Where is Prestwich ?
Geography
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Prestwich
is situated in the Northwest of England, to the North of the conurbation of the Cities of
Manchester
(originating from the Roman word for fort - chester - and the Celtic word for mother/breast - mamma - describing the local landscape) and
Salford.
Prestwich is situated to the South of the Castle - also - and Market town of Bury - also - also -(originating from the word burh meaning fortification). Both of which nestle to the West of the range of hills called the Pennines. |
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To the immediate North, separated from Prestwich by the M60 Motorway, is the town of Whitefield - also - (meaning dry open pasture). To the East lie the towns of Middleton - also - and Crumpsall, while to West lie Radcliffe and Swinton. |
| To the South lie Broughton and Kersal . |
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Geology Three Hundred million years ago (a.k.a. the Upper Carboniferous period), Europe lay much closer to the equator than it does today, and the whole area was at the bottom of the sea. This sea floor accumulated deposits of mud and sand. These sediments became shale and sandstone up to 300 feet thick. The red sandstones in the Manchester area are referred to as the Manchester Marles, and contain fossilised shell imprints of mollusks. The ice ages (a.k.a Pleistone period) during the last One Million years left behind thick layers of dense clay and pebbles.
Geography plays a crucial role when looking back into the origins of Prestwich as a settlement. Here is a 3D image of Prestwich (from Butterstile Hills) showing the Church of St Mary's (Yellow Cross).
The location of the Church probably indicates the most likely location of the earliest (late Iron age) settlement. The red triangle just North of the Church marks a nearby high point, and possible location for a later (Saxon) settlement, expanded from yet still connected to the site of the Church. This location later became the commercial centre of Prestwich. Over to the East of the Church is the location of the Medieval Deyne Hall, though overlooked by higher ground to the North, it benefited from natural defences to the West, South and, to a lesser extent, the East.
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