boggart hole clough park

Boggart Hole Clough

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Boggart Hole Clough - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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Boggart Hole Clough Information

Boggart Hole Clough

Charlestown Road, Blackley, Manchester, M9 7DH

Opening times

From dawn to dusk

Children's play area, Athletics track, Bowling green, Boating lake, Fishing area, Cafe and toilets

Free wifi available at the Boggart Hole Clough Visitor Centre

Play area (age group)

3 to 10 years

Transport to and around Manchester

Visit www.tfgm.com to find transport links

Dogs not allowed

• Children’s play  areas
• Athletics track (including football pitch)
• Café and toilets

Dogs to be kept on lead

Boating Lake and Fishing Pond

Report a problem

Report any problems in this park

[email protected]

More on parks

More about parks, playgrounds and open spaces in Manchester

Barbecues are not permitted in Manchester parks

External links

Find out more about activities at this park through MCR Active

Location map

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Boggarts Hole Clough

Manchester england, greater manchester, introduction.

This large public park was taken over by Manchester Corporation in 1894 and laid out in a naturalistic style with broad walks. It is maintained as an open space and is used for public meetings.

The large, irregular park is situated between Rochdale Road to the west and Charleston Road to the north. The park features several gullies and ravines and part of the site holds the remains of some Ancient Woodland. It was originally surrounded by open fields but was encircled with housing by 1848. At that time the park included a boating lake, bowling greens, a fish pond, running track with pavilion, a War memorial, Boggart Hole Brook and a number of walks and paths.

In 1894 Manchester Corpoartion took the park over and laid it out in a naturalistic style wih broad walks. It is maintained as an open space and is the third largest of the Manchester City Council public parks.

Access contact details

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/leisure/parks/central/

This public park is bounded by Rochdale Road to the west, Charleston Road to the north and a housing development to the south.

Manchester City Council

Other Websites

• https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/boggart-hole-clough/
• https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/439708/boggart_hole_clough/category/301/all_parks_playgrounds_and_open_spaces
• https://boggartholeclough.wordpress.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/boggart.org.uk/?locale=en_GB

Designations

Green flag award.

• Description: A fish pond is shown next to the boating pond on the 1848 map.
• Description: Many walks and paths are shown on the 1848 Ordnance Survey map.
• Boating Lake
• Description: The boating lake to the east of the park has a central island.

Designed Urban Space

Principal Building

Public Park

Open to the public

Electoral ward.

Higher Blackley

• University of Manchester and University of York, 1994

Articles | Long Reads

Haunted Manchester: Boggart Hole Clough

Have you ever felt like you were being watched in Blackley’s picturesque woodland?

By Manchester's Finest | Last updated 26 October 2021

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If you’ve read any of my other features in this ‘Haunted Manchester’ series of ramblings you will know that we have covered stately homes , churches and even the odd brewery , but one place we have never gone ghost hunting is in the forest.

Sometimes, especially when you live in the metropolitan centre of our great city, it is hard to remember that forests, hills and sprawling farmland still exist. However, just a short journey 3 miles northeast of the city centre in Blackley is a beautiful and very ancient woodland called Boggart Hole Clough.

And guess what? It’s very, very haunted.

Covering 170-odd acres of dense woodland that envelopes several ‘cloughs’ (the local word for steep-sided wooded ravine) this dark forest has roots in the Bronze Age and is subsequently loaded with spiritual history and a general eerie ambience. Anyone else getting serious Blair Witch vibes?

The most famous legend that whispers through the trees is of the Boggart. Now, you might recognise the name from the Harry Potter franchise, and if you do, you will know that a Boggart is a mischievous, goblin-like creature , but did you know that this comes specifically from Lancashire folklore? That means here!

Boggarts have the ability to turn milk sour, to make objects disappear and to make dogs unable to walk . In fact, dogs do not like Boggarts at all, so do not be surprised when your pooch starts snarling at nothing among the trees at Hole Clough.

According to legend, the Boggart of Boggart Hole Clough inhabits an old farmhouse which has been left to crumble in the woods and is almost entirely encapsulated in dark foliage. However, Boggarts are also partial to hanging out under bridges , in various muddy holes, around sharp bends and in bushes – all of which Boggart Hole Clough has in droves.

Most importantly, or should I say terrifyingly, Boggarts have a certain penchant towards children , and the cases of missing children in Boggart Hole Clough since the 18 th century are numerous.

It’s got to be said at this point, the addition of numerous playgrounds and tennis courts in the wood now seems like a stupid idea. It’s a bit like putting a tower of profiteroles in the middle of an Over-Eating Anonymous meeting and wondering why no one loses any weight… if you believe in Mr Boggart that is.

Speaking of Mr Boggart, all the folklore books suggest that the WORST thing you can do with a boggart is give it a name . If you do, it will attach itself to you and pursue you to the ends of the earth until it has you in its spindly fingered grasp. Wait, does Mr Boggart count as a name? Shit.

Looks like I don’t have long left to live, so I’ll wrap this one up. Boggart Hole Clough is clearly creepy A.F with its thick lining of trees, dark foliage and steep muddy gulleys and if a malevolent, child-eating monster was to live anywhere it would probably be here.

That being said, if anything was to give you the willies, it would be a quiet woodland with creaking branches and the wind whistling through the trees to the tune of ‘ the Boggart is going to get you ’ and so it is hardly surprising this stretch of land is home to countless haunting tales and legends of this nature.

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The Manchester park 'haunted' by a magical creature from Harry Potter that knows your 'worst fear'

It's said the magical creature that features in the Wizarding World series lurks inside Boggart Hole Clough and transforms into your 'worst fear'

• 07:49, 2 OCT 2022

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It's no secret that Boggart Hole Clough in Manchester is haunted, but some may not know that the spirit that's said to lurk there is a magical creature that appears in Harry Potter.

Boggart Hole Clough in Blackley is full of nooks and crannies to explore, including ancient woodland with steep ravines, a lake and more - plenty of areas for a mysterious fiend to make its presence known. The park is said to be named after a boggart - a spirit that appears in English folklore and inhabits fields and marshes.

However, for those of you who are familiar with Harry Potter , you'll know that there's a lot more to a boggart than this. The magical creature features throughout the books and films, but its first appearance is in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

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During a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Lupin, Harry and his classmates are first introduced to a boggart who is living in a wardrobe in the staff room at Hogwarts. In JK Rowling's story, a boggart is a shape-shifting being that likes dark places and becomes the worst fear of whoever is looking at it.

They are "amortal" creatures - they were never alive to begin with and are unable to die, differing from "immortal" beings which are alive and will never die.

In the Prisoner of Azkaban film, Hermione says how a boggart "takes the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most". Professor Lupin adds that this is what makes them so terrifying, before explaining how the key to expelling a boggart is to use the Riddikulus spell while thinking of an amusing thought, as "what really finishes a boggart is laughter".

For example, we see the boggart turn into a huge spider when Ron Weasley looks at it, as this is Ron's worst fear. After saying "Riddikulus", Ron makes roller skates appear on the spider's feet, making it fall over and look, well, ridiculous.

When Neville Longbottom looks at the boggart, it turns into Professor Snape. After using the Riddikulus spell, Snape is suddenly wearing Neville's grandmother's extravagant clothes, making the boggart a lot less terrifying.

Despite being scary, boggarts can also be very useful, which Professor Lupin proves to Harry. When Harry faces the boggart, it becomes a dementor - a dark creature which feeds off human happiness and consumes a person's soul - following an encounter Harry had with real dementors at the start of Prisoner of Azkaban.

Lupin teaches Harry how to fight dementors by practising the Patronus charm on a boggart which has taken the form of a dementor. The boggart isn't as powerful, but it certainly helped Harry to defeat any future dementors that bothered him.

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As well as Prisoner of Azkaban, a boggart also appears in the Goblet of Fire during the Triwizard Tournament, and in Order of the Phoenix when Molly Weasley tries to get rid of a boggart in a writing desk at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. It's a terrifying experience for Molly, with the boggart turning into the dead body of her son Ron and then the corpses of various other family members before Lupin arrives and successfully conjures the Riddikulus spell.

If the creature haunting Boggart Hole Clough is the same as the one in Harry Potter, who knows what shape it could take? You may not know your greatest fear until you're standing facing the menacing creature.

According to the Harry Potter franchise, it's best to have someone else with you, as boggarts get confused when there are more than one person. This is because the boggart can't determine what it should turn into, as it can sense more than one greatest fear.

When it's confused, the boggart can turn into a combination of fears which just looks silly and a lot less frightening than someone's complete fear. You might want to take note of the trick above, to make sure you avoid a spooky encounter next time you're at Boggart Hole Clough!

What are your thoughts on the creature that haunts Boggart Hole Clough? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Boggart Hole Clough

Car parking, main car park.

The main car park is accessed from Charlestown Road. The car park is relatively small and is therefore likely to get full.

The car park is accessed from a bus turning circle. Do not park in the bus turning circle!

Postcode for sat-navs: M9 7BR

On-street parking

There is plenty of on-street parking near the main entrance to Boggart Hole Clough:

• Charlestown Road: M9 7BD
• Grangepark Road: M9 7AF
• Booth Hall Road: M9 7BQ

As always, please park with consideration for local residents.

Public Transport

The 118 and 119 buses serve Boggart Hole Clough from Manchester city centre.

When coming back into town, the bus stop outside St John Bosco church has more services calling at it.

• 118 and 119 bus times to Manchester

Upcoming events at Boggart Hole Clough

There are no upcoming events at Boggart Hole Clough .