- Joined
- Sep 27, 2002
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- 3,411
Well the day started with a stiff breeze and driving rain. Eventually the rain let up but it stayed very windy. Nevertheless I made a packed lunch and set off from the city into the countryside.
20 minutes later, in the heart of leafy Warwickshire, I pulled up outside the church at Ullenhall, a small village near the town of Henley-in-Arden. The southern half of Warwickshire was traditionally known as the Felden, as it's lighter soils lent themselves readily to the plough. The northern half was known as the Arden, the heavy, sticky clay of which mostly supported woodland and permanent pasture. The forest of Arden was of course the setting for the Shakespeare plays "as You Like It" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
The church is a modern one built in 1875 to replace a 13th century original in another location. The remains of that one have been preserved as a mortuary chapel but I'm darned if I can find it on the map.
The route starts at this stile
We progress north over the fields via a succession of stiles. I failed to find the bull in the next field, fortunately!
Another stile.
We eventually emerge onto a road opposite this old brick farm complex.
Back into the fields again and we come to the first of a number of footbridges.
That dangling greenery includes some particularly vicious wild roses. I managed to extricate myself from them using the saw on my trusty SAK. Secateurs would have been better though. Note to self...
Next stile and trusty SAK.
Medieval ridge and furrow. The medieval ploughman ploughed each ridge from the outside in, turning the soil inwards as he went. Each ridge is, nominally at least, 5 1/2 yards (one pole) wide and 220 yards (one furlong) long, making 1/4 of an acre. Four ridges make an acre or a day's work. These ridges probably date from the 13th or early 14th century when the rising population led to great pressure to produce as much food as possible. A series of bad harvests and the Black Death of 1348-9 drastically reduced the population and millions of acres of ridges on marginal land were frozen for centuries under the turf. The mechanisation of agriculture, the pressure to grow food during WW2 and the subsidies of the EU have each in turn contributed to large areas of medieval "rig" being chisel-ploughed out of existence.
The brick piers show that this ruined building was a wagon shed.
These two oak trees must have grown from acorns that germinated almost next to each other. One still lives whilst the other has rotted at the base and fallen.
Cattle graze in more ridge and furrow.
Much further on, a well-used animal path. It seems to lead to a nearby house!
The makings of an apple and blackberry pie in the hedgerow.
A fairly recently laid hedge. This is what billhooks are for!
We turn off the lane here over this stile- so deeply buried in the hedgerow it is very hard to spot.
Another footbridge.
This is the first cropped field on the route.
Even after the rain, there are still deep cracks in the clay.
The next stile is well tucked away in the corner of the field.
More ridge and furrow.
Ridges silhouetted against the sky. In the foreground, the ridges run left and right but terminate on a headland just on the right.
The footpath goes through the garden of this cottage via the stile on the right.
The spire of Tanworth-in-Arden church, less than a mile away.
The Cotswold Hills are over that-a-way somewhere.
This deep ditch must have been the boundary of a medieval deer park or some important property.
Further on, the path is following an old green lane.
More green lane.
This is where we come out into Forde Hall Lane. The concrete blocks are to stop Gypsies camping here.
Go on! email them
Road junction.
A house of... ooh, around 1680-1750 but much altered in Victorian times.
Ullenhall. The pub is closed unfortunately.
Looks like I only missed it by a few weeks. There's a business opportunity for someone brave.
Someone likes TRs!
Back to the church via more ridge and furrow.
Back into Henley-in-Arden for a nice pint of ale at the White Swan!
20 minutes later, in the heart of leafy Warwickshire, I pulled up outside the church at Ullenhall, a small village near the town of Henley-in-Arden. The southern half of Warwickshire was traditionally known as the Felden, as it's lighter soils lent themselves readily to the plough. The northern half was known as the Arden, the heavy, sticky clay of which mostly supported woodland and permanent pasture. The forest of Arden was of course the setting for the Shakespeare plays "as You Like It" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
The church is a modern one built in 1875 to replace a 13th century original in another location. The remains of that one have been preserved as a mortuary chapel but I'm darned if I can find it on the map.
The route starts at this stile
We progress north over the fields via a succession of stiles. I failed to find the bull in the next field, fortunately!
Another stile.
We eventually emerge onto a road opposite this old brick farm complex.
Back into the fields again and we come to the first of a number of footbridges.
That dangling greenery includes some particularly vicious wild roses. I managed to extricate myself from them using the saw on my trusty SAK. Secateurs would have been better though. Note to self...
Next stile and trusty SAK.
Medieval ridge and furrow. The medieval ploughman ploughed each ridge from the outside in, turning the soil inwards as he went. Each ridge is, nominally at least, 5 1/2 yards (one pole) wide and 220 yards (one furlong) long, making 1/4 of an acre. Four ridges make an acre or a day's work. These ridges probably date from the 13th or early 14th century when the rising population led to great pressure to produce as much food as possible. A series of bad harvests and the Black Death of 1348-9 drastically reduced the population and millions of acres of ridges on marginal land were frozen for centuries under the turf. The mechanisation of agriculture, the pressure to grow food during WW2 and the subsidies of the EU have each in turn contributed to large areas of medieval "rig" being chisel-ploughed out of existence.
The brick piers show that this ruined building was a wagon shed.
These two oak trees must have grown from acorns that germinated almost next to each other. One still lives whilst the other has rotted at the base and fallen.
Cattle graze in more ridge and furrow.
Much further on, a well-used animal path. It seems to lead to a nearby house!
The makings of an apple and blackberry pie in the hedgerow.
A fairly recently laid hedge. This is what billhooks are for!
We turn off the lane here over this stile- so deeply buried in the hedgerow it is very hard to spot.
Another footbridge.
This is the first cropped field on the route.
Even after the rain, there are still deep cracks in the clay.
The next stile is well tucked away in the corner of the field.
More ridge and furrow.
Ridges silhouetted against the sky. In the foreground, the ridges run left and right but terminate on a headland just on the right.
The footpath goes through the garden of this cottage via the stile on the right.
The spire of Tanworth-in-Arden church, less than a mile away.
The Cotswold Hills are over that-a-way somewhere.
This deep ditch must have been the boundary of a medieval deer park or some important property.
Further on, the path is following an old green lane.
More green lane.
This is where we come out into Forde Hall Lane. The concrete blocks are to stop Gypsies camping here.
Go on! email them
Road junction.
A house of... ooh, around 1680-1750 but much altered in Victorian times.
Ullenhall. The pub is closed unfortunately.
Looks like I only missed it by a few weeks. There's a business opportunity for someone brave.
Someone likes TRs!
Back to the church via more ridge and furrow.
Back into Henley-in-Arden for a nice pint of ale at the White Swan!
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