Friends of Anderton and Marbury (FoAM)

The Woodlands: a Haven at this Difficult Time Keep Social Distance and Keep Safe

From the Chair

After the exceptional spell of good weather in spring, it has been rather more mixed, with some hot, sunny spells but also some much-needed rain. This has been good for the elm avenue which we planted at the end of last year along Marbury Lane and also for the new planting which has been undertaken by Inovyn near the Community Orchard.

The orchids this year at Anderton and the Flashes have been magnificent, including this specimen at Anderton Nature Park.

View of from Anderton

Many of the regular volunteers have been itching to get back to work and a week or so ago, Rangers’ Line Manager Rob Jones told me:

“I’m just finalising the track and trace procedure which will allow volunteers back into our parks and open spaces. I appreciate this has been a difficult time for volunteers, who are frustrated that they are unable to re-engage with the outdoors. But we have a duty of care towards them and our officers, and ensuring the correct Covid-19 procedures are in place is There have been good numbers of dragonflies and paramount. PPE and sanitiser wipes are being damselflies at the Anderton Dragonfly Pond. A recent delivered to depots, and I hope to have all guidelines visit saw brown hawker and Emperor dragonflies in place by the end of the week. oviposting, a common darter emerging and black- tailed skimmer patrolling the pond. We are looking forward to welcoming our valued volunteers back ASAP” This newsletter includes an article by Chris Reiki describing some of the flowers and wildlife which could Dave James now has the guidelines and is looking to be seen in the Woodlands over the last few weeks. restart volunteering in the Woodlands shortly. Please do not turn up to volunteer unless he is expecting you. Tata Chemicals continue with demolition of some of the tall structures at Winnington Works and the views Finally, I would like to thank Debbie Antrobus for her of the Works from Anderton Nature Park are changing work as Membership Secretary over the past three rapidly. The visual links with the salt industry will soon years and welcome Jim Jeeves, who has taken over be lost and it will become difficult for visitors to gain an the role from her. understanding of the connections between the salt industry and the current landscape at Anderton. Alan Redley

1 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected] Neighbours of Marbury Hall

Jim and I have been members of Gardens Richard was kind enough to give us a guided tour of Trust for five years. It is part of a network of county the park with its fine collection of trees. He also took trusts that make up The Garden Trust, the only UK us further out on the estate to the site of a monastic national charity dedicated to protecting and grange, now a designated Scheduled Monument, conserving our heritage of designed landscapes. consisting of a rectangular fishpond and a five-sided Local authorities have to consult the trust on any island surrounded by a rectangular moat. planning applications that affect gardens and landscapes listed on Historic ’s Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest.

We enjoy the garden visits, the talks and the company of like-minded people. Some members have made their living from gardening; others are photographers, artists or history buffs who just love to research. Then there are those like us who are enthusiastic amateurs. One thing we all have in common is our love of parks and gardens.

After a few months I became more interested in the research and joined the Research and Recording Group of about ten members. I was able to contribute to the final stages of the report on Marbury Country Park, which followed FoAM’s research into Marbury’s By contrast, Winnington Hall isn’t surrounded by history. parkland, but by a partly derelict industrial site. Few people might know of the existence of this Grade 1 Since then I have researched into Marbury’s Listed Tudor mansion with its 18th century extension, neighbours, Wincham and Belmont Halls, and I am designed by Samuel or James Wyatt, tucked away currently working on Winnington Hall. Whilst the amongst Tata’s chemical plant. emphasis is on parks and gardens, it needs to be put in context, so a summary of the history of each The Hall has had a string of owners and residents property forms the basis of the report. including: Sir Peter Warburton of Warburton and Arley, st who built the Tudor hall; Richard Pennant, 1 Baron Site visits can be exciting, which is perhaps why we try Penrhyn of Penrhyn Castle, who built the Wyatt Hall; st not to do them alone. The most memorable part of the John Stanley, 1 Baron Stanley of Alderley; 35 girls visit to Wincham Hall was struggling through dense and the staff of Winnington Hall Academy for Young undergrowth, trying to find an ice house marked on Ladies and their illustrious visitor John Ruskin; Sir historic maps. Needless to say, I tripped on a bramble John Tomlinson Brunner, who lived in the Tudor Hall and finished up full length on the ground. We did find and , who lived in the Wyatt Hall. Fifty the ice house, although in an area invaded by suites or individual offices now enjoy the splendour of Japanese knotweed, so the long term prospects for its Winnington Hall. survival are not good. Wincham Hall is now a hotel providing a wedding venue.

Each of these halls was home at one time to a wealthy Part of Belmont Hall, built by John Smith Barry in the family, but they have finished up with quite different 1750s, is occupied by Cransley School. It is also functions and in varying states of repair. home to Richard Leigh, whose family have been in residence for more than 200 years. Mary Jeeves

2 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected] Wild Flower Meadow on the Proposed Play Area

Several months ago, an area behind the Rangers’ The foxglove seeds had been dormant for several cabin was cleared to make way for a new Children’s years and their disturbance, coupled with the early Play Area. spring weather, provided the perfect combination for them to come to life in such a magnificent display. Visitors to Marbury in spring will have discovered a stunning wildflower meadow covering the area, with a The area also attracted butterflies, dragonflies and if spectacular display of wild flowers and foxgloves of you looked carefully, common blue damselflies could varying colours. be found.

Tree Planting and the Marbury Lady Sculpture

In our last newsletter, Dave James reported that The final work in this area will be to install new fencing contractors were about to plant six large oak and three and this is expected to be completed shortly. lime trees to replace the damaged trees by the orchard and Marbury Lane sculpture.

The area has been tidied and trees and a hedge have been planted. Sinon O’Rourke’s Marbury Lady sculpture

When Simon O’Rourke was commissioned to produce the Marbury Lady sculpture, members of the Textiles in the Park group were inspired to create their own Marbury Lady Sculpture Trail. This was to have been opened to the public on 4th April but, like other events, had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic.

As restrictions are eased, the Textiles in the Park group are hoping to be able to establish a new date for their trail to be opened.

Alan Redley 3 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected] Summer Wildlife Report from the Woodlands

Summer is always a busy time for wildlife at Marbury larvae then feed on the hornet or wasp larvae. They and Anderton. We are very fortunate in enjoying a pose no danger to people, do not sting or bite and can range of habitats offering a wide variety of fascinating be easy to get close to for photographs. We also have flowers and insects. Below are just a few of the European hornets around, so take care! highlights from this Summer.

On the Orchid Trail across the Bund between the Flashes, the purple-pink spikes of beautiful Marsh Fragrant Orchids can easily be seen in late June and July.

Lesser hoverfly Hoverfly

The watery habitats around Woodlands are ideal for dragonflies. One of the largest, the brown hawker, can easily be identified as it is the only one Marsh fragrant orchid with brown wings. They patrol clearings and meadows and will often be quite inquisitive, flying close to check A close look reveals many intricate flowers with a people out. The Dragonfly Pond at Anderton is an fantastic scent - it's well worth getting down on your ideal place to see these as well as other species of hands and knees to smell them. The Orchid Trail dragonfly and damselfly, and Hopyards Meadow is leaflets are available from the Ranger's hut. another good place to seek them out. Dragonflies usually perch with their wings spread, while Two forms of knapweed, which insects love, also grow damselflies are smaller and fold their wings along their around the Flashes. The usual form has a tight body. 'paintbrush' of rich purple petals. However, we also have a form with a circle of rayed petals giving a different look to the plant. The only place to reliably see the rayed one is beside the path around Ashton's Flash.

Brown hawker

Knapweed Rayed knapweed Local wildlife of all kinds is now being reported and Two special insects that have appeared only in the last shared in real time on the Marbury Patch Wildlife couple of years are large hoverflies that mimic WhatsApp group. If you would like to join, please email hornets. They have been moving north and can now [email protected] be found on the Patch feeding on nectar and hunting hornet or wasp nests in which to lay their eggs. Their Chris Reiki

Butterfly Transect

The volunteers who have been carrying out butterfly way for Butterfly Conservation. The route is just under surveys in Marbury Country Park are no longer able to 2 miles starting from the Rangers’ Cabin and typically continue, so we are seeking new people to take on this takes 1 hour to walk. enjoyable and important task. Perhaps two people would like to walk the route It involves walking a pre-set route (transect) once a together as it can be difficult to record what’s seen and week between April and September when conditions not miss anything. If you are interested in helping out, are appropriate and recording species seen on the please contact Mary Jeeves on 01606 77688.

4 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected] Marbury History

In the last newsletter, I reported on two enquiries which had come as a result of the Marbury History document on our website: one from a researcher at West University in Pennsylvania and one from the son in law of an American Surgeon who was stationed at Marbury during the war.

Since then, two further enquiries about Smith Barry’s collection have come to us via our website. The first was from a researcher at the Getty Museum, Malibu, concerning the Marbury Hall Zeus.

The researcher was trying to establish more detail about the statue’s provenance and in particular, ‘Big Alex’ in the Courtyard at Marbury details around when it left Marbury. It is reported by Vermeule and Von Bothmer in 1956 that the statue These various enquiries have filled in a lot of details was “still at Marbury, coll Miss E Parsons.” about the collection which was once at Marbury, but also raise many new questions for future research! I contacted the Catalyst Museum at , who hold ICI’s archives. With the exception of the Jenkins They also led to finding pictures of the inside of Vase, they could find no evidence in the archives of Marbury Hall, taken just prior to its demolition. It is Zeus or any marbles from Smith Barry’s collection fascinating to compare this picture from 1929, showing remaining at Marbury during the period of ICI’s the sculptures on display in the gallery, with a picture ownership of the Hall. of the same room taken in a sad state in 1969, just before demolition. So, we have been unable to establish exactly when Zeus left Marbury and have also been unable to find anything more about Miss E Parsons.

However, we know that some statues certainly did remain at Marbury and were still there when the Hall was demolished.

Also, as a result of this enquiry, we discovered that the Smith Barry family still owned the Jenkins Vase, which they left at Marbury following sale of the Hall in 1932, until they arranged for its removal on 16th May 1958.

More recently, I was contacted by Dr Hans-Cristoph von Mosch, who is writing an academic article about a Sculpture Gallery 1929 famous sculpture in Munich Glyptothek called (The Jenkins Vase can be seen in the centre of the room)

“Münchner König”. When he saw the pictures of ‘Big Alex’ in our Autumn 2019 newsletter on our website, he got the idea that it might be a Roman copy of their Munich piece.

Just prior to demolition - January 1969

These various enquiries prompted me to update ‘Section 3, Collections of Books, Art and Marbles’ in the Marbury History section on our website, so please take a look if you haven’t already.

Münchner König Alan Redley 5 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected] Memories of a Marbury Childhood – Phil Painter

We are always delighted to receive feedback on and lived in Berlin since 1983. Phil has sent us a a articles that have appeared in our newsletters or wonderful collection of his memories of a childhood at comments after finding something of interest on Marbury. Here is an extract from his longer account FoAM’s website. We are often surprised that these of his memories which we hope to include on the come from people outside the UK. Most recently we website. received an email from Phil Painter, who has worked

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“I really enjoyed reading the Spring 2020 issue of the temperature of the water on a blackboard at the Anderton and Marbury Newsletter. Being an old entrance. Normally, the temperature was between Marbury resident, the article ‘A Walk Along Marbury 66F-70F. Lane’ brought back a lot of happy memories. The beautiful and impressive Marbury Hall was still Marbury had two living areas on either side of Marbury intact, although not in use, apart from a men’s club, Hall - West Park and East Park. West Park was open until 22:00. It may have been ICI run as my considered the posher of the two. Well, I don’t know father went there for a pint. There were several Polish about that, but it did contain a launderette. Mind you, families around, but I don't remember refugees on the East Park had a shop. My mum worked a couple of estate. Perhaps for a short time after the war the hall hours a day there. contained some. From West Park you entered the hall through an archway adorned by a large clock. You I lived at 82, West Park from 1956 – 1964 with my arrived in the courtyard, which had white Greek parents Margaret and Ronald Painter, and my sister statues. Valerie. It was the first hut you came to from Marbury Road opposite the entrance of Marbury Hall – and not I visited Marbury with a friend in 1966, having cycled far from the water tower. I have seen a picture of it, from South Manchester. We visited the baths which shown on Section 6 of the History of Marbury Hall and were still thriving and the hall was there in all its Parkland: ‘Looking towards West Park from the Hall’ splendour. Some of the huts were still occupied, but As a child I used to watch people walking to Marbury for not much longer. Baths from my garden. We moved to Partington on 11th November 1964 when My parents moved from to Marbury in 1952, I was eight years old to be near to my dad’s job at Shell for a few years living in another hut further up West Carrington which he started in 1960. Dad commuted Park, before moving to No 82 before I was born. Like to Carrington for four years; we all loved Marbury and most kids’ fathers in Marbury during the 50s and 60s, wanted to stay there. It was a brilliant playground for my dad worked at ICI, like his dad and my mum’s too; us children, and we loved the swimming baths. she was brought up in Solvay Road, Winnington. The loss of Marbury Hall in 1968 fills me with much During this period, ICI Winnington employees and sadness. If only money had been found to renovate it! their lucky families lived in the huts there. For cheap A great pity Northwich Council didn't have the vision to rent they were able to live in the most wonderful of see what a tremendous tourist attraction it would have settings. The mere, the hall, the nurseries, the trees. been.

For us children it was like living in heaven. As most The photographs are of me taken in the summer of huts contained families, the population of Marbury at 1962 in my garden at No 82 The West Park road sign that time must have been somewhere in the region of is above my head; the East Park sign behind is hidden 200-300. from view. The other photograph is of Mrs Miles’ Class of 1962 at Winnington Park School. I am sitting on the During the summer months, family life centred on the front row, to the right of Mrs Miles, third child along. baths in warm weather. They used to chalk the

6 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected] Thoughts about the Park in Lockdown

Being among those deemed to be ‘at risk’, we have Spending time looking at activities in our modest tried to follow the advice given about contact with the garden have proved entertaining. Regular visits of a outside world. We have probably taken things too pair of bullfinches, mallards, as well as other more literally, considering the ‘Cummings’ and goings of common but nevertheless beautiful birds have been a some. Things seem to be relaxing a little and hopefully joy. sensible behaviour will prevail.

Visits to the Park have been curtailed and we have concentrated on the area within a mile radius at home for our permitted exercise. In some ways it has been an eye opener and we have seen the progress from the beginning of Spring to the onset of Summer.

Fields have turned from brown, dry areas to lush Plants have flowered then gone, leaving the perennial green. Hedgerows have displayed a procession of weeds, particularly mare’s tail of course. There are flowers from celandine to dandelion to roses and more flowers to come, I am glad to say. honeysuckle to name a few. We certainly don’t see the large variety of flora that blossoms in the park, but Acknowledgment of my monthly email of FoAM News what we have seen, in an otherwise unremarkable from a few members and a glance at the FB page has series of walks, has been interesting. Appreciation of kept interest alive. I think social media has, in this these things certainly has been enhanced by our respect, widened public awareness of Northwich involvement in FoAM and its activities. Woodlands .Hopefully this generates interest and some degree of appreciation of the work done by Dave and the volunteers, who work hard to keep the area in shape and welcoming.

It has not been possible to run FoAM activities except for the Photo Competition, so photos taken in lockdown would be welcome and relevant this year.

Jim Jeeves

Photographic Competition 2020

We are obviously disappointed that FoAM’s events for 2020 have had to be cancelled. This does not apply to the Photographic Competition. The unusual circumstances may even mean that there will be more opportunities for a wider range of photos than in previous years. In some areas of the Woodlands the wildlife has been more prolific (the effect of weather patterns earlier in the year) and many people have taken advantage of the open spaces to enjoy exercise or relaxation.

The Competition is for photos taken in the Northwich Woodlands, at any time during the year. A reminder of the categories for the Competition: Landscape; Wildlife (flora); Wildlife (fauna); Work, Rest and Play. Entry to the Competition is free, and entries are invited from photographers of all ages and abilities. The closing date for entries is 31 December 2020.

Rules for the Competition are published on the FoAM website.

The Dragonfly Pond

A walk taking in the Dragonfly Pond was particularly rewarding and we were also able to point out several species to families who came to explore.

The male Emperor dragonfly was not settling and difficult to capture on camera flying, but this female Emperor settled to ovipost.

Joanne Redley Unlucky darter! Female Emperor oviposting

7 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected] The Well Heeled Dog Club: Q&As about dog training

GOOD NEWS… Classes are back on at Marbury Park but booking must be done in advance due to restrictions surrounding Covid 19. Mike is also available for 121 training & behaviour advice, plus Zoom sessions if needed.

Hi Mike, Since lockdown, our 7mth old puppy has had our Make sure that doing things like going upstairs or attention all day every day but now when we leave leaving the house is a casual act, rather than a big deal her to go out for short periods she cries and barks. and give your puppy as few clues as possible that Even when we leave the room to go upstairs, she you’re leaving. For example, load the car with bags stresses. At night she sleeps downstairs (which and coats 15 minutes before it’s time to leave, then we know is the right thing to do) but as soon as leave by the back door rather than the front. Don’t say she’s awake she’s crying and wants to be near us. goodbye or give her a food treat, just go. We give her lots of attention and reassurance whenever we’re at home but it’s as if she’s scared Practise leaving the house as much as possible, even of something happening when we’re not there. for short periods of time. Start by taking things Hope you can help? Charlotte upstairs, progress to taking rubbish out to the bin by -- going out of the back door and coming back in through A: Hi Charlotte, you’re not alone. Since lockdown the front door and vice-versa. When you come in, no started a lot of puppy owners are struggling with the matter what she’s done, just ignore her – walk straight same problem. Separation issues can start for several past without a touch or a glance in her direction and reasons, but usually it’s because we give the dog too put the kettle on. The more you practice the less much attention whenever they demand it from us. You notice your dog will take of all the comings and goings. might be thinking that you are reassuring her, but in fact you’re inadvertently rewarding the puppy for being If your dog really does panic while you’re away then too clingy to you. leave the radio on, or set up a situation to make her think that you’re still around - e.g. leave recently worn If we give our dogs lots of fuss & cuddles and pander clothing/slippers outside the door and make a sound to them too much, they’ll just want more. You can CD recording of your day-to-day conversations and imagine this behaviour cycle can become a difficult leave it on loop play outside the room. Above all, resist habit to break. Dogs who are anxious about their the urge to promise her that you won’t be gone for long owners going out of sight will try all sorts of methods and that you’ll give her lots of cuddles soon! to keep the pack together – barking, chewing things, soiling in the house, etc. If you come into the room and immediately focus on what they’ve done then the dogs think “Great, I now know what works to get you back”.

It’s all a matter of training but separation training takes time, patience and practice, especially with a puppy.

You’re doing the right thing by having her sleeping downstairs, but try putting her in the crate more during the day when you’re busy in the house, having a family meal or simply sweeping the kitchen floor. If you’ve got a question you’d like me to cover, email: [email protected]

The Park is for Everyone

We could not believe how full the car park was on one of our walks on a Sunday in June. People were observing social distancing and taking advantage of the opportunity to enjoy being in the open air on a beautiful summer day.

I was particularly taken with this lovely scene alongside the Mere and asked if I might take a photo for our newsletter. Grant very kindly agreed, and when I sent him a copy, in thanking me, he said how appropriate a photo it was for him. Sunday 21st June was Fathers’ Day.

Joanne Redley Grant with his son feeding the ducks

8 www.foam.merseyforest.org.uk email: [email protected]