Monument record 15231 - Mow Cop to Congleton Moss Tramway

<1> Kirkham, L, 2002, The Mow Cop Tunnel and Tramways of the North Staffordshires - Cheshire Border (Article in Journal). SCH8980.

To facilitate the expansion of the market for coal from the Tower Hill and Stonetrough Collieries in Biddulph, a horse drawn, “iron railed” way was constructed in 1803 to cover the three miles to Congleton Moss. Examination of a length of embankment revealed a forty-five feet section of stone sleepers for a four feet gauge tramway. The three feet long cast iron rails had an oval “fish bellied” cross section with flat seating pads cast at the ends. Two semi-circular holes cast into the flange ends butted together to form a pair of wholes with which the rail could be fixed to the stone sleeper with an iron spike. Of the approximately eleven thousand rails required for the tramway, only one is known to have survived and is held at the Chapel Museum in Mow Cop. An incomplete cast iron waggon wheel with a concave rim to match the rail type, is held by a local landowner.

<2> Unknown, Various, Mow Cop Interactive, http://www.mowcop.info/htm/industry/rail.htm (Web Site). SCH7739.

Circa 1807 a tramway was built from Stone Trough Farm to Mossley for the purpose of supplying coal to Congleton. The track had an oval cross section and was made of cast iron, with stone blocks for the sleepers, some of which can apparently be seen on the embankment above lime works at Astbury. The width of the embankment suggests that the tramway was two feet in gauge. The tramway crossed over what is now Ganny bank on a bridge where embankments also survive.

<3> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R, 26/02/2021 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

The tramway was probably superseded by the tunnel, tramway and inclined plane, built in 1832 which connected the collieries to the Macclesfield Canal. It's course can be traced using historic maps for 2.5 kilometres and where earthworks survive, the tramway and it's associated features is approximately eight metres wide.

<4> Bryant, A., 1831, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2114.

Bryant’s map of 1831 clearly depicts the tramway and its route. At the northern end of the tramway a coal wharf is labelled and the tramway itself is labelled as a Private Rail Road.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ8658 (1875), SJ8659 (1875-1891) & SJ8660 (1873-1891) (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.

Although the tramway is not depicted as such, much of the route is clearly depicted. The route starts adjacent to Corda Well on Congleton Edge and follows an S shaped course across Cheshire’s Close, before following a relatively straight course north-east to Mow Lane. The tramway crosses Mow lane and turns to a north-westerly course for c.230m, before returning to a north-easterly course for c.170m. Notably the map depicts an embankment for this section. The course changes to a north-north-easterly direction at the end of the embankment and then runs straight, passing to the east of Fairfields. To the north of Fairfields, the precise course for the final section to Moss Road, is indiscernible.

<6> The GeoInformation Group, 2005, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review (Aerial Photograph). SCH4608.

Within Cheshire’s Close there is a strong indication on aerial photographs that the tramway survives as an earthwork.

<7> Bluesky International Ltd, 2015-2017, Aerial Photography for Great Britain, Bluesky International APGB Imagery 2015-2017, SJ8659 & SJ8660, 03/04/2017 (Aerial Photograph). SCH8848.

Within Cheshire’s Close there is a strong indication on aerial photographs that the tramway survives as an earthwork. In the fields either side of Mow Lane evidence is limited to a slight cropmark.