Route 006 ARCHIVED - Around Witch Plantation (Cherhill Down)

Archived Route. Please use the updated version.

This route, which begins at Cook's Plantation off the A4 between Beckhampton and Cherhill, follows a 5.7 mile route with many inclines and declines around to Witch Plantation. The route begins on the Old Bath road before following Right of Way (RoW) paths around Cherhill Downs, back along the Roman Road to the A361. At this point, we'll take the safer route in the field owned by Beckhampton Stables (See important information) before re-joining the RoW paths back to Cook's Plantation.

Important Information

This route has many inclines and declines starting at around 168ft going up to 240ft, a cycle that repeats many times during the walk.

The steep parts of the walk can get very slippery and muddy, please take your time, stay safe, and wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

With this in mind, this walk is not accessible for wheelchairs, pushchairs, etc. It is good for walkers, runners, and mountain bikes.

Restricted Times: To keep the walk off the A361, Beckhampton Stables allow foot-only access on their land. They use this land to train horses between 07:00 and 12:30 Monday to Saturday. Sometimes this does include Sundays. If you would like more information, the telephone number for Beckhampton Stables is 01672 539533. Please help out by collecting some of the litter that has been dropped or thrown from cars while you walk this stretch of land.

1) There is parking available at Cook's Plantation, which provides direct access to the Cherhill Downs.
It is said that c. 1859, the Mail Coach travelling past Cook's Plantation was robbed of its mail bags. The robber took the contents of the bags and soon came across a drunken man lying in a ditch. He left the empty bags beside the sleeping man. Mistaken for the robber, this poor man is said to have been hanged for stealing the bags.

2) Follow the route up to the Cherhill Downs, joining the Old Bath Road. 

3) As you reach the trackway that is the Old Bath Road, you'll get your first view of the Cherhill Downs and of Witch Plantation. Turn right and join the trackway.

4) Within the trackway, there is loose hedging. After around 300 metres, the track will curve to the left and lead you to a small metal gate attached to wooden fencing. Go through the gate and continue onward.

5) At this point the track straightens up and it's an enjoyable walk with views of the downs, and Witch Plantation, for around 1km. As you come to the end of this stretch of the route, you'll see a tumulus. This type is known as a bowl barrow. There are no records of any excavation, however two Beaker sherds were found in a rabbit scrape in 1949.
This is by no means the only tumulus along this route. Keep your eye out for others.

6) Soon after the tumulus, the track will meet a main track that is still used by vehicles. Turn left to join this new track. You will continue past the barn to where the track slightly splits, with a wide metal gate to the right. Ignore the gate and follow the main track. 

7) This part of the route undulates, a lot! However, in return for all the expended effort, the countryside offers many miles of fantastic views.

8) Here is one such beautiful view. The track continues to be fenced either side until we come to the end of it in just over a mile. Having such a well defined track means that you're free to be mindful of your own thoughts and enjoy the views that become available.

9) Before too long, you'll reach Witch Plantation. This is a beech woodland, however place name studies make it seem likely that this was originally a plantation of Wych Elm. Unfortunately, Dutch elm disease devastated the vast majority of Elm trees in this country. This plantation can be clearly seen on the 1886 OS map, however it's likely that this plantation could be much older than the 1880s. 
A short distance after the plantation, you'll come across a stile, which allows access on to National Trust land, which includes Witch Plantation, so feel free to have an explore before returning to the walk.

10) After passing Witch Plantation, follow the track to the right before taking another right, where the views will massively open up for you. Not only will you have views towards Morgan's Hill to the west, but to the east is Silbury Hill.

The track becomes a bit rough as you reach a RoW junction. Follow the dog leg until the junction, then turn left. You will then have Silbury Hill as your companion as you head towards it on this old Roman road for the next mile. This Roman road once connected Verlucio, close to Wans House, at modern day Sandy Lane, to Mildenhall, which is east of Marlborough.

11)  When you reach the A361 you need to do two things. 1) Be very careful at this busy road. 2) Turn left.

If you're on foot, as soon as possible climb the fence to continue in the field. Please remember that Beckhampton Stables use this land to train horses between 07:00 and 12:30 Monday to Saturday. Sometimes this does include Sundays. If you would like more information, the telephone number for Beckhampton Stables is 01672 539533.
While you're enjoying the comparative safety of the field, please help out by collecting some of the litter that has been dropped or thrown from cars while you walk this stretch of land.

12) When you come to the eastern edge of the field, I would suggest continuing within the field, turning left. The RoW path is on the other side of the fence, but leads to the A4, where it is more sensible to cross back into the field. At the A4, turn left again heading uphill.

Soon you will reach the car park for The Gallops, which is the name for the fields here, due to the horse training. The car park actually marks the location where the Bath road branched from the Bristol road. The Bath road marked as a secondary road. However, it was this road which the early coaches decided follow and which later became known as the old Bath road.
When Bath became known as 'the most fashionable town in England' in the early 1800s, the road became very well used. It was one of the first roads in Wiltshire to brought under the control of turnpike trustees.

13) As you follow the path past the car park, you will pass through a lovely beech plantation at Knoll Down. Interestingly, this part of the route was not only the Old Bath road, but these days, is part of the Wessex Ridgeway, which is a 138-mile trail running from Marlborough to Lyme Regis in Dorset.

There are some good stumps here, so if you'd like, take a minute to enjoy the surroundings, knowing that you're close to the finish line.

14) As you reach the western end of this plantation, the path will steer you upwards and left. Follow the path turning right as you reach the top.
Leaving the woodland now is ideal, as you will now be able to enjoy the expansive views once more. Keep an eye out for the red kites and buzzards that are common in this area.

15) You will soon arrive back that the junction that brought you onto the Old Bath road near the beginning of this route.

Take a right and head down, back towards Cook's Plantation.

16) It's not often that the last stretch back to the carpark is just as scenic as the rest of the journey. The views heading towards Cook's Plantation lead to Yatesbury and Windmill Hill.

Thank you for using this route!

Map from the lovely folks at OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors

Route 001b Newbury Avenue Park (Long)

This is an extended version of 001a Newbury Avenue Park (Short) walk that will take you through the Newbury Avenue Park.

This route is approximately 1.4 miles on pavement.

Important information:
Plenty of roadside parking is available for those that don't live along the route.
Additionally, there is a local centre, which includes a Tesco Express.
While this walk is fine for pushchairs, an oddly placed gate at the North End Play Area and some kerbs mean that I wouldn't recommend this route for mobility scooters.

Directions:

1a) I will start describing this route from Amberley Close, where the path follows a line of trees, then an avenue of trees that lead directly to Newbury Avenue Park.

1b) Newbury Avenue Park

There is a lovely circle of lime trees here, and plenty of benches. There is a dog bin, however no litter bins yet.

2) Exit the park on via the western path and continue in a westerly direction through Newbury Avenue.
This development was part of the Persimmon-led Lansdowne Park estate, built in the 2000s.

3) Continue around Newbury Avenue and within a couple of minutes you will see some hedging and trees. Follow the round around to the right, but then cross the road when you see the path on the other side.

4) This small area is a lovely green space, one that really needs a bench! Continue onward and the path will lead to Greenacres Way.

Greenacres Way began life in the 1990s as the entrance road to the development off Woodsage Way, which we're heading to now. The name doesn't seem to come from a field name, but rather a school: Greenacres approved school for girls. These days the entire site is Springfields Academy, a fantastic place that provides Special Education Needs for Autistic Spectrum Disorder along with emotional, communication, and learning difficulties.

5) Your next left will take you onto Woodsage Way, part of the Chilvester Farm Development, built by Heron Homes in the 1990s. Follow this through Carpenters Close and around to Braemor Road.

6) Continue on to North Way, which was part of Calne's very first Council housing estate in the 1920s. When you arrive at the T-junction between North Way and Lickhill Road, turn right. 

7) If you're using a mobility scooter, cross Lickhill Road before Bremhill View, head onwards to the roundabout and cross back over to School Road alongside Bremhill View Park. 

Alternatively, there is a shortcut at Bremhill View Park, a green space with some benches.

When you're ready, continue along School Road back to Amberley Close and the completion of this route.

Thank you for using this route!

Map from the lovely folks at OpenStreetMap. © OpenStreetMap contributors

One of my Google 360 images of the Circle of Trees.

Impregnating Water with Fixed Air: Joseph Priestley’s discovery of artificially carbonating water

Joseph Priestley (1733-1804)

Joseph Priestley is perhaps best known for his discovery of Oxygen at Bowood House in 1774, while living in Calne between 1773 and 1780.

Along with Oxygen, which he termed ‘dephlogisticated air’, he discovered nine other gases including; nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, and carbon monoxide. 

However, this ingenious scientist, made many advances during his career, one of the first including gases was ‘Impregnating Water with Fixed Air’.

The Priestley Experiment

The method developed by Priestley allowed the creation of artificially carbonating water. He first developed this process in 1767, during his time living next to a brewery in Leeds.

Priestley had gained permission to collect ‘air’ bubbling up from vats of fermenting beer, which he then began to investigate. He found that this ‘air’ was ‘fixed’ air, named by discoverer Joseph Black in 1756. We now know ‘fixed’ air by the name carbon dioxide.

Being heavier than ordinary air, the carbon dioxide readily dissolved in water. Priestley named the result, ‘artificial Pyrmont water’, after the natural equivalent known from many spa towns.  Priestley went on to show that pouring sulphuric acid onto chalk and water would also generate carbon dioxide.

This process was pushed to the back of Priestley’s mind after 1767, as he went on to study other ‘airs’. However, in March 1772, Priestley was invited to dine with the Duke of Northumberland, as on of the guests. As an experiment, all of the guests were asked to drink some water distilled from seawater. They all agreed that the water was perfectly drinkable, but tasteless and flat.

This led Priestley to announce that he could restore the taste and freshness of the water. The guests being sufficiently intrigued, the required apparatus was assembled at friend Joseph Johnson’s house the following day. Those present were sufficiently impressed that Priestley’s ‘artificial Pyrmont water’ noy only circulated through London’s high society, but he was invited to the Royal College of Physicians to provide a demonstration.

Priestley was pleased with the positive feedback from the Physicians that in June 1772, he published a pamphlet entitled, ‘Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air’.  Within a few weeks, the pamphlet was published in French and for sale in Paris.

 

Enter Schweppe

The iconic 'Schweppes fountain'
trade mark dates back to
The Great Exhibition of 1851, 
which was filled with
Schweppes Malvern Soda Water.

This paper went on to catch the eye of a German watch maker in Switzerland, Johann Jacob Schweppe.

Schweppe experimented for 10 years to create an industrial process of carbonation. During this time he had managed to simplify the process using two common compounds: sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid.

Schweppe initially provided his ‘medicated’ water without charge to those that asked for it. However, demand increased, as did the number offering to pay for the product. In 1783, he founded Schweppes and in turn, the industry of soft drinks.

In the beginning, the addition of carbon dioxide was thought to have medicinal properties, endorsed by doctors and sold my pharmacists for a variety of ailments. By 1836, Schweppes was the official of soda water to the UK Royal family. In 1851, Schweppes sold over a million bottles at the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace.

Even up until 1794, Schweppe would use strong stone bottles for their product, however these bottles needed to be laid on their side, keeping the cork wet, to prevent the build-up of gasses. Most carbonated drinks manufacturers began to use glass bottles, including those that implemented marbles into their design.

 

Codd-neck Bottle

Codd-neck bottle.
Photograph courtesy of
John Newbury

In 1872, the Codd-neck bottle was invented by British soft drink maker, Hiram Codd, of Camberwell in London. The bottle, was manufactured with thick glass allowing it to withstand internal pressure. The neck of the bottle is pinched into a special chamber into which a marble was placed. As the bottle was filled, upside down, the pressure forced the marble into contact with a rubber seal in the neck of the bottle. This sealed in the carbonation. The marble was pushed down to open the bottle and the marble would rest in the chamber, where it wouldn’t block the flow of water when poured.

The Codd-neck bottle was very popular for decades after their introduction, and there have been many variants created over time. The usage of the bottle declined, nowadays used mainly in the Japanese drink, Ramune, and Indian drink, Banta. While the antique bottles are collectors items, they can be quite scarce, as children would smash the used bottles to get access to the marbles.

 

Marble, still in situ after all these years.
Photograph courtesy of John Newbury

We owe much to Joseph Priestley, who discovered and then put aside his method, before returning to it as a kind of party piece. Being a polymath, he moved quickly from experiment to experiment, making various important discoveries during his colourful career. This allowed Johann Schweppe the time required to create a simplified method that was ideal for scaled up manufacturing. Later, the Codd-neck bottle was also invented in England, replacing earthenware bottles that had been previously used. Of course, in time the Codd-neck bottle gave way to other bottle types, which are nowadays mostly plastic.

We now know that there are no medical benefits to carbonated water, but that has not stopped carbonated drinks from becoming the massive industry that it has become over the last 230-odd years. 

In 2019 alone, carbonates had a value of approximately £8.2 billion in the United Kingdom. It seems unlikely that this upward trend will end any time soon.

Written to celebrate #BritishScienceWeek 5-14 March 2021 in conjunction with River Warriors Calne and their children's poster competition.

Place Names of Calne: Curzon Park Estate

The Curzon Park Bungalow Estate was built by J. Sutton and Son, a long standing building firm in Calne, dating back to as far as 1915.

A 1961 press clipping advertising the estate.

Advert for J. Sutton & Son
in the Calne Official Guide 1967.

The estate was built over a prolonged period of time, the map included in the 1967 Calne Official Guide only shows a portion of the current estate and lists it as 'Curzon Park'. The Victoria County History for Calne states that the east part was built in the 1960s and 70s, with the west part built in the 1980s[1].
The homes on the park are accessed via Curzon Street and includes the following streets (which will be discussed in future posts):

Wansdyke Drive
Avebury Close
Oldbury Way
Downland Road
Druids Close
Silbury Road
Sarum Way
Savernake Drive
Keevil Avenue
Long Barrow Road
Lodge Close
Lime Tree Close
Yew Tree Close
Oak Close (Built 2013) and named to sit well with the other street names of this estate.
Walter Sutton Close

Keevil Avenue, Curzon Park Estate.

The bungalows were built in the California bungalow style, which was popular in the US in the early 1900s, and include features such as stone rubble chimneys. Curzon Park's claim to fame was being the setting for Tori Amos music video, Jackie's Strength.

The land that this estate was built on was originally part of the land owned by Castlefields House, which was built and owned by Henry Alworth Merewether, who was a serjeant-at-law and author of several works including The History of the Boroughs and Municipal Corporations of the United Kingdom (1835)[2].

Oak Close is the most recent street to be added to Curzon Park. It is a collection of 29 homes with a mix of bungalows, houses, and flats and was completed in 2013.

There have been a series of refused and withdrawn planning applications for the land accessed from Sarum way crossing to the south of Castle Walk. Curzon Homes (withdrawn 2004) wanted to create a development of 43 single storey affordable homes and GreenSquare Group Ltd (refused 2016 and dismissed 2017) wanted to create 36 dwellings, which appeared to be 2 storey houses. The Greensquare proposal was well objected by protestors due to the haven for wildlife that the site would destroy, including over 70 trees[3].

58 Curzon Street. Perhaps an office of Sutton
at one point?

Wansdyke Drive is named for the series of defensive linear earthworks from the early medieval period. It is known at the East Wansdyke and West Wansdyke, with the join being at Morgan's Hill.

Avebury Close is a collection of attractive bungalows and part of the Curzon Park estate. It is named for the World Heritage Site that lies approximately 8 miles to the east.

Oldbury Way named for Oldbury Castle, which is a bivallate Iron Age hillfort on Cherhill downs.

The area was in use from around 1000 BC, having been dated from a Bronze Age enclosure. This then developed into a hillfort, with a later extension to the west. The back end of the hillfort shows bivallation, meaning that it is bounded by a double line of ramparts.

A 1996 survey revealed evidence for around 20 circular features along with archeaological finds. This seems to suggest that the hillfort was occupied around 2000 years ago. It is also known as a Roman finds spot, as well as being used for flint quarrying, quite possibly for the Bath Road turnpike[4].

Downland Road is named for the extensive areas of open chalk hills that are characteristic of Wiltshire, particularly close by on the Calstone and Cherhill Downs and at Avebury.

Silbury Road is named for Silbury Hill, which is the largest artificial mound in Europe. While Silbury Hill has been excavated over the years, no burials have been found, leaving the purpose of the mound a mystery. However, it was clearly significant, and was completed around 2400 BC after taking an estimated 4 million people hours to build over several generations of enlargement[5].

Druids Close - Historically a druid was a member, primarily a religious leader, of the professional class in the ancient Celtic culture. This street name connects to Avebury Close, as the English antiquarian and archeologist, William Stukeley (1687-1765) believed that Iron Age druids had built the henge monument at Avebury. However, it has since been discovered that the monument was built during the Neolithic, around two thousand years previous. Druids are common visitors to Avebury, which they use as a temple.

Sarum Way, named for Old Sarum, which is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. This hilltop was used as early as 3000 BC, with a protective hill fort known to have existed around 400 BC. This hilltop has seen almost continuous use ever since, during the Roman, Saxon, and Norman periods. The cathedral that was situated on the hill was dismantled and moved to build the current Salisbury Cathedral in the 1200s.

Savernake Drive - named for the forest near Marlborough, Wiltshire and is the entrance into the Curzon Park Estate. Savernake forest is well known for its historic and magnificent oak trees, including the Saddle Oak, Big Bellied Oak, and the Queen Oak.


Keevil Avenue - Keevil is an ancient Wiltshire village, named in the Domesday book as 'Chivele'. It is home to the Grade I listed buildings of Keevil Manor and timber framed, Talboys, dating from 1420.

Long Barrow Road - Long barrows, or chambered tombs, were in used in the fifth and fourth millennia BCE. West Kennet Long Barrow is a very well known example of this sytle of tomb built between 3600 BC and 2500 BC. It is thought to have taken over 15,000 hours to build, with stone from the Cotswold hills over 20 miles away. While the tomb was open for approximately 1000 years, the 46 people buried there all died within 20 to 30 years of each other[6].

Lodge Close - See Lodge Close entry.

Lime Tree Close - The Lime Tree can live for thousands of years with the help of periodic coppicing.

Yew Tree Close - The Yew tree is a long-lived tree, thought to live thousands years.

Oak Close (Built 2013) and named to sit well with the other street names of this estate, it also a long lived tree, along with Yew and Lime.

Walter Sutton Close, named for the founder of Sutton and Sons builders of Curzon Street.


References:
[1] Calne: The town in the 20th century | British History Online. 2019. Calne: The town in the 20th century | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp44-51#highlight-first. [Accessed 24 July 2019]. 
[2] Wikipedia. 2019. Henry Alworth Merewether - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Alworth_Merewether. [Accessed 24 July 2019]. 
[3] The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 2019. Protestors campaign against housing plans for untouched 'haven' | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/14550215.protestors-campaign-against-housing-plans-for-untouched-haven/. [Accessed 24 July 2019].  
[4] National Trust. 2019. Oldbury Castle | National Trust. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calstone-and-cherhill-downs/features/oldbury-castle. [Accessed 16 August 2019].  
[5] English Heritage. 2019. Silbury Hill, Avebury | English Heritage . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/silbury-hill/. [Accessed 01 October 2019].  
[6] Wikipedia. 2019. West Kennet Long Barrow - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Kennet_Long_Barrow. [Accessed 01 October 2019].