Raikes Clough

Raikes Clough is located on a bend in the River Croal in the southeast of Bolton.

This area was heavily modified and has suffered pollution from the time of the industrial revolution and up to the latter 20th Century. Once the site of a number of bleachworks, coal pits and a nearby sewage works – the old iron pipes can be seen crossing the river today, alongside a couple that are probably still in use.

It’s not a great place to visit today, but there are many remains of Bolton’s water-powered past sandwiched between the work-yards that surround the area.

Raikes Bleach Works

Raikes Bleach Works operated from the early 19th Century at the confluence of the River Tongue and the Croal. The former site is now below the buildings of Raikes Lane Industrial Estate, but there are a number of features remaining down by the river including the remains of a brick-lined outflow into the Croal, just below a huge weir. The weir itself would probably be for another works downstream. In fact, a further mill leat came off the top of the weir on the opposite side.