The Friends of Blackley Forest are a particularly active Friends Group. They researched the history of the site:

Manchester and all the suburbs in the ancient parish, “were overspread with woods, there being at that time but little cleared space, save where the town stood surrounded with dwellings of its smaller chiefs”. This forest, with Roman Manchester at its centre was called the Forest of Arden or the ‘Great Wood’. Gradually the forest receded on every side of Manchester.,The Saxon “blac”, “black” or “blake” frequently refers to the deep gloom of trees; a reason why we have so many places in England with this as part of their names . For example, the villages of Blackburn or Blackrode in Lancashire, Blakeley-Hurst near Wigan, and our own Blackley near Manchester. In the fourteenth century the woods around Blackley were seven miles all round.

Further proof of the existence of forest lands around Manchester is in Thomas Graelle’s charter to the burgesses of Manchester, which gave them “liberty to nourish swine of their own breeding in the woods of the lord”
In a survey of the manor of Manchester in 1322 we read, “The park of Blakelegh is worth in pannage, aery of eagles, herons and hawks, honey-bees, mineral earths, ashes and other issues, fifty-three shillings and four pence. The vesture of oaks with the whole coverture is worth 200 marks (£133.6s.8D) in the gross. It contains seven miles in circumference, together with two deer leaps of the King’s grant”.

The Friends of Blackley Forest have carried out much successful fundraising to date, and will continue to do so to keep improving the site.

If you would like more information on the Friends of Blackley Forest and upcoming events, please access their website -http://www.blackleyforest.com/