tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775718654888486503.post810270723291855176..comments2022-03-27T00:07:12.875-07:00Comments on Purwell Valley: Purwell 'ring of springs' walking ROUTE 3 in more detailPurwell Valleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16237626720548597560noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775718654888486503.post-68276347520847447272012-01-18T11:14:30.863-08:002012-01-18T11:14:30.863-08:00Thank you very much Keith for this information whi...Thank you very much Keith for this information which I will now add to Route 3 in the most appropriate place. When I get the opportunity I will photograph the wet area in Buts Close and add it to the route- perhaps suggesting a detour for the walker to see it for themselves.<br />StuartPurwell Valleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16237626720548597560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-775718654888486503.post-83796722061396789742012-01-18T09:01:54.171-08:002012-01-18T09:01:54.171-08:00The stream that joins the Hiz from the culvert at ...The stream that joins the Hiz from the culvert at the back (south-east side) of Bancroft Gardens is the Capswell Brook. This brook is now culverted for all of its length. It rises on Butts Close, where the marsh grass in the area between Archer's Gym and Hampden House on the west side of Elmside Walk marks the spring. From there, it formerly flowed north-eastwards before turning more to the east beneath the Boys' School playing fields and crossing Bancroft roughly in the position of the gap between the southern (earlier) group of buildings forming Skinner's Almshouses and the northern (later) block. The presence of the stream is the reason for the raising of the pavement on the west side of Bancroft in this area: in the nineteenth century, it was much higher and there was a tendency for the road to flood occasionally. I imagine that the current culvert is more efficient than the older, as I'm not aware of any floods in this area in recent years. The stretch east of the almshouses was still partly open in the early twentieth century, running through the nursery that stood behind Skinner's almshouses. I suspect that this part was culverted to create the bowling green when the gardens were developed in the 1930s.<br /><br />Keith Fitzpatrick-MatthewsKeith Fitzpatrick-Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389756629394171606noreply@blogger.com