Interview and article by Liz Postlethwaite
Andy Carson is a local photographer whose work is recognisible to many people through the Love Springwater Park Facebook group where he shares many of his beautiful images of the wildlife and environments in Springwater Park. As well as this knowledge of the flora and fauna in the park Andy has a great knowledge of the history of the site, elements of which he documented in 2017 through a project which he undertook as part of his photography degree. We spoke to Andy about this project and about his own connection to Springwater Park.
Can you explain your links to Springwater Park?
“I have been going down there for over 30 years. As a kid I used to go on the playground that was there and football pitch. I can even remember the toilet block and changing rooms when they were open. I visit there now nearly every day with my dogs or just for a wander with my camera to catch the mood and nature in the park.”
When did you become interested in the park’s history and why?
“I became interested in the park’s history a few years ago whilst trying to think of a local project I could do for the second year of my BA in photography. With using the park regularly and seeing the quickly dissapearing remains of the mills and the cottages I decided to look more into it then.”
Can you explain a little about the project?
“The project I started was on nature reclaiming the old buildings and the disappearance of the old mills and calico work. This has now spread to capturing the wildlife that occupies the different habitats in the park, particularly of the river, the pond and the field.”
How did you approach the photography?
“I initially took the time taking photos of as many different parts of the remains of buildings still visible in the woods above the car park. I also took pictures of the original roadway and gatepost. Through many different shoots I took well over 200 photos. This then was narrowed down to a set of 12 to be displayed in an exhibition at university, and also in Bury Archives where it was on display for a couple of months.”
What other research did you do?
“Not much extra research was actually done. Once the focus was narrowed down to a specific area, and agreed on with tutors, the research was easily streamlined into looking just at specific reports and archives related to that area.”
What did you discover as a result of your project?
“From the research and the photos, I eventually discovered quite a long timeline of the park’s history. This went from the Cromwell era and the myth about the guns shooting at the tower over the river in Radcliffe (the canons wouldnt reach that far back then…) though the area was used as a practice range for sailors, hence the name Sailors Brow. I was fascinated to learn about Whitefield gaining its name from the white sheets laid out to dry in rows from the bleaching process in the bleach works. And that Radcliffe was previously known as “red cliff” due to the geology of the area and the colour of the soil being very red due to clay content.”
What was your favourite discovery?
“I think my favourite discovery was that the area was used for some military purpose during the world wars. At blackford bridge it was a gunpowder / ammunitions factory with some remains still there. Springwater itself is more shrouded in mystery, though at the top of the hill above the car park, there is an old gun emplacement made of concrete!”
Where can people read the book that you created?
“The book can be found in the archives section of Bury Library, along with a selection of photographs from the exhibiton. You can also read more about the project on my website.”
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