2020

SK6244 : Gedling Country Park – Can You See?

taken 4 years ago, near to Lambley, Nottinghamshire, England

Gedling Country Park – Can You See?
Gedling Country Park – Can You See?
View from the northern viewpoint at the Park. The information board Link suggests that Lincoln Cathedral in SK9771 is visible from here.

At full zoom of the camera it is just possible to make out the Cathedral, which is 45 km distant. Interestingly when it was caught by the sun it virtually disappeared against the sky. The Westgate Water Tower is much less visible, just discernible a little way to the left of the cathedral, immediately above the rounded dark tree.
Gedling Country Park and the former Gedling Colliery site :: SK6144

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Gedling Country Park was established as such by Gedling Borough Council in 2014 and opened to the public in 2015. It comprises the area of the waste tips of the former Gedling Colliery which closed in 1991.

The area of the colliery itself is excluded from the park and is not formally open to the public, although there are some unbarriered access points.

The park is largely open ground sloping steeply to the south west, resulting from artificial and natural seeding of grass and limited scrub woodland to maintain stability of the waste material.

Much of the open space is fenced off to provide protection for ground nesting birds such as skylark and lapwing which are already a feature of the Park. The result is that human activity is largely restricted to the extensive network of paths. These have been developed as multi-user routes, suitable for pedestrians, cyclists and, within the constraints of the steep nature of the site, wheelchair users. There are 4 defined circuits, of different lengths, named after the various seams mined by the colliery – High Hazles, Main Bright, Top Hard, Low Hazles.

There are three lagoons, one in the upper area and two at the foot of the Park. These are part of the overall drainage scheme for the tip, an essential feature to maintain the stability of the spoil. These lagoons are being managed as wildlife habitats for both birds and invertebrates.

As at the end of 2017, the following features have been established. An extensive children's play area was opened in 2016, including the Mining Tower, a slide feature reflecting the former winding headgear of the colliery.

A visitor centre with cafe, toilets and terrace opened in June 2017, and will eventually incorporate displays covering the history of the colliery. The cafe has the name 'Cafe 1899', reflecting the date when the colliery commenced operation.

A Memorial Garden on the slopes below the visitor centre opened in April 2017. This incorporates a pergola formed from a series of the rings used to support the roof of one of the main underground roadways of the colliery. In December 2017 a flame-shaped sculpture was unveiled, with cut-outs of various aspects of mining.

Two features of note are not within the park itself. On the highest part of the tip a large solar farm with an output of 5.74MW has been established as an enclave within the park, but not of it. Within its boundaries wildlife in the form of the ground nesting birds mentioned above flourishes. Within the old colliery area itself, a small generating plant has been set up, fuelled by methane tapped from the remaining coal underground.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Alan Murray-Rust and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Lowlands Public buildings and spaces Cathedral: Lincoln other tags: Gedling Country Park Long Distance View Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Articles: · Images shortlisted for POTY, 2020 Automatic Clusters: · Gedling Country Park [23] · Northern Viewpoint [8] · Tree [6] Other Photos: · Gedling Country Park – Can You See? Title Clusters: · Gedling Country Park – Can You See? [3] ·
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SK6244, 63 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Alan Murray-Rust   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Thursday, 16 July, 2020   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 20 July, 2020
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 6209 4422 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:59.5033N 1:4.5870W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 6209 4422
View Direction
Northeast (about 45 degrees)
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Image Type (about): extra 
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