roman marching camp.
John de Legh was steward of the Duke of Lancaster’s lands in Cheshire and had an early career of theft and murder, which is probably why he dug the encircling moat, still filled with water though his timbered hall has gone.
The area was also riddled with early coal mining galleries running out from Norbury Pit and other mines.
Local residents are concerned that ‘the biggest housing development’ planned in Greater Manchester would swallow up several farms between Threaphurst Lane, Windlehurst Road and the A6 and put unsupportable pressures on roads and local services changing the character of the area forever. »»Stories about the history of Broadoak Moat, local coal mining activities and early roads can be found in back copies of Stockport Heritage Magazine on sale at St Mary’s Heritage Centre, where we have an index, and the Book Exchange, Covered Market Hall. Our latest winter issue is on sale in newsagents, WH Smiths, Waterstones, Co-ops, bookshops and online at stockportheritage magazine.co.uk.