page_title: Carrington Moss
section_title: 20th century
hierarchical_section_title: Carrington Moss / History / 20th century
caption_attribution_description: English: A Common Pheasant on Carrington Moss, Greater Manchester.
context_page_description: Carrington Moss is a large area of peat bog near Carrington in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of the River Mersey, approximately 10 miles south-west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about 1,100 acres. The depth of peat varies between 17 and 20 feet.
  Originally an unused area of grouse moorland, the moss was reclaimed in the latter half of the 19th century for farming and the disposal of Manchester's waste. A system of tramways was built to connect it with the Manchester Ship Canal and a nearby railway line. During the Second World War the land was used as a Starfish site and in the latter half of the 20th century, a large industrial complex was built along its northern edge. More recently, several sporting facilities have been built on Carrington Moss.
  Today, the land is still used for farming and several nature reserves have been established within its bounds. Parts of Carrington Moss are accessible to the public over several rights of way.
context_section_description: By the 1930s, extensive use of the water closet meant that the amount of night soil being delivered to Carrington Moss had dropped significantly.  During this period, the majority of refuse placed on the Moss came from ash bins, although some was from slaughterhouses and lairage facilities.  In 1923, manure of only moderate value was being delivered, supplemented by sulphate of potash, sulphate of ammonia, and super-phosphates.  Altrincham Sewage Farm (visible on the above map) was used to flood the surrounding fields with sewage water.  To the west, a series of disused marl-pits formed Timperley Sewage Beds, a further source of manure.
  Carrington Wharf had fallen out of use by 1934 and with the advent of the Second World War, five miles (8 km) of railway were lifted and all the waggons scrapped.  At the Ministry of Supply's request, much of the infrastructure supporting both Carrington Moss and Chat Moss was sold.  The sidings at Carrington continued to be used by the CLC for waggon storage, but Carrington Wharf was subsumed in 1946 by the construction of Carrington Power Station.  During the war, the moss became one of four sites in Manchester used as a Starfish site—decoy targets for enemy aircraft.  Operational control was the responsibility of RAF Balloon Command.  The site contained an air raid shelter for the operational crew and several combustible devices used to simulate fires and lights.  The site was activated in December 1940 but closed several years later, following a reduction in enemy aircraft attacks and lack of manpower.
  In 1948, the estate was valued at £82,615.  In the year ending March 1971, it produced an income of £20,268.  By that time the entire Moss had been fully reclaimed; 872.785 acres (3.53204 km²) of cultivated land, 39.012 acres (157,880 m²) of roads and plantations, and 30.140 acres (121,970 m²) of 'industrial area' were available for use.  The principal land uses were dairy, arable farming, and glasshouse culture.  No refuse was delivered for the year ending March 1971, and the Moss had by that time taken a total of 1,305,822 tons of refuse.
  Industrialisation of the moss took place from 1947–1952 when Petro-Carbon ltd began to build what would later become known as the Shell Site.  The estate was leased on 1 October 1968 to Shell Chemicals, who in 1957 had purchased a propylene oxide plant along the moss's northern edge.  Shell had built an ethylene oxide plant in 1958 and began to produce polyether polyols the following year.  Council housing was built nearby, at Carrington and Partington, for workers and their families.  By 1985 the Shell plant had a turnover of about £200M and employed 1,150 people, but a major restructuring of the business reduced the workforce to less than 500 by 1986.  By 1994, four distinct plants operated on the 3,500-acre (14 km²) site, producing a range of chemicals, and materials including polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene.  In 2005 it was reported that Shell would close their polyols and ethoxylates units, a decision which came into effect in 2007.  The estate is currently managed by chartered surveyors Bell Ingram.  LyondellBasell operate the last remaining chemical plant on site.
  Manchester United opened their Trafford Training Centre training ground and Academy in 2000, on land formerly owned by Shell.  Bury F.C.'s Carrington Training Centre, formerly occupied by Manchester City F.C., is located nearby. Because of the Moss's history as a dumping ground for waste, bottle diggers often frequent the area.  Several rights of way exist on the land, and a horse-riding school operates in the area.
caption: A common pheasant at Carrington Moss
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