247 Locksmiths

Gallery Oldham

Mumps · 1.2 miles

Gallery Oldham is a free-to-view public museum and art gallery in the Cultural Quarter of central Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.

Clayton Vale

Clayton · 3.7 miles

A stretch of green space along the River Medlock offers a haven for wildlife within the Clayton area of Manchester. Designated as a Local Nature Reserve, the vale provides a natural habitat where visitors can observe a variety of species in a setting that has recovered from an industrial past. The park lies close to the town of Clayton and is marked on OpenStreetMap as a public green area. The landscape bears traces of its former factories and community facilities. In the early nineteenth century the valley accommodated the Bank Bridge Works and a tannery, while a smallpox hospital served seafarers after the Manchester Ship Canal opened. Further downstream the Clayton Vale Print Works and the Culcheth Dye Works operated beside the river, both now vanished but still hinted at by foundation stones in the riverbed. River engineering, including a red-brick lining installed after an 1872 flood, can be seen from the historic Clayton Bridge. The site also hosted Coates Farm, a local inn known as the Bay Horse, and a railway station that functioned from 1846 until its closure in 1968. Following decades of neglect, the Medlock Valley Scheme redeveloped the area in 1986, transforming it into the present-day nature reserve. Access to the vale is via the surrounding streets of Clayton, with the nearest settlement providing the main point of entry. No admission fee or visitor facilities are detailed in the available data, and the area remains open for public enjoyment as a park.

Gorse Hall

Stalybridge · 3.7 miles

Set on a hill that overlooks the Cheshire Plain and the Pennine Hills, Gorse Hall lies just outside Stalybridge in Greater Manchester. The area, once a 35-acre estate of meadow and woodland, takes its name from the common gorse that grew abundantly there. Today the site is recorded as a park on OpenStreetMap and forms a green space bordering Dukinfield. The estate once contained two large houses. The older hall, whose origins may reach back to the 17th century, formed part of the manor of Dockenfeld held by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Duckenfield during the English Civil War. After Lady Dukinfield Daniel’s death in 1762 the property passed to the artist John Astley and later to his relative Francis Dukinfield Astley, who added a hunter’s tower in 1807. In 1836 John Leech, a cotton manufacturer, erected the New Gorse Hall; his daughter Helen was the mother of author Beatrix Potter, a link commemorated by a small rabbit statue in the grounds. Both houses fell into ruin; a lone fireplace and painted floor foundations now mark where the homes once stood. The site was also the scene of a 1909 murder that led to the demolition of the remaining structure. Since 1999 the Friends of Gorse Hall, a local community group, have leased the land from Tameside Council and maintain it for leisure and educational purposes. Visitors can wander the woodland paths, view the historic remnants and the rabbit statue, and enjoy the open landscape without any specified admission fee or built-in facilities noted in the available sources.

Clayton Hall

Clayton · 3.7 miles

A 15th-century manor house set within a small park in Clayton, Manchester, offers a glimpse of medieval domestic architecture. Built on the mound of a former 12th-century residence, the building sits on an island formed by a moat measuring roughly 66 by 74 metres. Access across the water is provided by a listed stone bridge, thought to date from the late-17th century, which leads to the surviving western wing that combines Georgian and Tudor elements. The hall holds Grade II* status and the mound itself is a scheduled ancient monument, marking it as a rare example of a medieval moated site. Since 2009 the left-hand section has operated as a hands-on living-history museum run by the Friends of Clayton Park. Six rooms are furnished in late-Victorian style, alongside a textiles room displaying vintage garments and antique sewing machines, and a memories room with local historical material. A Tudor-style tea room on the ground floor serves visitors on open days. The museum opens free of charge on the first and third Saturday of each month from February to November, with history talks at 12:00 and 14:00. School groups and families may arrange visits, and occasional events carry a modest fee to cover costs. Manchester City Council retains ownership of the hall and grounds, granting a licence to the volunteer group and contributing to the building’s upkeep.

Tandle Hill Country Park

Thornham Fold · 3.7 miles

Offering extensive beech woodland and open grassland across roughly 110 acres (45 ha), Tandle Hill Country Park lies on the outskirts of Royton in Greater Manchester, close to the settlement of Thornham Fold. The landscape is interlaced with a network of trails and paths that lead into the surrounding countryside, and on clear days the summit affords views of Manchester and the Welsh mountains. Facilities include a countryside centre opened in 1994, picnic areas, a children’s play area and two resident countryside rangers who can provide information and guidance. The hill’s past stretches back to its days as part of the Thornham township within the historic parish of Middleton. In the nineteenth century it served as a meeting point for radicals, prompting the later planting of beech trees to discourage large gatherings. It subsequently became a hunting park and private game reserve belonging to the Thornham Estate, changed hands in 1861, and was eventually gifted to the people of Royton by councillor Norris Bradbury in September 1919 as a peace offering after the First World War. A granite marker near the Oozewood entrance records this donation. The site was formally designated a country park on 1 July 1971. At the highest point stands a Portland-stone war memorial unveiled on 22 October 1921 by the Earl of Derby, commemorating local men who fell in the First World War.

Philips Park

Bradford · 4.3 miles

Set within the River Medlock valley, Philips Park occupies almost 31 acres of woodland, grassland, water and rolling hills two miles east of Manchester city centre. Opened on 22 August 1846, it ranks among the world’s first municipal parks, created through public subscription and the advocacy of local MP Mark Philips. The original carriage drive, serpentine paths, amphitheatre and Head Gardener’s house survive, while archaeological finds such as a Roman coin and a 16th-century halberd testify to the site’s long history. In 2001 the park received Grade II listed status on the National Register of Parks and Gardens, and a Green Flag was awarded in 2005. Facilities include a visitor centre housed in an 1868 lodge by architect Alfred Darbyshire, a park-warden service, toilets, a children’s play area, a hard-standing ball court, a junior football pitch, allotments, a community orchard, a bowling green with pavilion, a show-field for events, picnic spots, seating, quiet zones, a pond and a dipping platform. A friends group works with the wardens to run environmental and educational programmes, health walks and annual gatherings such as the summer Party in the Park and one of Manchester’s larger free fireworks displays in November. Access is straightforward from the city centre, with the park bounded to the north by the River Medlock, to the west by Alan Turing Way, and adjacent to the City of Manchester Stadium, the Velodrome and Philips Park Cemetery. The nearest town listed on OpenStreetMap is Bradford. Admission is free, and the range of amenities makes the park suitable for casual visits, organised events and community activities.