From Hearth To Ruin; Watergroves Lost Farms

Above the village of Wardle in the vale of Watergrove, the wind whispers through the ruins of a vanished community. Before Rochdales need for water swallowed the valley, hundreds called this land home. Families worked, celebrated, lived and loved here for generations. Then came the order: every farm and every cottage was to be vacated and demolished to make way for the reservoir. Now, moss covered piles of rubble and lichen clad gateposts are all that remain, but each one holds a story. Join us as we trudge over marshes, through grassy cloughs and up lofty ridges, uncovering these forgotten homes. The echoes of many lives swept away still linger in the windswept valley and provide proof that even in silence, the past still speaks to us across the void of time. ‘Penumbra’ by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au Many thanks to the members of Wardle & Smallbridge History Group Chapters 0:00 Intro 4:03 The Lost Farms 49:50 Watergrove Memory Wall 52:25 Outro