2015

SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N14), blocked by barbed wire

taken 9 years ago, near to Sowerby Bridge, Calderdale, England

Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N14), blocked by barbed wire
Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N14), blocked by barbed wire
Here the path is illegally blocked by two strands of barbed wire. See (N15) for a closer view.
Sowerby Bridge FP079, London Road to Hollas Lane

This path number applies to the direct path via Lower Wat Ing and also a loop to the north, part of which is Milner Royd Lane. All parts of the path are shown on the 1850 six-inch map, and in more detail on the 1893 1:2500 map. However in 1850 Milner Royd Lane went straight down to the railway bridge, whilst in 1893 it had been diverted to its present route.

Milner Royd Lane went from London Road via Milner Royd House to Milner Royd Dyeworks, with a bridge over the railway. The early 19C house was probably built for the owner of the dyeworks. By the 1907 edition of the 1:2500 map the dyeworks was disused and the house was a smallpox hospital. By 1919 Sowerby Bridge UDC had constructed a sewage works on land adjacent to the dyeworks. The hospital was then captioned 'Fever Hospital (Sowerby Bridge UDC)'. On the 1933 map the works are captioned 'Milner Royd Mills (Spinning)'. By 1964 the hospital appears to have been a house again, and there is no caption for the works, except 'Milner Royd Junction Cottages', the junction being on the railway. The bridge over the railway is still there, but the lane to it is closed.

The numbers in brackets are the numbers in the image titles.

The path leaves London Road through a foot-gate alongside the pair of locked gates across the entrance to the drive (1) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (1) at London Road. If there is a signpost or a waymark I did not see it. There is a lodge at the entrance (2) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (2) passing the lodge of Milner Royd. At the house the northern loop doubles back downhill and the direct route carries straight on (3) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (3) approaching Milner Royd. There might be a guard dog here, but when I was there it barked but kept clear. The yard turns to the left (4) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (4) at Milner Royd, where a flight of steps leads down to a field (5) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (5), steps leaving Milner Royd (6) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (6) approaching Milner Royd from the east. Head for Lower Wat Ing, (there is no visible path) where there is a stile onto the drive (7) SE0723 : Sowerby bridge FP079 (7), Stile at Lower Wat Ing. Cross the drive and look for an enclosed path which leads to another stile into a field (8) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (8), stile and path past Lower Wat Ing (10) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (10) approaching Lower Wat Ing. The northern loop should rejoin here (9) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (9), where the junction with the northern loop should be, but does so via a field gate a little further on (11) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (11), gate at junction with northern loop. Follow the wall to another stile (12) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (12), stile, then straight on to a stile onto Hollas Lane (13) SE0722 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (13), stile at Hollas Lane.

The northern loop goes down Milner Royd Lane and along the edge of the field next to the wooded strip above the railway cutting (N1) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N1) (N2) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N2). The way goes through a gateway (N3) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N3), Gateway, and then alongside the field at a lower level. At first it is very wet, as the stream flows through the grass over the full width of the lane (N4) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N4), Milner Royd Lane (N5) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N5), Milner Royd Lane. Soon there is a thorn tree (N6) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N6), Milner Royd Lane, then a good grassy section (N7) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N7), Milner Royd Lane. The field is not in use or fenced off at present, and can be used as an alternative route, but there are areas of rushes and of brambles, as seen in the portrait of the electricity pylon (N8) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N8), pylon adjacent to the path. Then a holly tree spreads across the lane (N9) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N9), holly tree on Milner Royd. The lane bends to the right when it reaches the railway land (N10) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N10), Milner Royd Lane at the bend. This section is overgrown with brambles etc (N11) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N11), Milner Royd Lane blocked by brambles. The lane over the railway bridge has been closed (N12) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N12), Milner Royd Lane closed at the railway bridge. The footpath carries on alongside the railway land (N13) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N13) leaving Milner Royd Lane. Very soon the right-of-way is illegally obstructed by barbed wire (N14) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N14), blocked by barbed wire (N15) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N15), Barbed wire across the path; you can crawl underneath. Then there is another illegal obstruction, this time a strand of barbed wire over a wooden fence (N16) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N16), blocked path (N17) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N17), barbed wire across path; this corner of the field is very wet, and himalayan balsam shoots or seedlings were growing when I was there. The way then slants away from the edge of the field to a gap in an old broken-down wall. This has also been illegally blocked by a fence topped with barbed wire (N18) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N18), blocked by fence. We now cross a field to a gate formed from portable fence panels, and come to a stone-flagged path, which, at the bottom end at least, is the cover slab of a culvert (N19) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N19), Flagged path with culvert underneath (N20) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N20). At the top of this path there is a stile (N21) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N21), stile from below (N22) SE0723 : Sowerby Bridge FP079 (N22), stile from above, and then you follow the wall on the right and across to a field gate to join the direct route (11).


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Humphrey Bolton and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Lowlands Paths Grassland Primary Subject: Path Blocked Path: Barbed Wire other tags: Public Footpath Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Barbed Wire [4] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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SE0723, 172 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Humphrey Bolton   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 23 April, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 3 May, 2015
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SE 0725 2334 [10m precision]
WGS84: 53:42.3863N 1:53.4989W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SE 0725 2334
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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