i know Boothwood dam's bin done before so i wont dwell to long here and head on down to the base of the dam and downstream through the culvert and into what seems like another world.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545444/in/album-72157661031107043/ (best send the other 'alf in first lol). The culvert was built to accomadate the road doubling back when the dam was built in the 60s
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545524/in/album-72157661031107043/
immediately as you exit an old derelict bridge (boothwood bridge) stands before you, overgrown and missing most of the parapets. The bridge once led to boothwood bridge mill which was demolished by united utilities leaving almost no trace. Not even the path to the bridge exists and much scrambling through undergrowth and sliding down muddy banks was needed to get to the top of the bridge
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545634/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545664/in/album-72157661031107043/
looks like thats some of the bridge downstream
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221156/in/album-72157661031107043/
this was all i could find of what was once a 4 storey mill ,abandoned around 1919.
100yds downstream we find the remains of Boothwood paper mill, also abandoned about 100yrs ago
a large stone lined pit with a massive timber beam across has me intrigued, water pours in from all over and dissappears underground and adjacent, 2 glazed brick circular vats sit half buried. probably used for bleaching or washing the pulp. An engine bed lies beneath my feet but so much is hidden by leaf litter including some very boggy ground and ankle breaking holes.
A long wall holds back the bank and has some interesting holes (a feature we've seen elsewhere). In one a bearing still sits which would once have held one end of one of the many shafts in the mill that would have transferred power to where it was needed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22962186124/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23294675330/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590328035/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23294627590/in/album-72157661031107043/
Another surprise was this curved weir, about 20ft high still with a sluice gate at the top which let water through to the opening at the bottom left (although both are dry and the water is finding another way down)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221256/in/album-72157661031107043/
turning to the left we find a second bridge, old ,narrow, leaning slightly, but in sound order.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590333725/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963307453/in/album-72157661031107043/
wish id found this path earlier, its hidden by trees on google, a direct route back up to the road
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590384165/in/album-72157661031107043/
these steps nearly killed me climbing em and lookin back down you can only hope you didnt leave anything down there.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590379035/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963368113/in/album-72157661031107043
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590403365/in/album-72157661031107043/
on the other side of the path some more substantial remains of boothwood spring mill stand, next to the river an arch appears to be a water channel (some timber can be seen among the debris), Possibly the tail race with water coming from a millpond at the top of the bank, nearby below the bridge is an odd feature which i cant explain yet but what i thought initially may have been to do with the head race
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23294645030/in/album-72157661031107043/
Nearby a non existant steel beam leads me into the ground floor of spring mill. No doors, or gates, more of a thoroughfayre, but with some great features inside
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22962210944/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963292923/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221286/in/album-72157661031107043/
this sits close to the ground and showed signs of wear around the middle, possibly done by a rope being pulled around it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23222520509/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963301963/in/album-72157661031107043/
Out the other side and we find an open door to the second floor, just gotta sneak in without any residents of the nearby cottages seeing, (once part of the mill too).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23508067711/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23222565779/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23481927502/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23508119351/in/album-72157661031107043/
An awesome old fireplace has a family crest on it...some homework there methinx
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221306/in/album-72157661031107043/
we visited this place several times over a month and on the last visit we were lucky enough to see this...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23482054012/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545574/in/album-72157661031107043/
hope i done this right cos it took freakin ages,
thanks for lookin and happy hunting,
Just tried the links and they work ok, and all go to the same album which contains more pics not listed here......
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545444/in/album-72157661031107043/ (best send the other 'alf in first lol). The culvert was built to accomadate the road doubling back when the dam was built in the 60s
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545524/in/album-72157661031107043/
immediately as you exit an old derelict bridge (boothwood bridge) stands before you, overgrown and missing most of the parapets. The bridge once led to boothwood bridge mill which was demolished by united utilities leaving almost no trace. Not even the path to the bridge exists and much scrambling through undergrowth and sliding down muddy banks was needed to get to the top of the bridge
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545634/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545664/in/album-72157661031107043/
looks like thats some of the bridge downstream
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221156/in/album-72157661031107043/
this was all i could find of what was once a 4 storey mill ,abandoned around 1919.
100yds downstream we find the remains of Boothwood paper mill, also abandoned about 100yrs ago
a large stone lined pit with a massive timber beam across has me intrigued, water pours in from all over and dissappears underground and adjacent, 2 glazed brick circular vats sit half buried. probably used for bleaching or washing the pulp. An engine bed lies beneath my feet but so much is hidden by leaf litter including some very boggy ground and ankle breaking holes.
A long wall holds back the bank and has some interesting holes (a feature we've seen elsewhere). In one a bearing still sits which would once have held one end of one of the many shafts in the mill that would have transferred power to where it was needed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22962186124/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23294675330/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590328035/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23294627590/in/album-72157661031107043/
Another surprise was this curved weir, about 20ft high still with a sluice gate at the top which let water through to the opening at the bottom left (although both are dry and the water is finding another way down)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221256/in/album-72157661031107043/
turning to the left we find a second bridge, old ,narrow, leaning slightly, but in sound order.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590333725/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963307453/in/album-72157661031107043/
wish id found this path earlier, its hidden by trees on google, a direct route back up to the road
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590384165/in/album-72157661031107043/
these steps nearly killed me climbing em and lookin back down you can only hope you didnt leave anything down there.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590379035/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963368113/in/album-72157661031107043
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23590403365/in/album-72157661031107043/
on the other side of the path some more substantial remains of boothwood spring mill stand, next to the river an arch appears to be a water channel (some timber can be seen among the debris), Possibly the tail race with water coming from a millpond at the top of the bank, nearby below the bridge is an odd feature which i cant explain yet but what i thought initially may have been to do with the head race
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23294645030/in/album-72157661031107043/
Nearby a non existant steel beam leads me into the ground floor of spring mill. No doors, or gates, more of a thoroughfayre, but with some great features inside
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22962210944/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963292923/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221286/in/album-72157661031107043/
this sits close to the ground and showed signs of wear around the middle, possibly done by a rope being pulled around it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23222520509/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/22963301963/in/album-72157661031107043/
Out the other side and we find an open door to the second floor, just gotta sneak in without any residents of the nearby cottages seeing, (once part of the mill too).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23508067711/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23222565779/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23481927502/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23508119351/in/album-72157661031107043/
An awesome old fireplace has a family crest on it...some homework there methinx
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/24250221306/in/album-72157661031107043/
we visited this place several times over a month and on the last visit we were lucky enough to see this...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23482054012/in/album-72157661031107043/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93742181@N06/23648545574/in/album-72157661031107043/
hope i done this right cos it took freakin ages,
thanks for lookin and happy hunting,
Just tried the links and they work ok, and all go to the same album which contains more pics not listed here......
