Haslington Conservation Volunteers win Heritage Lottery Fund support

Haslington Conservation Volunteers                            Heritage Lottery Fund

Haslington Conservation Volunteers win Heritage Lottery Fund support

Haslington Conservation Volunteers have recently been granted £3,600 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project aimed at improving the future of Winterley Mill Pool, a valuable local landmark. Led by volunteers from the local community, the project will focus on creating greater public awareness of the pool through the erection of replacement information boards and the production of easily accessible online information about its history and wildlife.

As part of the project the volunteers are planning to acquire a number of new skills, including methods of researching historical records and the use of specialist photographic techniques, to assist them in developing a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the pool.

The project, which is also receiving a grant of £300 from Haslington Parish Council,   will ultimately enable everyone who is interested to learn more about the mill pool, which dates back to possibly the middle of the eighteenth century.

Commenting on the award, Project Manager Colin Lythgoe said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the HLF and are confident the grant will enable us to research the history and wildlife of the site and make the resulting information as widely available as possible”.

Sara Hilton, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund North West, said: “We are delighted to be able to support Haslington Conservation Volunteers with this innovative project to get more people involved in learning more about their heritage. As well as exploring the history of the pool, the project will actively involve people in our natural heritage, deepening their understanding of their local environment.”

The Heritage Lottery Fund award comes less than a year after Haslington Conservation Volunteers were awarded the Conservation and Environment Award in the 2011 North West in Bloom Competition for their work in helping to protect and preserve the local countryside around Haslington. 

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. “From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  HLF has supported over 33,000 projects, allocating £4.9 billion across the UK. Website: www.hlf.org.uk”

If you have any information about the history or wildlife of Winterley Mill and Winterley Pool , which you would like to pass on to Haslington Conservation Volunteers, please contact Colin Lythgoe on 01270 – 582642. Any help provided will greatly assist the volunteers in producing as comprehensive a history as possible.        

Cheshire Archives visit

As part of the training in research skills funded by our Heritage Lottery Fund bid we visited the Cheshire Archives and Local Studies Centre in Duke Street, Chester.

The centre is based around a converted mill building [1850] which contains much of the archive material for the old county of Cheshire.  The archive rooms are physically secure and have sophisticated fire protection systems installed.  Additional materials are stored in the Winsford Salt Mines.
The morning two hour session included a presentation from an archivist who had tried to assemble as much material relating to Winterley Pool and Mill as possible.  We were shown the main indexing resources enabling relevant research material to be retrieved - much of which can be done in advance of a visit via home internet access.
Of particular interest were two bundles of parchment documents relating to leases and land transfers of the Winterley Pool and Mill.  The documents were available in the "Cheshire Archives" as the Mill had been owned by the Delves Broughton Estate for a short period of time and they had passed their estate documentation to Cheshire Records.
The afternoon session provided the opportunity for "hands on" access to the materials in the main reading room.  Hands should be clean but not still damp from washing, gloves are not recommended as these can remove the ink from parchment.
Understanding the old legal documents from around 1675 involved the ability to read the typeface of old handwritten legal documents and then understand some of the legal terms involved.  The key document was an Indenture from 1675 which recorded the transfer of a water powered corn mill, but we still need to fully understand how the land was pieced together from other title deeds covering the previous 100 years, together with any clues as to the date the mill and pool were built.
Return visits will be required to establish when the Winterley Mill and Pool were built.

Travel for the study group to Chester was via train from Crewe, with a walk via the Roman Walls, passing under the Clock that marks Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

August 2012 Workday

Sunday 5th August 2012 saw a small group of volunteers take a Barn Owl box to be fitted in a sycamore tree on Stockton's Farm off Holmshaw Lane.  Whilst the blogger held the box in position using the blue rope Chris was able to fix the first of three large bolts through the back of the box into the tree.