Discover Astley: manor house, history and walking routes

Astley can be explored from several perspectives: historic buildings, settlement history and routes through the landscape each offer a different focus. Damhouse and Astley Vicarage represent architectural history; Colliers Wood combines a landscaped setting with the site’s former use. There are also links to agriculture, home textile production and mining. When planning your trip, you can consider whether you are most interested in architecture, local history, or routes and landscapes.

Buildings and architecture

Damhouse is a 16th-century manor house set in 17 acres of woodland. Guided tours explore the historic building and its stories. Astley Vicarage dates from 1704, is a particularly early Neoclassical building and has changed little since it was built. The two buildings differ in their focus: at Damhouse, tours explore the building and its stories, while Astley Vicarage is notable for its early Neoclassical style and how little it has changed since it was built. If you would like to include a tour in your travel plans, check the available dates in advance.

Settlement history and archaeological remains

The local history reveals two different economic beginnings: Astley Village began as a small rural settlement based on agriculture and small-scale home textile production, while Gin Pit Village grew up around mining. New Hall Farm is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, an archaeological site featuring the outline of a house surrounded by a moat. The churchyard of St Stephens remains undeveloped to this day, east of Church Road, opposite the entrance to the Astley Estate. Together, these places illustrate different forms of local heritage: an archaeological site with a house outline and a churchyard that remains undeveloped to this day.

Landscape and character

The Astley Village Conservation Area includes an ancient woodland and a pond, which offer informal recreational opportunities. Dam House is an important landmark at the centre of the Conservation Area. A semi-natural ancient woodland southeast of Dam House is designated as a Site of Biological Importance. The view along Astley Hall Drive towards Dam House highlights the rural character of the Conservation Area. The woodland and pond are associated with informal recreational opportunities; the woodland southeast of Dam House has the separate designation of Site of Biological Importance.

Walking routes and practical planning

Colliers Wood was created on former industrial land and comprises 130 hectares of woodland and meadows, with approximately 60,000 trees and five kilometres of footpaths.

The Heritage (Diamond Route) is approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long. Unlike the five kilometres of footpaths in Colliers Wood, this figure describes the length of a named route. South of Colliers Wood, the Heritage Route can connect to the Bridgewater Canal.

Parking for the Heritage (Diamond Route) is available at Astley Street Park in Tyldesley. Before your trip, check current parking options and route accessibility; both may be important for your specific plans.

Discover more destinations: Kearsley, Rochdale, Oldham, Timperley, Standish, Mottram In Longdendale, Urmston, Horwich

For the wider travel overview: Greater Manchester.