By Fred Bickerton The traditional story of a village complete with church submerged beneath Crime Lake, seldom fails to arouse a curious fascination from young and old, whether they be strangers or locals, especially as it is also supposed to be bottomless! The origin of the word “Crime” is rather vague, and no one seems to place it, but it is certain that the district was known as Crime at least three hundred years before the lake was formed. Still waters run deep, it is said, but before the lake was formed, the valley, now hidden was 54ft deep at its lowest point, and contained two small cottages, one was occupied by a Mr Wolstencroft, and the other by a family named Wilson.

When the canal to Hollinwood. was being cut from 1792 to 1795, it was found necessary to build an embankment across the southern end of Crime Valley, and to allow the flow of water from Woodpark Clough which flowed alone the valley where the lake now is, a culvert was built along the bottom of the valley, and under the embankment, 200ft long, to enable the water of the Woodpark Brook to go through the culvert, and join the River Medlock just before it passes through Daisy Nook.

The embankment required the deposition of 25,000 cubic yards of earth, and. took eighteen months to complete. The reason it took so long was that for a period the job was held up for the lack of money.

The embankment was completed at the close of 1795, about three years before the opening for through traffic for the waterway to Manchester, but in April 1796, storm debris brought down by the streams blocked the culvert, and within a short time a miniature lake had developed Live feet deep. In view of the expense involved and the dilapidated state of the two cottages, it was deemed advantageous to submerge the dwellings, and to use the potential water as a canal reservoir before the completion of the Hollinwood reservoir in 1802. The filling of the valley with water occupied four months, and was completed on August 21st 1796.

Crime Lake is one of my favourite haunts, and if one should go along “Crime Hollows” the stream which flows into the lake, and which will flow -f or all time, can be seen. During the four month period until the valley was full, people from the outer districts would come to see the rise of the water, and the locals of Woodhouses,   

Taunton, and. Failsworth, would make almost daily visits.

It was erroneously believed that the embankment gave way, causing the flooding of the valley, but this happened at the Hollinwood reservoir in 1875, and was known as the Gravel Gate flood..

The late Mr Harold Mellor, of Ashton—Under—Lyne, informed me that his father, Joseph Mellor, came as lock—keeper and tax collector (the barges were charged to use the lock) at the canal pumping station at Waterhouses locks, close to Crime Lake in 1878, and very often told the story of how Crime Lake was formed in the manner I have described. Mr Harold Mellor, who was born at the pumping station, based. his information on old people who were living at the time, and who were also alive in 1796, when the lake was formed. Even if they did not know just what happened. they doubtless have been told the tale by their forefathers.

Crime Lake, 350ft above sea level, has provided delight for the angler, the swimmer, the skater, and the boating fraternity, but the area is now no more than a shallow receptacle for silt, which has reduced the maximum depth to three or four feet. The swans , which have been a feature of the lake for many years, still wait for scraps of food provided by admirers.