Coombeswood N →To Black Canal Trust Heath Registered Charity No. 1088978 Monarch’s Way

‘Bell & Bear’ Fig.13 “Ancient Holloway” P.H. near Pottery Farm Fig.12 “Pottery Farm”

Gorsty Hill Rd

To Netherton & Fig.15 “Boating on the canal, Station Coombeswood C Leasowes circa 1935” Business Park (E) H13

Rd ‘Lighthouse’ “COUNTRYSIDE WALKS” P.H. Gosty Hill Tunnel Viewpoint Guide No1 To The Footpaths around Gorsty Hill 557 yds No1 Fig.14 “Ancient Pond at Coombeswood Wedge circa 1990” Coombeswood and Leasowes Park Monarch’s Way

Hillwood Rd Leaflet produced & published by Springfield Rd E Stewarts Rd Coombeswood Canal Trust © (2012)

Hawne Basin, Hereward Rise,

Coombswood Olive Hill , West , Cricket Club B62 8AW. (0121) 550 1355 [email protected]

Coombeswood Olive Hill www.hawnebasin.org.uk Business Park (W) Dudley No.2 Canal Primary School Author - Roy Burgess

Coombs Road Typeset design - Sue Trezise (50p when sold ) H15

A4099 J H22 D Ancient Woodland Green Hill

Greenhill Rd

Coombeswood Towing Path ‘Green Wedge’

Amber Way Fig.16 “Glacial Scarp” at Coombeswood H21 F

←To Halesowen & The Stour Valley Photo credits: CCT & HAT archive G

H23 Gainsford H K Drive Glacial ‘Scarp’ H27 A To Birmingham → Site of Coombes Bridge M Mucklow Hill Golden Orchard K H23 Green Lane Farm Pottery Farm K

Chancel Way H26 H26A ‘Bellvue’ Monarch’s Way K

Fig.17 “Mucklow Hill circa 1915” B H32A H31 S

Viewpoint

Amber Way No2 LOCAL SOCIETIES and Firtree Mucklow Hill USEFUL CONTACTS Farm

Please refer to Guide Map No2

L Hereward Rise A458 ←To Halesowen Coombeswood T1 Hawne Canal Trust Basin KEY

Public Right of Way—Definitive footpath & reference number (where known) Haywood Forge H25 Path or Desire Line—not necessarily a right ‘End of Navigation’ of way Fig.18 “Leasowes from Heywood Embankment” or ‘New Tunnel Sylvan Option’ Green Golf Course Canal Towing/Access Path—not necessarily a right of way ‘Canal to be restored’ Leasowes N H32 Connecting Roadway Paths Leasowes Lane P Q R

Heywood Bridge Water—Streams, Canal & Ponds Heywood Wharf

Green Belt (Approx) Boundary’s H33 O (Dudley ONLY)

H35 Leasowes (Club House) Wooded Areas & Scrub—Ancient, Planted & ‘Leasowes’ or H34 Car Wardens ‘Regenerating’ Site of Shenstone's House Heywood Park Base ←To Halesowen& M5 Embankment

SOME SITES OF INTEREST F - Coombes Brook (site of) - Now culverted past the site of Golden Orchard Farm, and over, but to this area being land filled, the down the Stour Valley, is possibly the route of a - GUIDE MAP No1 - now large ‘flat’ area was originally a very deep very ancient “drovers road”. The hedgerows to water eroded valley. The name ‘Coombe” (“- a either side of this old green lane have been A - Approximate Site of Coombes Corn Mill - small water eroded valley on the side of a hill”) dated as being at least 1,000 years in origin. Situated on the now culverted Coombes Brook is thought to be Celtic in origin. The very deep and rocky cutting, with its over- (mentioned in the 13thC Court Rolls) hanging Beech trees is well worth a visit. (Just G - Coombes Brook Canal “Embankment” - It B - Approximate Site of Coombeswood Col- below Pottery Farm). (Footpath No. H26A) is hard to imagine now but prior to land filling liery - Originally owned by Hingleys of Nether- operations in the 1960’s, the canal at this point L - Hawne Basin - It is thought that the name of ton (Titanic anchor fame) - closed in 1953 was carried over the brook valley on an em- ‘Hawne Basin’ was derived from the earliest C - Conjectural site of Very early coal mining in bankment. 18th Century Coal Mine in the district, know as Coombeswood - The Abbey Court Rolls of ‘Old Hawne Colliery’ - situated near Hayseech H - Glacial Scarp - The River Stour rising in the 1281 refer to five cartloads of ‘sea coal’ being in the Stour Valley. The 1884 Map Hills, and discharging into the Severn at mined at ‘La Combes’ (possibly where the shows the line of a horse drawn tramway linking Stourport, has a valley that was originally carved seams of coal appear at the surface) the pithead with the Basin. By 1883 the mine out by the action of Glaciers some 8-10,000 had already closed. The Great Western Rail- D - Dudley No2 Canal - Commissioned in years ago. The sharp steep slope at this point is way, on 1st March, 1878, opened it’s line to 1793 to link the Dudley No1 Canal at Park an indication of the power of Glacial Ice as it Halesowen, and around 1902 a branch to Head, near Netherton, with the Worcester and cuts out the valley sides. Hawne Basin and Haywood Forge was con- Birmingham Canal at Selly Oak. Originally J - Ancient Woodland - Remnants of woodland structed by means of a Loop Line and Sidings. about 11 miles long, now only approximately that originally covered most of Britain, since the The rail/canal Interchange at Hawne Basin was 5½ miles are fully navigable. From Hawne Ba- last Ice Age. Important today for wildlife with used mainly to collect steel tubes, which were sin, in Halesowen, to Selly Oak, the canal is plants such as blue bell, wood anemone, wood- ferried by Boat from Stewart & Lloyds Works, derelict, but hopefully full restoration will be sorrell, and a natural habitat for birds and mam- up to 1967, when the railway finally closed. achieved in the not too distant future. mals. Since 1977 the Basin has been regenerated and E - Site of Coombeswood Tube Works - Estab- K - Green Lane or Holloway - From Birming- managed by the Coombeswood Canal Trust. lished in 1860 by Abraham Barnsley, and oper- ham heading westward to , via Pottery In the summer of 2007, the Trust was able to ated from 1903 by Stewarts & Lloyds, as to be Farm, crossing the canal purchase the Freehold of the Basin, thereby the largest tube works in . The site is securing it’s future. now occupied by a modern business park fol- Fig 19 “Coombes Bridge, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS lowing dismantling of the original works during re-erected 1993” •We wish to thank Dudley MBC (Highways) for their the 1990’s. by the HalesOwen Abbey kind permission to use their base maps which were used Trust to prepare this leaflet.

M - Pottery Farm - The last surviving Hill Farm O - Virgils Grove - A wooded vale, with a pool T1 - Site of the ‘Lion’ Brickworks - Numerous in the , taking its name from the and where nearby once stood an obelisk dedi- Potteries and Brickworks were established in now defunct “Bellevue Potteries” which had cated to Virgil, the Roman Poet. This area the vicinity of the canal, exploiting the many kilns in the adjacent field. The barns are epitomised Shenstone’s philosophy of pictur- deposits of the Etruria Clay. The Lion brick- though to be on Saxon Foundations, which pos- esque gardening and was intended to be a mel- works at this location had made an extremely sible ties in with the dating of the 1,000 year old ancholic place; often referred to by the locals, deep marl hole that resembled the inside of a green lane that passes through the farm. as the “Dark half hour”. volcanic crater! Following closure of this site, N - Leasowes Historic Landscape And Nature P - Cascade - The original dam and pool with a the whole area was cleared and land filled Reserve - Originally designed by the Writer, magnificent cascade in a stone grotto were long around the 1960’s, and is now occupied by a Poet and Gardener, William Shenstone (1714- in disrepair, but have been fully restored in re- new D.I.Y. Warehouse and store. 1763). The lane known as ‘Sylvan Green’ lead- cent times to as near as possible to Shenstone’s Viewpoint no 1 - “Coombeswood” ing to Shenstone's House, was an original ‘loop’ original design. “The Friends of Coombeswood Wedge” are of a Turnpike Road, straightened out by the Q - “Chalybeate” Spring - There are many wells hoping to install a ‘Toposcope’ at this point canal builders at Heywood Bridge. Records and springs in the Stour Valley, that emerge sometime in the near future. On a clear day show that it was in the 18th Century, one of the from iron rich rocks, as a bright orange colour. there are stunning panoramic views of the hills most visited Gardens in the Country, and was Considered by the Celtic people as sacred in the distance. Starting from the South head- noted as a “Must Visit” attraction, on the then places, and where votive offerings could be ing West are, , Lickey, Romsley, “Grand Tour of Europe”. In 2008 Dudley made. Shenstone's Chalbeate Spring was a no- Walton, Clent and Wychbury. In the far West M.B. Council, commenced on a programme of table feature on his circuit walk. we have the Clees, the , with the restoration works with the aid of a Lottery Wrekin to the North West. Grant. R - Lovers Walk and Beechwater Pool - The two small streams that run into the Beechwater Viewpoint no 2 - “Leasowes” Pool, pass the site of a stone seat, and lead to There are panoramic views over the Stour Val- ‘Lovers Walk’, and the site of an Urn dedicated ley, with the Church of Saint John at the centre to Shenstone's Cousin, Maria Dolman, who of Halesowen, and on the distant skyline on a tragically died of Small Pox at the age of 21. clear day from left to right are the Hills of Rom- S - Site of the Temple of Pan - Nothing remains sley, Walton, Clent and Wychbury, with the of Shenstone's temple, however from a nearby Clee Hills to the distant West. The Long seat at Viewpoint No2...... Mynd is to the North West in ,

DISCLAIMER •The majority of the land indicated is in private ownership and the representation on this leaflet of Fig.20. “The Leasowes taken from an old any road, track or path is no evidence of the existence of a right of way. •This leaflet is only a guide and is in no 18th Century painting” way intended for use with concern to boundaries and ownerships whatsoever. •”Walk at your own risk”. Coombeswood Canal Trust will not be responsible for any claims for any damage or injury to persons or property however sustained. i.e. “Enter and walk at your own risk”.