Chester Society for Landscape History
January 2012 Newsletter Number 50
Dallam Park, near Milnthorpe
Contents
Chairman’s Message 2 Field Visits 16 Conference Celebrations 3 Residential Visit 18 Lifelong Learning 10 Plas Ucha yn Eglwyseg 20 New Year’s Resolution 11 Quiz Answers 23 The Year Ahead: Future Events 24 Lecture Programme 12 Editor’s Corner 24 Message from the Chair
Following a very relaxing evening spent familiar names and titles amongst our upon the River Dee back in June 2006 talks, and will remember that both celebrating our 20th anniversary, one Christopher Dyer and Ed Bennis had to member of our Society (who shall cancel their lectures at short notice due remain nameless), asked how we could to ill-health. Both speakers were top that event for our 25th. Our answer promptly re-booked for this coming … do something completely different … year. As always, if you have any hold a conference and publish the suggestions for future speakers or places proceedings. you would like to visit please let us know and we will try to incorporate An event which was almost two years in them into the 2013 programme! preparation, but worth the effort! My personal thanks to Graeme, Maggie and Our residential visit for 2012 takes us to the Mikes are immense – it was a real Leicestershire and pages 18 to 19 give team effort. A big ‘thank you’ too to all further details of what promises to be an our helpers and delegates who helped to interesting visit led by Diane and Mike make the event such a great success. Johnson. Pages 3 to 5 of this newsletter contain some conference photos plus a few A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who personal reflections of the event. This is renewed their membership at our followed by two complementary views November lecture. For those members of our conference field visit to Neston who were unable to make the lecture a Collieries. gentle reminder from our Membership Secretary and Treasurer that ‘subs’ are Although the conference has been and due in January. Renewal of gone, work continues behind the scenes membership for 2012 is just £12 single as the conference papers, now written, (£24 joint/family) which represents very are currently being collated and edited good value for money in to-days world. ready for publication by the University (Please note that paper copies of the of Chester. Due out in the autumn of newsletter cost an additional £1 to help 2012 we shall keep you posted cover paper and postage). regarding the launch of our first external publication. Finally, on behalf of all the committee, may I wish you a happy, healthy and The January newsletter traditionally prosperous New Year. We look forward contains details of our lecture to seeing you at our spring lectures. programme for the year ahead along with details of our spring and summer Sharon Varey field visits. Members will spot a few
Page 2 Page 3 25 in 2011 Landscape Discoveries in the North West
I was innocently making my way out of lunch during the Conference at Ness Gardens when I was cornered by Maggie Taylor and persuaded that it would be a good idea for me to write down some recollections of the day for a future Newsletter. I seem to remember agreeing to do this so here goes. These are merely my reflections on what was a most impressively organised and enjoyable day and are not intended to be a scholarly summary of the proceedings.
When Anne and I arrived on the morning we were impressed with the efficiency with which delegates were issued with packs, an efficiency we have come to expect from the Society. We were also impressed by the fine lecture theatre and by the fact that all the audio and visual equipment worked perfectly, first time. Grosvenor Museum please note.
The keynote address by Stewart Ainsworth was to lead to my deflation in the first couple of minutes. I had seen LIDAR on the Stourport trip. I knew all about it. It could see through foliage. How wrong Stewart told me I was! I had clearly not thought things through too carefully! Of course it could not see through foliage, it could merely see between the leaves and then cleverly interpret what it saw.
The short talks by members of the Society served to prove that serious and
Page 3 significant work is underway. Sharon Varey’s piece about Shropshire demonstrated considerable rigour and attention to detail. The Walkmill was of some interest to me as I had recently donated my millwright grandfather’s large spanners to it, having met the son of the owner in the queue at the barber’s, as one does. Mike Headon’s description of settlement shapes in North Wales, despite what seemed to me to be a labyrinthine classification system, showed that landscape history is available to study on our door-steps. Anthony Annakin- Smith followed this up by another piece of research based on our local area.
After lunch the opening talk by Paul Cook gave a fascinating insight into the history of Ness Gardens and the way the gardens are changing constantly to this very day. Alan Crosby on turnpikes followed. I was fascinated to learn that the earliest of these was
Page 4 Page 5
a stretch of what is now the A1 south of Stilton in what was then Huntingdonshire, a piece of road up and down which I used to ride my bicycle in the late 1950s. I was also able to tell my younger son, who lives in Hazel Grove, that he really lives in Bullock’s Smithy. Deflated again, he already knew! Our President’s talk on enclosures of West Cheshire revealed my lack of any real expertise in landscape history, I have to confess to never having seen, let alone consulted, either a tithe map or an enclosures map. May I be forgiven? It seems, though, that Cheshire was ahead of the game with many landowners shuffling and enclosing their strip fields for the convenience of both the owners and the users, and not having to wait for enforcement by Parliament.
An enjoyable day and well up to standard.
David Savage
Page 5 A mine of information (Neston Collieries)
Unusually we present two complementary accounts of the Neston Collieries field visit, part of our 25 in 2011 celebrations.
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On Sunday 11th September, Anthony Annakin-Smith led two parties of windswept members on a guided tour of the former Neston collieries. For those members who attended Anthony’s lecture on the collieries a couple of years ago, this was a welcome opportunity to walk round and experience the actual landscape.
Our starting point at the Harp Inn gave us the chance to look out over the Dee estuary with its once crowded and industrial foreshore. Nowadays there are few signs of the hustle and bustle of the past. Herons, geese and kestrels peacefully fly over marshland where previously ships moored, ready to transport coal to North Wales and Ireland. We were shown a photo which revealed the previous depth of water at the quayside before the silting up of the River Dee and tried to imagine the large number of boats on the water. There would have been boats under the water as well because the coal was mined from underneath the estuary and then brought back to land via underground canals. Men would propel the barges by lying on their backs and pushing their legs against the tunnel roof.
Anthony was keen to promote this area as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in Wirral and West Cheshire, as this was the location of the first steam engines in the region and there was large-scale employment, rising up to over 300 workers by the 1920s. There were three collieries which operated here at various times over the years, all mining the small section of the Flintshire Coalfield which was situated in England. Ness Colliery (1759-1855) was owned by the Stanley
Page 6 family. Little Neston Colliery (1819-1849) was owned by the Cottingham family and Neston Colliery (later Wirral Colliery) operated from 1874-1927 with various owners.
There was intense rivalry between the Stanley and Cottingham families, which led to two acts of sabotage by the Stanleys. They deliberately blew up Cottingham’s tunnel and also allowed water from the Ness Colliery to flood Cottingham’s Little Neston tunnels. Despite this rivalry, workers from both mines quenched their thirst together at the Harp Inn.
The miners’ living conditions were terrible with the early miners living in one- room shacks with their sometimes large families. In 1847 Ness was described as “the most miserable mass of hovels” on the Wirral. Fortunately in 1870 rows of terraced houses were built for the colliery workers. They would have been seen as luxurious at the time but did not have indoor toilets until the twentieth century.
Working for the collieries was dangerous. There were many risks, including rock falls, flooding, poisonous and explosive gases and many accidents and deaths occurred. Some of the workers who were involved in more menial tasks than the actual coal hewers might work up to 100 hours per week with shifts starting at two in the morning and not finishing until six in the evening. Also, up until the 1850s children as young as nine were employed in the mines.
As we moved away from the foreshore, we visited the site of a former cable factory which was opened by Crosland Taylor. This company evolved into Balfour Beatty (subsequently BICC cables). The factory was started at Neston because of the close availability of coal and the natural Artesian wells which could supply water. The factory later became an industrial laundry site.
We then learnt about how the coming of the railways re-invigorated the Wirral coalfields after the silting up of the River Dee. We walked along the route of the old railway line which ran from sidings at Parkgate to the bottom of what is now Marshlands Road, where the wagons would be filled with coal from the tops of the
Page 7 mine shafts.
A landscape which would once have been dominated by engine houses, coal heaps winding gear and offices is now the site of a modern housing estate. As we walked past the two well walled-off mine shafts, some of us wondered whether any of the houses had suffered from subsidence. There had, after all, been over 30 mine shafts in the area.
Our guided tour of the Neston collieries was most fascinating. A big ‘thank you’ to Anthony for being such an expert and enthusiastic guide.
Carolyn Barnwell
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Sunday 11th September saw an enthusiastic if somewhat chilled band of members congregate outside the 200 year old Harp Inn at the old Quayside Little Neston to hear leader Anthony Annakin-Smith outline the afternoon’s programme. Valiantly fighting the wind coming in off the Dee estuary, he successfully managed to infect us with his enthusiasm and well wrapped up, we stepped out to look at the quayside with its great sandstone blocks erected about 250 years ago to ship out coal.
Two competing collieries operated close to the Old Quay, run by the Stanley and Cottingham families. The Industrial Revolution began here in the early eighteenth century when an engine was used to pump the ever present water out of the workings arousing great local interest. We heard of the primitive conditions - miners let down in baskets, the cog and rung horse gin used to bring the coal to the surface and of the frequent accidents and fatalities that occurred.
Not only did the miners endure primitive conditions but great enmity existed between the rival companies which led to sabotage, flooding and prolonged battles in Court. Children as young as five years of age were involved in ventilation duties
Page 8 and the workings eventually spread far out under the Dee. Underground canals were used to bring the coal to the shafts close to the quay for ease of loading. This first phase of mining only came to an end because of the silting up of the Dee when shipping was no longer able to use the quay. However, it was to become economically feasible again with the coming of the railways and renewed ease of transport.
Anthony then led us further up the estuary to a second quay to the remains of a substantial brick house where a substantial port had operated particularly with trade to Ireland during the nineteenth century. Vagrants were attracted to the area for employment and we were startled to learn that no less than 25,000 were transported out by reluctant ship owners under severe pressure from the authorities to “get rid” of undesirables!
Turning inland our tour progressed to an attractive brick house which had been built by a nineteenth century entrepreneur who, with the coming of electricity, had set up his factory close by for the manufacture of wire and cables. In the course of time this eventually moved to Helsby and became BICC. The factory itself eventually became an out of town laundry employing local girls who gained something of a reputation for enhancing their modest wages in less than reputable ways!
Following the line of an old railway back towards Little Neston we became increasing aware of old mining activity. Capped mine shafts led towards what had been substantial marshalling yards as recently as the 1920s. Anthony produced pictures to back up his account but it was hard to believe it had existed just 70 years before the attractive housing estate which now covers the area. Further undisputable evidence was produced when we reached a row of miner’s cottages dating from the mid-nineteenth century - and yet more capped mine shafts.
Anthony concluded his insight into the background of the area with a story of the General Strike. The miners of Neston were able to hold out longer than most with the help of certain local man named “Bulley” who sympathised with their cause and kept them supplied with provisions from his large garden … later to become Ness Gardens! Our three hour trip had been absolutely fascinating - the weather had warmed up and our host was heartily thanked with a rousing round of applause. The party then adjourned back to the Harp Inn!
Ann Woodward Frank Mawdsley
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Anthony Annakin-Smith for leading two most enjoyable and interesting walks around the area. Anthony led these two 3-hour walks with a pause of about 5 minutes in between. His stamina was astonishing and an example to us all.
Page 9 Lifelong Learning
During September’s Conference several people expressed a need for on-going engagement with landscape and regional history. The idea was to expand, or refresh horizons, but preferably without huge commitment. Perhaps it will be helpful here to alert members to a number of on-line courses which can be studied from home.
Ten-week courses in Archaeology, Local History (landscape gardens) and History, amongst many other subjects, are offered by the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education (Conted) www.conted.ox.ac.uk. Highly structured, these include group work, tutor input, discussion forums, and two marked assignments earning CATS points (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme).
University of Exeter distance courses are non-accredited. No assessment is required but the usual forum mechanism operates with tutor guidance. Exeter’s offering features Archaeology, Art History, British History and Heritage. Course length is usually twelve weeks with some running for six months. Of particular use for getting to grips with documentary sources are Village and Parish History: Reconstructing the Local Past 1500-1800 and its follow-on Parish to Community History: 1800-2000. Both courses are of three months duration. Further information can be found online: www.education.exeter.ac.uk/dll/.
Finally, it is anticipated that there will be another “Discovery Day” to be held next year. More details to follow.
Julie Smalley
Unwanted Books Wanted!
If you have any unwanted landscape history or general history books please do not throw them out. We would like your old books to sell to raise extra funds for the Society. Please bring any books along to one of the spring lectures and give them to Mike Kennerley. Thank you.
Page 10 New Year’s Resolution
This year why not make a new year’s resolution that will have a lasting impact. A good idea, I hear you say. Then please read on.
If you can spare a couple of hours a month, why not become a part of our ‘behind the scenes’ team. I can assure you of a very warm welcome. Whatever your skills, C.S.L.H. can put them to good use. It is very much a co-operative effort and we try hard to put together a varied and interesting programme of talks, walks and visits, plus occasional social evenings. The last few years have seen a steady increase in our membership. In order to move the Society forward we have extended our activities: research groups, publications, the conference at Ness Gardens, Discovery days etc. However we are a very small team and we would like additional members to join us so that we can keep up the momentum.
For 2012 we are particularly looking for an Assistant Treasurer and a Minutes Secretary. If you feel you can help with one of these roles or would simply like to join our successful team and help out wherever you can, please get in touch with one of the committee to find out more (contact details are on your programme card). We look forward to hearing from you. Please do not sit back and let others volunteer. Your committee needs YOU!
Page 11 Looking Forward - The Year Ahead Lectures, Visits and Study Break
Lecture Programme
Monday 30th January 2012 Anthony Annakin-Smith: ‘Cheshire’s Forgotten Salt Makers: sea salt making on the Wirral’
Anthony is a keen researcher into landscape history and has spoken and published widely on various aspects of the subject. He has a Masters in ‘Landscape Heritage and Society’ gained at the University of Chester, as well as a Diploma in Landscape History from the University of Liverpool. Research interests include the transatlantic slave trade (about which he has written an article to appear in the next edition of Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire & Cheshire) and the maritime history of the Dee estuary. A keen leader of walks, Anthony is the author of the popular Wirral Walks: 100 Miles of the Best Walks in the Area.
His talk will focus on an aspect of the Cheshire salt industry which has been overlooked to date – sea salt making on the Dee estuary. His investigations were sparked by an observation made by John Leland during his sixteenth century travels through Cheshire. This led Anthony to uncover the story of an enterprising corner of Tudor Wirral held by the well-known Cheshire Mascy/Massey family. Sea salt production was practised in only a handful of locations around the British coast and Anthony’s talk will look at exactly where, how and why the activity operated in our county.
Page 12 Monday 27th February 2012 Hugh Beggs: ‘Widely as his Mersey flows’
Hugh has spoken to our Society on two previous occasions. He is a retired geography teacher, born in Cumberland and now living in east Cheshire, and is a very popular, sought-after lecturer. ‘Widely as his Mersey flows’ is an account of the course of the Mersey: a river somewhat prone to flooding, but which has powered mills, carried barges and served two great ports.
Please note that Hugh’s talk will be preceded by the AGM.
Monday 26th March 2012 Ed Bennis: ‘Boogie-woogie, Flappers, Bathtub Gin and ... the Modernist Garden’
Ed Bennis qualified as a landscape architect in the United States and obtained a post-graduate degree in historic conservation at the University of York. He has recently retired as head of the Landscape Architecture programme at Manchester Metropolitan University and head of the Centre for Landscape Research at the university. As well as teaching history and theory, he has been involved in research and practice for regional governments, English Heritage and private companies. He has co-authored books, published and lectured extensively. Ed has led and worked on several EU projects dealing with landscape issues in the UK, Italy, Portugal, France, and Germany. As a visiting Professor of Landscape Architecture, he has run Master Classes in Novi Sad, Serbia and in Beijing and Guangzhou, China. Ed is currently researching and advising East Cheshire and Lancashire County Councils on their historic parks and gardens, as well as being chair of Cheshire Gardens Trust.
It often seems that things that are closest to us in time and place, are those things about which we have the least knowledge and understanding. Ed’s interest in the modern landscape, specifically modernism, developed through his work in Europe and lectures in the States. While the roots of modernism are well researched in art and architecture, there is little that has addressed the designed landscape. Discovering Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe’s water garden for the Cadbury factory at Moreton (1952) was a key moment. This was followed by investigating the work of Jan Canneel-Claes in Belgium which showed that the modernist garden was far from the mechanical and austere ideal that we too often assume. One garden survived the war, fashion and time: it was in fact a family garden (1937) that has retained almost completely its original form for seventy years. Ed’s presentation will look at the context, reasoning and detail of this neglected period of twentieth century design.
Page 12 Page 13 Monday 30th April 2012: The Anthea Allen Lecture Prof. Chris Dyer: Cotswold landscapes from prehistory until 1600: some myths exposed
Christopher Dyer has recently retired as Professor of Regional and Local History at the University of Leicester, having previously been Professor of Medieval Social History at the University of Birmingham. He holds the Leverhulme Trust Emeritus Fellowship and is a Fellow of the British Academy. His books include Standard of Living in the Later Middle Ages (1989); Making a Living in the Middle Ages (2003) and An Age of Transition (2005). His numerous articles include publications on the woodland landscapes of the midlands, and on champion landscapes, including Compton Verney. His work on the Cotswolds includes three village studies and various general works.
The Cotswold Hills have a reputation for the beauty of the countryside and especially of its stone built villages. It now provides homes for numerous politicians, media personalities, writers and the new rich. It acquired its modern reputation towards the end of the nineteenth century although it has not always been a desirable place to live. This lecture aims at a realistic demolition of the myths which are widely believed by its wealthy but often ill-informed inhabitants. Its villages are not timeless, it has not always been lived in by sheep - the special breed of Cotswold sheep is a late development, the district has not always enjoyed great prosperity, and the ‘wool towns’ are misnamed. Debunking the modern image of the Cotswolds makes us think about our approach to the landscape in general. Chris has a particular antipathy to the word ‘nestles’, as in ‘the village nestles in the valley’, and will show why it is a crime against the English language and the landscape to use the term.
Monday 24th September 2012 Duncan James: Making the houses talk - the business of investigating timber- framed buildings
Duncan James has been recording and analysing buildings over the last 15 years in Herefordshire and the surrounding counties, specialising in timber-framed structures. He has worked on projects linked to tree-ring dating of houses in Pembridge, Weobley and Eardisley in which whole groups of structures in single settlements were investigated, some in great detail. Although he undertakes recording of listed buildings in advance of planning applications along with private commissions, the focus of his work more recently has been in the field of pure research.
This talk will endeavour to explain some of the subtle clues that are sought when working to understand what can be a complex series of phases within one structure. Vernacular timber-framed buildings of medieval or late medieval date are seldom
Page 14 associated with documentation, which means that the only voice is that of the building itself. It is often only through a very detailed, forensic approach to the evidence on and in the timber frame itself that some understanding of its history and primary function can be gleaned. For many of us the house and our relationship to it is intimate and highly significant. Learning to read these early structures can get us closer to the individuals who occupied them and who, for the most part, left no written evidence of their lives.
Monday 29th October 2012 Elizabeth Davey: A Georgian New Town: the rise of Birkenhead
Elizabeth Davey studied at St. Anne’s College, Oxford, where she developed her interest in landscape history. She first came to Wirral in 1970, since when her enthusiasm for the area has become a passion. She taught in Birkenhead for over twenty years and began collecting material on the history of the town in the 1980s. She co-wrote Birkenhead High School, a History, to mark the school’s centenary and more recently Birkenhead – A History (2009).
Elizabeth’s talk will trace the history of Birkenhead from its origins in the medieval period to the present day: the tiny community with its ferry and Benedictine priory, the bustling Georgian ‘new town’, the Victorian and Edwardian Borough steeped in civic pride, the hardships endured during two World Wars and the town we know today.
Monday 26th November 2012 Gavin Hunter: The Storeton Quarries and Tramway
Gavin Hunter is a local historian from the Wirral. He worked for Lever Brothers and Unilever at Port Sunlight for 32 years in various engineering management positions. In 1994 he studied for an MA in Landscape History at the University of Chester for which his thesis was based on the Leverhulmes’ Wirral Estates. Since retirement in 2001 he has acted as the family's honorary archivist and historian, making an extensive study of the three Lords Leverhulme, their families and their properties. Gavin lectures regularly on many aspects of Wirral's history and development, particularly its villages and coastline.
His talk will be an illustrated history of the unique quarries at Storeton, from Roman times to the present, together with the story of the horse-drawn tramway which took the stone to Bromborough Port.
Mike Headon
Page 14 Page 15 Field Visit Programme
A message from Mike and Maggie Taylor
Our thanks go to members who have suggested visits or have volunteered to lead them. We offer a varied programme for the coming year and sincerely hope you will enjoy it. Please reserve places on the accompanying form. We have been asked to indicate the amount of walking in each visit and have tried to do this. However, things also depend on whether the going is wet or dry, or whether it is possible to skip a walk yet still get pleasure from the visit. Please use your judgement and come prepared.
Important Booking Information
Please send completed booking forms to Maggie and Mike Taylor to arrive by Monday 6th February. Where the number of places is limited, we shall operate a ballot system with a waiting list for unsuccessful applicants. Please do not send money with your booking form, we will ask for the booking fee later. Please note that members are responsible for arranging any personal insurance for these trips.
Saturday 28th April 2012: The Landscape of the River Bela (day visit) Leader: Tony Bland
A longish drive but well worth it to follow a stretch of the Bela to the estuary in Morecambe Bay. We will meet in Beetham, where we will visit the ancient church before visiting a rare working corn mill. Moving on through Milnthorpe, we head westwards to see the impact of Enclosure (c.1803) and of disastrous floods on the land close to the river before driving through Dallam Park (see front cover). This is a privately owned house with an intact parkland landscape with deer, outlines of ridge and furrow, lynchets and an impressive wall-and-ditch ha-ha. We shall aim to have lunch on a limestone pavement before walking up hill to obtain a panoramic view of the Bela and lower Kent rivers. We shall then follow the river ending in Arnside for estuarine views and tea. Walks are short, the hill climb is easy and takes about 20 minutes. However please come dressed for the weather, wear stout footwear with good soles and think about bringing a stick. Remember your camera and a pair of binoculars may prove useful.
Page 16 Saturday 12th May 2012: The House and Landscape at Pensychnant (day visit) Leader: Julian Thompson
The Stott family who designed many of Oldham’s spinning mills, created a 150 acre estate near the top of the Sychnant Pass in the hills behind Conwy. The house, at first a weekend retreat, became much loved by the family and today is the centre for our visit. In the morning, we shall visit the house and explore the woods and parkland near the house. In the afternoon, there will be a two hour guided walk across the moors to find the remains of Iron Age roundhouses and Medieval longhouses built by the bondsmen of the Bishop of Bangor. Those who do not fancy the afternoon walk can stay nearer the house and enjoy the outstanding natural beauty of the area. This is an area of nationally important heathland with choughs, ravens, redstarts etc. and probably the best recorded history of moths in North Wales. There will be a charge of £3.50 per person on the day to cover the cost of entrance to the house plus tea and scones. If scones are not enough, bring a packed lunch. This is another opportunity to bring a camera and binoculars.
Sunday 10th June 2012: Secret ‘goings-on’ at Rhydymwyn Leader: Diane Johnson
A few years ago, our visit to the WWII weapons plant near Mold created a lot of interest. Since then, although the surrounding countryside remains unspoilt (and is a most unexpected nature reserve), the old manufacturing site has been further developed to display its secret past. This trip is being run by Rhydymwyn Valley History Society and the event is open to our members plus their families and friends. A time has yet to be fixed so please indicate on the booking form if you would like to be kept informed so that we can write/email you once the exact details have been finalised.
Sunday 24th June 2012: President’s Visit – In and Around Oswestry (day visit) Leader: Professor Graeme White
The origins of Oswestry, some forty miles south-south-west of Chester, can be traced through references to its castle and church soon after the Norman Conquest, although the presence of the nearby hill fort (‘Old Oswestry’) testifies to settlement in the vicinity in pre-Roman times. It subsequently developed as a walled medieval market town with a flourishing wool trade, an eighteenth-century coaching centre on the London to Holyhead road, and - from the 1860s - the headquarters of the Cambrian Railways Company. Evidence of all this can be seen in the landscape today, in buildings and the pattern of streets, which will be the focus of the morning’s walk through the town. After lunch there will be a drive up to Oswestry’s Old Racecourse Common, where the former course can still be seen and from which there are commanding views of the surrounding marcher countryside. Those who wish to tackle the more challenging gradients of the hill
Page 16 Page 17 fort will have the opportunity to do so at the end of the visit. We will meet at St. Oswald’s Church (Church Street) at 10.30 a.m.
Saturday 7th July 2012: The Northern End of Wats Dyke (afternoon visit) Leader: Peter Lewis
We will assemble near Northop for an afternoon’s circular walk of about 4-5 miles with plenty of stops for information about Wat’s Dyke and the surrounding landscape. This pleasant walk will pass Soughton Hall and Soughton House. As with other outings, please dress for the weather and wear stout footwear.
Mike Taylor
Leicestershire: Battle Field & Beacons 18th - 20th September 2012
To quote Hoskins, “the county contains some things as good as anything in England, yet it is almost unknown in this respect”.
Our itinerary will be varied. The visit will include a comprehensive overview of the landscape of the Battle of Bosworth (1485), with the latest up to date information regarding the new location of the battle. We shall also be visiting other sites associated with the momentous event including Sutton Cheney and Stoke Golding. Other places of interest will encompass different periods of Leicestershire’s archaeology and history. In the prehistoric era the Midland
Page 18 counties were thinly populated so sites are rare but we hope to visit an Iron Age camp. An Anglo Saxon church with carvings, medieval buildings and deer parks, a late feudal castle, a Commonwealth church, and examples of the industrial heritage of Leicestershire will also hopefully be included in our package.
We will be based at the Bosworth Hall Hotel (pictured above), a magnificent William & Mary mansion set in extensive grounds. The principal public rooms have been renovated, preserving the original plasterwork ceilings and cornices, carved panels and ornate fireplaces. All our bedrooms are large, comfortable doubles, but can be converted to twin bedded rooms, each with a private en-suite bathroom, overlooking the lawns and gardens of the Hall. Due to a dearth of good accommodation in the area and our hotel’s popularity for weddings it has proved necessary to make the visit mid week. The costs are £150.00 per person for the visit which includes two nights dinner, bed and breakfast (based on two people sharing a room), a light lunch at the Battle of Bosworth Heritage Centre, some entrance fees and guides at selected sites. Unfortunately due to the hotel only having double/twin rooms there is a considerable premium for single occupancy, so if that is a requirement the cost will be £200.00 per head. Should single members wish to share a twin bedded room, please indicate this on the booking form.
The majority of places chosen have good access and do not entail a great deal of walking. However, the organisers intend to include a couple of optional walks for those who wish to participate.
If you would like to join us, please complete the booking form and enclose a deposit of £50 per person by 15th February 2012 (This is non-refundable). We intend to follow last year’s practice of staged payments. Two further equal payments will be due on 15th May and 15th August. These payments should be sent direct to: Mike Johnson, Ty Pedwar, Leete Park, Rhydymwyn, Mold CH7 5JJ.
Page 18 Page 19 Plas Ucha yn Eglwyseg - Llangollen Grid ref: SJ 232 477 World’s End is high up in the narrow valley of the old township of Eglwyseg or Eglwysegle near Llangollen. It is the place name given to the head of this remote valley, below the cliffs of the Eglwyseg Rocks. This area is best known for its dramatic rock formation and unspoiled historic landscape and is known as “The Little Switzerland of Wales”. The valley and the cliffs above are a designated site of Special Scientific Interest and Landscape of Special Historic Interest. The striking carboniferous limestone escarpment running north-south for around four miles is the most impressive feature of the spectacular landscape around Llangollen. In geological terms this is known as the Minera Fault. The underplaying solid geology in this area is largely composed of Silurian shales. The highest point is 511 metres and with magnificent views for miles around, it is a popular area for walkers.
The twisting mountain road from Llangollen to Minera provides access to the dispersed farms in the surrounding area. Leaving Llangollen one passes through a fertile region of pasture farms and low hills, which in turn modified hilltops further up. There are a number of eighteenth century stone bridges. The tarmac road originally came to an end at the river ford at World’s End. The narrow track over the mountain moors down to Minera was constructed by American forces during World War Two but was impassable to motor vehicles until it was upgraded by the local council in the late 1940s.
A number of the farmhouses in this area date from the fifteenth to early seventeenth century. Originally formed by woodland clearance, the surrounding fields were enclosed on a piecemeal basis during the latter half of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In the nineteenth century extensive conifer woodland
Page 20 was planted on a large scale by surrounding estates and small farms to supply both the construction and mining industries.
Recent archaeological field surveys have revealed a number of limekilns in the surrounding area, probably dating from the later eighteenth or early nineteenth century. There are also traces of short-lived lead and silver mines that were in operation during the 1860s to 1890s.
The Manor House Mid-way up the twisting mountain road, at the very end of the narrow valley at World’s End below the Eglwyseg Rocks, is a remotely situated charmingly picturesque Elizabethan house called Plas Ucha yn Eglwyseg – The Manor House. The author was a regular visitor to the manor house during his childhood years for his family owned Hafod Farm four miles away on Minera Mountain.
The present timber-framed and stone building dates from the sixteenth century although according to archaeological reports there was a medieval stone building on this site. This earlier building may have been a hunting lodge owned by Cadwgan, Prince of Powys.
The present manor house is a two storey L-shaped building with a right wing gable end projecting towards the front. It is constructed partly of local stone although most of the upper storey is timer-framed, with herringbone and lozenge bracing. The entrance doorway lintel has got a depressed ogee head, the windows are mullion with lead lights. The roof is pitched with slates and it has tall stone chimneys. The west side, built solely of stone, is probably of earlier construction.
The Latin inscription above the door was added in the late nineteenth century and promotes the legend that Queen Elizabeth I used the house as a secret refuge to have an illegitimate child. During the English Civil War the house was owned by Cromwell’s brother-in law, Colonel John Jones, who married his widowed sister as
Page 20 Page 21 his second wife. The Colonel was a signatory to the execution of Charles I and during the Restoration was himself condemned to die by hanging, for regicide.
During the nineteenth century (1819-1894) the house was owned by a barrister, Thomas Jones. It was at this time that George Borrow visited the house on his visit to Wrexham. Writing of his travels, he asks if the house is called Plas Uchaf because it is the highest house in the valley. In reply, he was told “It is sir; it is the highest of three homesteads; the next below is Plas Canol and the other one below that is Plas IIsaf.”
During the first half of the twentieth century, when the house was part of the Wynnstay estate, the building was used as a shooting lodge. A number of famous people such as Von Ribbentrop, Goering and Winston Churchill visited in the period between the wars. During the Second World War soldiers were billeted in the house. The building was damaged by incendiary bombs in 1941.
After the war, another Mr Jones bought the property for £600 and carried out various repairs to the fabric of the building. When he died in 1980, it was bequeathed to his two daughters. With new owners in the later 1990s extensive alterations were carried out to the house and grounds.
The photograph, taken some years ago, shows the front of the house with its immaculate lawn and middle path leading to a small gate in the boundary stone retaining wall right on the edge of the road. In the later 1990s the status of the road in front of the property was changed. No longer a public highway, this road became private; the original road was realigned as a bypass road further away from the property on the other side of the river. The front of the house is now concealed from view by dense newly planted woodland to protect the owner’s privacy. However it is still possible to see the manor from the Offa’s Dyke path which runs through the area.
Bibliography E. Hubbard, The Buildings of Wales – Clwyd (Denbighshire and Flintshire) (University of Wales Press, 1986). G. Borrow, Wild Wales (London and Glasgow, Collins, 1886, reprinted 1977). T. Pennant, Tours in Wales: Volume 2 (Wilkie and Robinson, 1810). R. Fenton, Tours in Wales (1804 – 1813) (Bedford Press for the Cambrian Archaeological Association, 1917). Eglwyseg Rock in Llangollen – <
John Lowe
Page 22 Quiz Answers
Look at the answers below and see how you fared!!
1) Close Runes Enclosures 2) Stolen Laws Stonewalls 3) Crippled Barge Clapper Bridge 4) Warm Oat Weed Water Meadow 5) P-Pieced Corset Coppiced Trees 6) Dose At Time Moated Site 7) True Pink Turnpike 8) Rude Forwarding Ridge and Furrow 9) Select Corin Stone Circle 10) Leg Delivers Date Deserted Village 11) Meant Fish Mineshaft 12) An Odd Owl Woodland 13) New Fits Old Townfields 14) Lo, The Soul Tollhouse 15) Darn A Moor Roman Road 16) A Tolling For Hire Iron Age Hill Fort 17) Dee Held Figs Field Hedges 18) Nick The Danger Kitchen Garden 19) Di, So Laburnum Burial Mounds 20) Cruel Instead Ruined Castle
Our thanks to Jennifer Kennerley for this masterpiece.
************** Leader Needed - Can you help?
Greenfield Valley Heritage Park, Basingwerk Abbey and St. Winifred’s Well near Holywell have all been suggested by members for a possible field visit.
Would anyone like to arrange a visit to incorporate some or all of the above for our 2013 programme?
Page 22 Page 23 Future Events
Unfortunately this edition of our newsletter had to go to press before we were able to finalise arrangements for two events:
our spring social (an evening meal in Chester) 2012 Discovery Day
Details will be announced at our forthcoming lectures and by email/snail mail regarding these events.
Editor’s Corner
AGM Just a reminder that our AGM will be held on Monday 27th February 2012 at 7.15pm. Additional items for the agenda should be forwarded to Mike Headon (Hon. Secretary).
A big ‘thank you’ once again to all our contributors and especially to Peter Roberts and Mike Taylor for their conference photos. Please note that any items for the next newsletter need to be submitted by 20th July 2012.
Editor: Sharon Varey, Meadow Brook, 49 Peel Crescent, Ashton Hayes, Cheshire, CH3 8DA Email: [email protected]
Visit us at www.chesterlandscapehistory.org.uk
© Chester Society for Landscape History, 2005-2012
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