Monday 18 November 2013

Hampton fields - brought to life

(Above)  The difference in paving here (outside this buidling on Church Street) apparently shows the direction of an underground stream which then heads towards, possibly under, Pickles on Festival Square. Clearly the stream has come from directly under this house and through Cae Glas park. No sewer maps yet to confirm this, but I have heard that this is a stream from several people including the owner of Pickles.





 So, this is where we are. The 'Brynhafod Stream' and 'Jennings Road' Stream. I have confirmed the direction that these streams take under the road, see below.






So I was a little stumped when some FANTASTIC images turned up:

 (above) Brynhafod Road, Hampton Road. To the right is Hampton Fields. Notice the lines crossing the fields. The large field in the foreground is now Llanforda rise - it is bordered on the top and bottom by both the streams in Question. At the time of this photo (1966) Bradley fields is being developed.

(above) focused on Cae Glas park. Good view of Park Avenue and Hampton fields visible.

(below) Astounding view of Hampton fields, 1980. Now deforested since the 1966 picture revealing - an obvious stream! If not two streams. This is a curveball and raises a lot of new questions.

(below) another view of Hampton fields on the upper right.



(below) the Waterworks 1965. Hampton fields visible directly from above - priceless (in the top left quarter of the image)


(below) an 1875 map of the area. There are some sporadic implications of streams, but with little clarity. Evidently many of the local streams have headed underground for a long time. Notice, no development of Park avenue or Hampton Road, yet still no clear routes for the Hampton Fields streams.
 

(below) some annotation of that earlier 1966 image demonstrating possible routes

(below) this is a 1833 map of Oswestry. Notice the cross like formation on the top left - that is Hampton Fields. This mirrors the formation I have highlighted above. Also on the left of the picture heading towards the middle is a clear outline of Jennings Road stream - heading as suggested in my last post into Brynhafod Field. However, there is no evidence for a stream running through the 'Avenue' Cae glas - in fact there is a lot more evidence for a stream running on the Willow street side of Cae glas.
(above) Hampton Streams and Jennings stream highlighted with possible link to Brynhafod stream. In red is modern day Brynhafod Road, Welsh Walls and Oswald's place. The large encircled area is now Brynhafod field, part of which is now Holbache road. Notice how the Jennings stream does indeed flow towards Lakeholme by the Broadwalk.


(above) I think this is a 1960s image of Brynhafod field. Notice the memorial trees are very young! And there is some menacing barb wire on the fence? I wonder when this was replaced with the wooden planks which were taken down only a couple of years ago and replaced by that god awful green iron fencing. No sign of a stream going through the park here, however it does look unkempt and possibly boggy.


(above) another old Oswestrian map with some interesting tree lines in Cae glas park and around Brynhafod field (bottom left corner) which may suggest water routes.


 (above)  possible detailing of a stream running south along Welsh walls

(below) This superb 1838 map is a revelation. The Brynhafod and Jennings streams are laid out beautifully showing their origins far up into the fields near High Fawr and Broomhall. What's more, the confluence of these two streams is clearly depicted as is the route down Welsh Wells where the stream disappears for a bit (most likely continuing down Welsh Walls to upper brook street or possibly under the Parish church) and reappears running parallel to Victoria Road eventually converging at what is now the industrial estate with another major stream in the town that travels from Brogynton. This is extremely illuminating and provides some significant answers and clarification. Interestingly my supposed Arundel Road stream is also evidenced here, though it is isolated. The Cae Glas/Pickles connection also seems to be irrelevant here.

Still some questions remain
1. What is the exact nature of the streams in Hampton Fields?
2. Do the Jennings Brynhafod streams divide at any point?
3. Where does the Arundel stream come from and head to?
4. What is the source of the flooding in Cae glas park?
5. Where does the 'Pickles' stream come from and go to?
6. What happened to the Brynhafod stream? Where does it flow now?
7. What evidence is there for a stream on Victoria Road?
8. What happens at the top of Broadwalk by Lakeholme?

and perhaps most importantly

9. What other ancient streams are there?
10. When were they driven underground?

Please contact me with any suggestions, information or questions.
 

Sunday 17 November 2013

Ground breaking new research! Literally. Cae Glas lake? Nostalgia streams?

DISCLAIMER: Only interesting to a minority of people, namely from Oswestry or interested in water bodies. Most people in Oswestry would not be interested, but this is the sort of information I have sought on the internet and not been able to find, so if anyone ever happens to search for related subjects it would be nice that they might be able to find this. Excuse the ms paint and poor fonts here and there, this is all very rough and will most likely stay that way.


OSWESTRY FLOWING WATER BODIES STUDY 2013

Question:

How does the stream that flows along 'Muddy Lane' [ also known colloquially (and archaically) as 'Rhewl y High' Lane, 'Lew-e-li' lane and other derivatives of High Fawr (the farm at the top of Muddy Lane)] relate to the overall Oswestrian aquatic scheme - where does the stream come from and where does it go to?

How does it relate to the River Perry/River Morda/River Vyrnwy/River Severn?

 above: the area of Shropshire inquestion
below: main streams of interest and conjectured routes highlighted in red

below: further lines of conjecture (non priority) added in orange




Why I am interested:


I grew up at Norton Grange, Brynhafod Drive - a property to which the stream in question runs adjacent. I am fascinated by the origin of things, though familiar, not often considered. It would provide immense satisfaction to me to find sources and consequences of this stream.


What I already know about it:

Let's call it Muddy Lane Stream, or High Fawr stream.
The stream runs down the Muddy Lane bridle way, which is of course always muddy because there is a stream running down it. As to be expected, the stream flows faster and fuller in Autumn and winter months, drying up somewhat through late spring and Summer. The stream now passes under Oerley way via a pipe, and further up comes out of a man made pipe that lies under a field belonging to High Fawr. It passes through some properties on its journey down Muddy lane, but generally stays true to the lane. Near the Oerley way nexus it temporarily splits into two and is joined by another subsidiary that runs paralell to Oerley Way. At the base of Muddy lane the stream flows through a pipe under Brynhafod Lane and into some of the gardens belonging to Llanforda Rise. After heavy rain the stream bursts its banks in one of these gardens and flows down Brynafod Lane, Brynahfod Road and even as far as Welsh Walls on occasion, though it will often return to the drains by the end of Brynhafod Road.
The sound of rushing water can be heard in the manholes on Brynhafod Lane and Road. I have been informed that this stream continues to run alongside the shop Pickles on Festival square. The owner of Pickles has pointed out to me a difference in paving across Church street by the TSB cashpoint, indicating the direction of the stream. An underground drain runs along Festival square, a likely route.

There is a clear connection between water in this part of town and the Water Works. Also the Broomhall Reservoir.

According to developer and surveyor Melvin Gough 'It eventually joins the Morda brook like everything else around here'. I think this may be up for dispute


OTHER LOCAL STREAMS AND WATER BODIES

A. Muddy Lane stream (our subject
B. Llanforda Rise/Jennings Road stream
C. Oerly Way stream
D. Brogynton playing field stream
E. Mount Road/Brogynton sream (same as above?)
F. Maes y Llan stream
G. Morda brook
H. Industrial estate stream
I. The water works
J. Plas Fynnon pool
K. Windsor Road Pool
L. Oakhurst Road stream
M. Small reservoirs on Mount road
N. Lake Brogynton
O. The Coppice stream
P. "Babbinswood/Whittington" Brook
Q. Middleton Pool
R. Cae glas lake
S. Mysterious 'broad walk' stream
T. "Pickles Stream"


 


LINES OF ENQUIRY/Methods of investigation


Physical - travelling out and about to the subjects
Maps - finding old maps, new maps, looking at areas before being built up, checking contours for logical water gravitation
Historical Accounts (John pryce jones?)
Town sewage and drainage maps
Google Earth - studying logical phenemona from my armchair




FIRST MANEUVRE

I would first like to associate  Items A, B, C, R, S and T. I suggest that AC meets B underground near the junction of Jennings Road and Brynhafod Road and continues under Welsh Walls into Cae Glas Park - possibly meeting S (I am not familiar with S in real terms but it occurs on Google maps). This would all make sense with R - the annual flooding of Cae Glas park in the area between the Bandstand and the fountain. I call this 'Lake Cae Glas', an area prone to flooding and very possibly an old pool. Old maps and accounts of the Cae Glass estate will prove invaluable. This directional flow would meet up perfectly with the varied paving by the TSB and 'Pickles stream' - T.




((A+C) + B) + S = R = T


below: known routes of Brynhafod and Jennings road streams





 above: theories about confluence of Jennings Road and Brynhafod road streams culminating in possible Cae Glas stream - connecting to Pickles underground stream










17/11/13 Having drawn up lines with a proposed route for the confluence of AC and B, it would seem entirely plausable and likely that this body of water would have been an important, if not THE important influence, on the layout of Brynhafod Road and the southern border of Cae glas park. This route does not meet up perfectly with R - Cae glas lake - it would make sense that this route could lead to T - Pickles stream.










below:further theories regarding connections between jennings road/brynhafod road and Cae glas park.


It makes sense that land which was once an estate and now redesignated as a park should have water flowing through it - this may have made it undesirable to build on and also provided natural demarkation. I'm sure some light can quickly be shed on this by an on-foot analysis of the surrounding drainage systems.

There is a tree formation at the eastern corner of Cae glas park that also suggests a running water body which could provide a more detailed explanation of the source of T - including Cae Glas lake, though would not make complete sense of the Cae glas border theory. However, the satellite images demonstrate some interesting lines on cae glas park that could represent remant vestiges of a phantom stream. These could be paths - like sheep paths - but that cannot be confirmed.

Some possible developments re: AC and B. Maybe they do not meet? there is a very direct and distinct straight rought that runs through Hampton fields and to the Sion chapel which could in turn meet up with the 'sheep paths' on Cae Glas park. Also there is evidence of a split at the end of Jennings road with another route possibly heading through Brynhafod field, though this could all lead Brynhafod Road itself begging as for its own confluent stream.







Did Lakeholme house - now an estate called Lakeholme gardens - have a stream or body of water? Is there evidence of a stream between 'cae glas lake' and the Lloyds TSB building?



NEXT LINES OF ENQUIRY

Source maps and information about olde time Cae glas estate, Jennings Road, Hampton fields and Brynhafod estate. Streams? Bodies of water? What was buried underground?

Expedition - visit 'Lakeholme stream' and 'Lake Cae glas' and inspect the 'sheep paths' in Cae glas. Worth a look at overground drainage system between Brynhafod Drive and Cae glas park. Tend to remember rushing water underground on Park Avenue by the Walls supporting  the Jennings Road/Brynhafod split theory. Drains and manholes are the key.

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