Newnham, Bullo Pill, and Blaize Bailey
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Walk 12 8 miles (12 km) Walk Twelve Newnham, Bullo Pill, and Blaize Bailey TURN LEFT out of the car park and brick Bullo House, built in the mid to late 19th follow Church Road past cottages, partly century for the harbour master at Bullo Pill. constructed of black slag blocks, Quay House, The lane, which soon becomes a dirt track, An attractive riverside village, former ports, early railway tunnels, and a and the Drill Hall (former warehouses). Turn passes Bullo Farm, Hulin’s, and Grove Farm, spectacular viewpoint. The walk is mainly on field paths and forest tracks, with right opposite the latter into Beeches Road, approaching which a large house (Oaklands a steady climb to Blaize Bailey and descent back to Newnham; 13 stiles. then turn left into the High Street, passing Park, 8) can be seen through trees on the left. the Clock Tower. Lined with old buildings, At Grove Farm, go through a wooden gate Riverside car park off A48 at northern end of Newnham: GR SO 694120. High Street is particularly attractive in on the right, then turn left to follow a hedge Alternative parking along the High Steeet. Refreshments: Railway and Ship March when the daffodils are in bloom (1). and then a sunken track on your left. In the Inns, tea shop and shops in Newnham; snack bar in the riverside car park at Turn left into Severn Street, noting the slag trees at the bottom of the cutting on your popular times. Bus: 73 (Gloucester–Chepstow) to Newnham. blocks in the wall on the left. Turn right past right is the trackbed of the former Forest of Passage House at the bottom of the hill, the Dean Branch (9), which leads to the Haie Hill old ferry slipway being just ahead here (2). Tunnel. The large pink house above is The Pass the former Brightlands School on the Haie (10). Continue with a fence on your left, and, just after the road bends right, turn left, ignoring a stile, to go through a wooden left through a metal gate (“Peace Garden”) gate into woodland. The path goes uphill to at the bottom of the churchyard. Follow the a gravel track where you bear left. Where iron railings uphill above the river, passing this track turns sharp left (to Swiss Cottage), to the left of the church (3). There is an continue ahead on a dirt track to a gate, just excellent view of the Severn and Cotswold before which is a stile on the left. Cross this Hills from here (4). Continue onto a tarmac and bear right to follow a path, which may footpath which leads downhill onto the be rather overgrown in summer, just inside main road. Where the road bends right, by the edge of the woods. Cross another stile Underhill House, turn left and then right on and continue along the path, which becomes a tarmac drive. Bear left by some buildings a broader grassy track and descends to a onto a grass path, go through a kissing gate, T-junction. and continue straight ahead through a gate to Turn right and follow this track, which the field beyond. Keep between the river and soon becomes gravel, uphill through a pine a railway line, climbing a small rise. Ahead plantation. Bear slightly right at a track can be seen Portlands Nab, and behind is junction, and eventually come to a small Newnham Church, The Nab, and Collow clearing, where you bear left uphill to Blaize Pill, where a marine engineering company Bailey lookout (11). Continue on the gravel usually has some interesting boats. A slight track, bearing slightly right at a junction. depression where the field narrows marks the Where the track bends left downhill, bear site of an ill-fated attempt to build a tunnel right past a barrier and a house onto a tarmac under the river (5). lane, where you turn left. After 70 yds climb a Continue above the river and go through stile on the right by a metal gate and turn left a kissing gate into trees, an area rich in wild to follow the hedge on your left. Cross a pair flowers in spring. Pass another kissing gate of stiles and then another by a gate to emerge and follow the path between a fence and back onto the lane. This route gives more good hedge to another gate by a house. Keep views of the Severn Vale, with the early 17th ahead along a gravel road, which soon bends century multi-gabled Staure Farmhouse down right. To the left is Bullo Pill (6) and ahead the hill towards Newnham. However, if the a railway viaduct, part of the former South grass in the fields is too long you can remain Wales Railway (7). Follow the lane under on the lane instead. Continue ahead on the the archway and out onto the main road. lane for a short distance past “The Bungalow” Turn right for 20 yds, cross with care, and (on your right) to a junction. Bearing left here take the tarmac lane (signposted bridleway) takes you into Littledean (12), but turn sharp by the telephone box. On the left is the red- right downhill to continue the walk. 114 115 Walking Through Dean History Walk Twelve After 100 yds, turn left at a footpath sign, parallel to the right-hand edge, to a marker In spite of this, Newnham is to head steeply downhill between hedges post and footbridge, which only come into today an attractive village with (not through the kissing gate) and over a view as you get close. Cross the bridge and a a reasonable (if depleted) range stile. Cross another stile onto a tarmac lane, stile and then continue in the same direction of facilities. The tree-lined High continue ahead past a house, and then, where to another stile. Bear slightly left across the Street, with its clock tower, is the road bends right, take the bridleway (not next field, aiming to go past an isolated tree particularly worth a visit in the stile) ahead. Go between hedges through to a stile in the hedge a little to the left of a the spring, when the daffodils two gates into a field. Follow the hedge on house. Climb this and go through a gap in are in bloom. It is lined with your right, passing a gate/stile, after which the hedge (by a marker post) a short distance fine buildings, many of them the hedge and path bend left downhill past ahead. Bear right, going left of a house (Little listed. Particularly noteworthy ancient oaks, with lovely views of May Hill Hyde) onto a gravel track and turning left past are Britannia House, Kingston (13) and Chestnuts Hill to the left. Look out a shed. The track bends left and then right House, Lamb House (formerly ahead for a metal gate, which leads to a sunken to join a tarmac lane, where you turn right. Lamb & Flag Inn), Olde Bank track between hedges. Follow this, ignoring a Follow the lane as it turns sharp left over the House, Olde King’s Head, Old stile on the right, through two more gates into railway line, the site of Newnham Station House, The Limes & White a field. Follow the fence on your right for 70 yds (14) being on the left and Newnham Tunnel House, The Sanctuary (formerly and, just past a small hollow, cross a stile (not on the right. Continue along the road to the the Upper George Inn), and easy to see) and go through a hedge gap. Bear T-junction by the Clock Tower and turn left Wilcox House (all 17th century slightly right across the field ahead, keeping to return to the car park. or older), and Ashley House, Cottages partly constructed of slag blocks. Church House, and Unlawater (18th century). There are also many 19th century buildings, including Newnham House and Newnham (1) The Club, originally the Town Hall, of about 1850. Some of these were originally inns, of The history of Newnham is closely linked with the River Severn. In Roman times, three which there were 18 at one time or another. Only two survive, the Railway and Ship Inns, the important roads converged on the site and there was a ford and possibly even port early 18th century Victoria Hotel (a former coaching inn) having recently closed. Cottages facilities. A small hamlet had grown up by Saxon times, and by the late medieval period in Church Street and walls in Severn Street are partly constructed of black slag blocks. Newnham had become an important port with trading links to Ireland, London, Bristol, These are of copper slag, probably brought up-river as ballast from works at Swansea, rather and the Midlands. In 1171 Henry II sailed from the town with an army to invade Ireland. It than being from the Newnham glass works as some sources have claimed. The 17th century was also was much visited by kings for hunting in the Forest of Dean. Newnham continued Passage House at the bottom of Severn Street was once the Bear Inn (and Passage Inn). By to grow until the late 18th century, when it had become one of the most important ports on the river are the 17/18th century Quay House and the Quay Warehouses, the latter built in the Severn, exporting goods such as timber, bark, hides, and, increasingly, coal. Ships were about 1755 by a local shipping entrepreneur, Robert Pyrke, partly using slag blocks and an built here, including one of 600 tons in 1778.