Bradley Stoke Heritage Walks
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WALKing to HEAlth Further information Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group This group consists of local residents who help look after Bradley the reserve. They organise regular activity days and nature walks. The group is free to join and is open to anyone who has an interest in the reserve. : www.three-brooks.info Stoke THREE BROOKS WAY POINTS OF INTEREST Green Gym WALKS This group meets every Thursday morning from 10am General to 1pm to undertake a range of conservation projects. It’s a great way to keep fit as well as improving our local START/FINISH POINT For much of its history, the area covered by the environment. Bradley Stoke Three Brooks Way was covered in heavy forest. ✆ Telephone: Green Gym Officer, BTCV on 0117 9291624 Leisure Centre, By the time of the Norman Conquest, the area Fiddlers Wood Lane. had settled into what essentially remained Wild Roots unchanged right up until the 20th Century; a Wild Roots is an innovative Heritage Lottery Funded, BUSES patchwork of small fields surrounding small farm three year project that is working with local communities 483, 574 based villages. to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of South Gloucestershire. In more recent times, the construction of the M4 in paRKING : www.southglos.gov.uk/wildroots the 1960s and the development of Bradley Stoke In Leisure Centre Car ✆ Telephone: 01454 863581 itself meant that most of the existing buildings and Park vegetation vanished. There are, however a number Walking to Health of remnants which provide a fascinating insight into REFRESHMENTS Walking to Health in South Gloucestershire aims to get a forgotten world. These include woodlands, parish Café in Leisure Centre residents more physically active by participating in regular boundaries and a number of old buildings. health walks in their local areas. The project works with TOILETS a team of volunteers and other projects such as Active Toilets in Leisure Centre South Gloucestershire and Exercise on Prescription. building. : www.southglos.gov.uk/walkingtohealth ✆ Telelphone: 01454 868006 This information can be made available in other languages, in large print, Braille or on audio tape. Please phone 01454 868004 if you need any of these or any other help to Acknowledgements access Council services. Photos and pictures: Old photographs kindly supplied by Mr Martin Davis. Many thanks to the Year 2 pupils at Wheatfield School, Bradley Stoke for the animal pictures. Historical Information: Thanks to Sharon Newton and David Baker for their detailed historical information. Many thanks also to Gail Lambert and all the Volunteer Walk Leaders involved in checking out the walk route. Bradley Stoke THREE BROOKS WAY WALKing to HEALTH Sites en route A The Tump This large mound looks a bit like an D Line of The wood running alongside the path H Patchway This was the original Patchway and iron age hill fort, but is, in fact created Saxon Path at this point follows the route of a Common is believed to be very ancient. Along from the spoils of the Second Severn Living footpath that once linked Stoke Gifford Living this stretch you can see a number of Crossing. A climb is worth the effort for Landmarks to Patchway Common during the Saxon Landmarks cottages and the site of Manor Farm. the excellent views. – Plaque 26 times. The northern end of the Saxon – Plaque 17 Manor Pond is opposite and is home to a Path can be seen along the section from number of water-borne species. B Three This popular and attractive area is Cornfield Close to Patchway Common Primrose Footbridge crosses Bradley Brooks worth visiting regularly. There is always later in the walk. Sometimes an ancient Stoke Way to the east of Patchway Lake something interesting to see including hedgerow associated with the path can Common and was named after Primrose frequent kingfishers and a large number be seen, such as near to Wheatfield Cottage which once stood on the site. of ducks and dragonflies. The lake Drive and again adjacent to Savages itself is of recent origin having been Wood. I Three This Local Nature Reserve declared by created when a huge relief sewer was Brooks South Gloucestershire Council in 2004 constructed leaving a large crater. The E Sher- Part of this feature is at least 200 years Local comprises of a mixture of woodland, water was then acquired by damming the bourne’s old and is completely protected by a Tree Nature grassland, streams and ponds and confluences of Patchway, Hortham and Brake Preservation Order. Long tailed tits and Reserve ancient hedgerows that create valuable Stoke Brooks. Where they merge, they woodpeckers may be seen and grey wildlife corridors. assume a new name – Bradley Brook. squirrels are abundant. Black poplars can also be seen. These trees are quite The bridge at the western end of the lake J Bowsland Bowsland Wood is an extension of rare and do not usually grow in woods, is older than it looks. When Manor Farm Wood Savages Wood. Bowsland Farm preferring the edges of rivers and brooks. on Patchway Common was demolished Living once stood here at the eastern end of Landmarks Patchway Common. Some remnants the stone was used to build this structure. F Old Parish The hedge that borders Stoke Lodge – Plaque 24 of the Farm’s garden in the form of boundary School once marked the parish C Webbs Adjacent to Stoke Brook is the ancient Leylandi, laurel and other ornamentals boundary between Patchway and Stoke Wood woodland of Webb’s Wood. For centuries can be seen amongst the native trees. Gifford. Living hazel trees within the wood would have K Savages Savages Wood is a beautiful remnant Landmarks been cut to ground level and the poles G Davis’ Two generations of the Davis family were Wood of woodland which is filled will bluebells – Plaque 26 used for fencing and firewood. Pond farmers at Little Stoke Farm from 1896 Living during the Spring. During the Autumn, to 1956 with Edward Davis taking over A different part of the wood would be Landmarks the southern end is worth visiting to ownership in 1915. The farm was situated used each year. This coppicing allows – Plaque 25 see the golden foliage of the beech at the top of Clay Lane, It was Howard more light into the wood, stimulating the and hornbeam. Again, a network of Davis, the second of the two Davis growth of woodland flowers. hedgerows can be seen here, all rich in farmers, who, in 1946, introduced Peter tree species. The Three Brooks Conservation Group Scott to the wildfowl on the banks of the have resumed coppicing here after a Severn near Slimbridge, inspiring the L Dewfalls This small pond is now regularly break of almost 60 years and the results formation of the Severn Wildfowl (now the are very encouraging. Pond overgrown but was once used by thirsty Wildfowl and Wetlands) Trust. livestock. It tends to dry out completely during the summer. Shorter Walk A 41.3 miles This shorter version Bradley Stoke of the long walk takes in the section along THREE BROOKS WAY WALKing to HEALTH Patchway Brook and allows exploration of Three Brooks Lake. The route returns to the Leisure Centre along a newly created path adjacent to Bradley Stoke Way. This route is suitable for pushchairs. Follow instructions 1 and 3 then 1 Just before the Bradley Stoke Way underpass, turn right. Continue on this slightly ascending tarmac path to reach a T junction. 2 Here, turn right and then left at the road. Continue along the Longer Walk 43.5 miles road as it veers right and then left in front of Bradley Stoke Secondary School. The fascinating walk through some of the most Leisure Centre is now in A important wildlife habitats and heritage front of you. areas of Bradley Stoke. The route passes by a number of plaques created by local people via the Living Landmarks project, undertaken during 2007 – 2008. The main route is flat and on good surfaces. The alternative route (Option 1) through Savage’s Wood can be slightly muddy and sometimes slippery Shorter Walk B after rain. Option 2 is a dry route suitable for poor 41.75 miles conditions. This slightly longer short walk 1 Start in front of the Leisure Centre. Turn left away explores Patchway Brook from the centre, crossing over the road at the and Patchway Common and zebra crossing (taking you through the car park), returns via Dewfalls Pond, off then turn left again so that you are following the Wheatfield Drive. This route is path towards the school fence and entering into suitable for pushchairs. the Three Brooks Way. Follow instructions 2 At the fence follow the path left and down the 1 and 2 then slope, descending towards Patchway Brook. 3 Turn right at the T-junction and keep going along 1 At the first T junction, turn this gravel track, passing The Tump (A) on your right and then turn left to left to reach Three Brooks Lake (B). Here, veer cross bridge over the brook. right and continue to reach Bradley Stoke Way. Then, immediately veer left and continue on this path as it Webbs Wood (C) is on your right here. meanders to follow the Brook 4 Walk underneath Bradley Stoke Way and to its left. continue, crossing the line of a Saxon Path 2 At the end of this main path (D) and eventually reaching Brook Way. and just before the bridge Sherbourne’s Brake (E) is off to your left and over the main road, turn right can be reached via a muddy path.