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The River Irk (/ɜːk/) is a river in the historic county of Lancashire in North West England that flows through the northern part of Greater Manchester. It rises to the east of Royton and runs west past Chadderton, Middleton and Blackley before merging with the River Irwell, a tributary of the River Mersey, in the centre of Manchester.
The Irk's name is of obscure etymology,[1] but may be Brittonic in origin and related to the Welsh word iwrch, meaning roebuck.[2] The Afon Iwrch, a river in Denbighshire, also takes its name from this word.[2]
In medieval times, there was a mill by the Irk at which the tenants of the manor ground their corn and its fisheries were controlled by the lord of the manor. In the 16th century, throwing carrion and other offensive matter into the Irk was forbidden. Water for Manchester was drawn from the river before the Industrial Revolution.[3] A bridge over the Irk was recorded in 1381. The river was noted for destructive floods. In 1480, the burgesses of Manchester described the highway between Manchester and Collyhurst which "the water of Irk had worn out". In 1816, of seven bridges over the Irk, six were liable to be flooded after heavy rain but the seventh, the Ducie Bridge completed in 1814 was above flood levels.[4]
According to The New Gazetteer of Lancashire (1830) the Irk had "more mill seats upon it than any other stream of its length in the Kingdom" and "the eels in this river were formerly remarkable for their fatness, which was attributed to the grease and oils expressed by the mills from the woollen cloths and mixed with the waters."[5] However, by the start of the 20th century the Irk Valley between Crumpsall and Blackley had been left a neglected river, "not only the blackest but the most sluggish of all rivers".
フリードリヒ・エンゲルスは、マンチェスターの産業が過剰だった頃のアーク川の岸辺を描写した。 [ 6 ]
その後、川は市街中心部に達すると暗渠化され、マンチェスター・ヴィクトリア駅の下を通り、デューシー橋のレンガ造りのトンネルへと消え、鉄道高架橋の下を通ってアーウェル川に注ぎ込むようになった。
1953年8月15日、マンチェスター発ベリー行きの電気列車の先頭車両が、地元の蒸気機関車と衝突した後、アーク川にかかる高架橋から落下した。この事故はアーク・バレー・ジャンクションの惨事として知られるようになり、10人が死亡、58人が負傷した。[ 7 ]
