Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Greater Manchester

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales / Legends

Stretford Great Stone

By the entrance of Gorse Hill Park from Chester Road is a large boulder known as the Great Stone. This stone gave its name to Great Stone Road (beside which it stood until 1925) and the old Great Stone Farm. There are many stories, legends and theories concerning the origins of the stone.

Buried Treasure / Legends

Hulme Hall

There are several buildings known as Hulme Hall including one in Allostock, a Grammar School in Cheadle Hulme and a hall of residence for Manchester University. However, the long lost Hulme Hall which was the seat of the Prestwich family is thought to have a hidden treasure protected by occult powers.

English Folktales / Folklore / Folktales

Kersal Cell

The Grade II listed Kersal Cell which dates from 1563 is the second oldest building in Salford and was the home of the English poet John Byrom (also known as John Byrom of Kersal and John Byrom of Manchester) (Born 29 February 1692 – Died 26 September 1763).

Ancient Sites / Standing Stones / Stone Circles

Cheetham Close Stone Circles

The remains of the early Bronze Age Cheetham Close stone circle lies between Chapeltown and Egerton. It measured 18.5 metres and according to a survey by Dryden in 1850, consisted of 6 stones. By 1871 the site was broken up by a tenant of Turton Tower angered by the visitors it was attracting.

Apparitions / Hauntings

Old Madam Of Egerton Hall

There was an Egerton Hall which dated from 1826 and was built by Edmund Ashworth. This building was demolished in 1956. However, in ‘Lancashire Legends’ (1873), John Harland and T T Wilkinson refer to a haunted, older Egerton Hall, which was all but demolished by their time of writing and dating from possibly the 17th century.

Dragons / Legends

Unsworth Dragon

According to ‘Lancashire Legends’ (1873) by John Harland & T T Wilkinson, ‘One of the most noted dragon stories of Lancashire has its locality assigned to Unsworth, a small village or hamlet about three miles from Bury.

August / Early Christianity / Festivals

Rochdale Rush-Bearing

As far as I am aware Rochdale no longer celebrates the Rush Bearing festival, though nearby Littleborough revived theirs in 1991 and continue to celebrate it each year. Below is description of how Rochdale and its Rush-Bearing from Lancashire Legends (1873) by John Harland & T T Wilkinson.

Folklore / Hauntings

Clegg Hall

Clegg Hall is a Grade II listed building dating from the 17th century. Some time between 1910 and 1920 the Hall fell into ruin and remained so until recently. It was put up for sale in 2011 and is a private residence. The Hall is of interest for it has a Boggart story associated with it.

August / Festivals

Saddleworth Rushcart

Rushbearing dates back to the middle ages and is a festival where rushes were collected to be strewn out over the floors of churches, back when the floors were just earthen. The tradition died off when church floors started to be flagged by the 19th century, though in some villages and towns it was revived as a folk custom.