2011

SJ8562 : Entering the park

taken 13 years ago, near to Astbury, Cheshire East, England

Entering the park
Entering the park
Entering Astbury Mere Country Park from the entrance at the end of Astbury Street.

Astbury Mere was originally a sand quarry, in 1984 operations ceased and the quarry closed. For over 50 years the local residents had put up with a noisy major industry on their doorsteps, wildlife started to gain a foothold and it was thought that the area might become a local amenity. But a proposal was put forward to construct a major industrial complex on the site. Dismayed, the locals set up an action group to fight the proposals and intensive negotiations were started. After years of uncertainty the landowners agreed to sub divide their estate; half the site would instead be developed for housing whilst the remainder would be given over as open space and so began the creation of Congleton’s first Country Park. The action group then became the Astbury Mere Trust, a registered charity and a limited company whose main objectives are to: “Provide for the benefit of the inhabitants of Congleton and district a managed and maintained country park at Astbury Mere in perpetuity for recreation or other leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants”. Since its opening in 1989 the Country Park has become a valued recreational resource for the inhabitants of Congleton and beyond. In this time the Park has matured, not only in physical terms with the growth of trees and shrubs but also in its evolution as an important outdoor recreational and learning resource. Although still owned by the Trust, Astbury Mere Country Park is managed by Cheshire East Council ( LinkExternal link (Archive LinkExternal link ) ).

My thanks to Matthew Axford, Countryside Ranger, for providing a much more detailed history than there was space for here.

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Jonathan Kington and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Astbury Mere Country Park [8] Other Photos: · A glimpse of the mere ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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SJ8562, 83 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Jonathan Kington   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Friday, 2 September, 2011   (more nearby)
Submitted
Sunday, 4 September, 2011
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 851 626 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:9.6459N 2:13.4311W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 851 626
View Direction
Southwest (about 225 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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