Over the fields

Where are we?  

 You might think we were out in the countryside walking across hills under leaden skies

 The ground is wet and muddy and you definitely need waterproof boots or wellies.

 The area I've photographed is called Berry Hill Fields and is no more than ten minutes walk from where we live. 

 It's an area of  fields, a green oasis in between all the housing of Fenton and Longton two of the six towns which make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent.  Here people can walk, exercise, picnic, walk dogs, ride horses and spot wildlife.  Many birds spotted here you would usually only associate with more rural areas.

 As we walked we saw a heron fly above us, buzzards and kestrels were also spotted as well as skylarks. Recently, according to a birding website a ring ouzel, wheatears and lesser whitethroat have been spotted. There are small ponds housing rare newts and also many species of insects.  Fox, badger, rabbit and hare live here too.

 The bottom area of the fields has been turned into a nature reserve and a friends group was formed quite a few years ago now.  Here is a - link - to their website to find out more.

 Recently it has come to the attention of the residents of the surrounding housing estates that this area is now under threat from a housing developer.  There have been several meetings and now an action group has been formed to fight the building of houses, shops and access roads on this site when there are more suitable brownfield or old industrial sites with derelict factory buildings within the city that could be used.  More houses are definitely needed but it does need to be affordable housing for both purchase and rental not the kind of housing that is likely to be built. Although any kind of housing and roads would have a huge impact upon the wildlife in this area.

Both the nature reserve and the nearby retirement village could be affected by the development if it goes ahead. We will watch with both concern and  interest to see what  happens over the next few months.

The nature reserve is also the site of a medieval moated farm house known as Lawn Farm.  An archaeological survey discovered the foundations of the farm house

 Wording on the information panel above is:-

In the 13th and 14th centuries activity on Beryyhill fields centred on the moat below you.  Archaeology has shown that here the Lord of the Manor kept a hunting lodge.  Most of Berryhill was covered with the woods of Fenton Park where deer roamed.  Other creatures that ended up of the Lord's table were fish from the ponds formed by damming a small stream and pigeons nesting in a large round dovecote within the moat.  Grain was dried in the outdoor oven but the purpose of the large central building is as yet unknown, perhaps this was where the Lord of Manor entertained his guests.

 

Above is what remains of the moat today, the foundations of the buildings found by the dig have been covered over.

The winding path above leads up the hill to the four black painted pit wheels which stand close to  the site of the old Mossfield Colliery.

This is a memorial to the sixty four miners who lost their lives in the explosion at the colliery on 16th October 1889. There is another memorial which lists the names of those lost in Longton Cemetery.  There was another explosion at the same colliery on 21st March 1940 when eleven miners were killed and one man severely injured.

All photos were taken over the Easter weekend.