This waterfall and river looked very different when I was a child. This river... the river Tame supported many mills along its length and their waste water would be pumped back into the river without being treated. I can remember standing in this very spot as a child looking at the water foaming up in great clouds of chemical suds.... the water was a mucky brown colour and the whole place smelt very bad... standing by this waterfall was not advisable as after a while your eyes and throat would sting. At times the water would bubble and the smell got worse then. Th picture below is of the old Gibralter Mill that was in the same spot as the first picture, it was just one of the many Cotton mill that took their water from the Tame to power the steam engines that ran all the machines.
I am happy to say that the river as recovered, fish are being caught here often... birds such as Heron, Kingfishers, and the odd Cormorant work these waters daily for their food... butterflies, dragonfly and many more clean water dependent wildlife and wildflowers are now found along the banks of this local river. At one time it was fished for Salmon.... no one living can remember when that was but we never know they might might make a come back soon.
