Since a meeting in June our volunteers have been
out and about during the summer walking sections of the Dowles, Baveney, Lem
and Tanner Brooks. We can only cover sections of stream that are under public
ownership (such as Forestry Commission land) or where landowners have kindly
allowed access.
In the Dowles valley only a small section of the
lower Dowles Brook and a tributary in the upper Dowles, running through
Wimperhill Hill Wood to Kingswood and Rotten Row, has been surveyed to date. The
story so far for Dowles Brook is one of flood damage. This is perhaps not
surprising considering the experience that Worcestershire residents have had in
recent years with flooding from many sources – from our rivers, streams and even
ground water which has escaped being channelled away by inundated drains, or
simply has not been soaked up by soft surfaces.
Despite the relatively low level of ground in
the Wyre Forest covered by hard surfaces such as roads, housing and industrial
sites, the streams have not escaped the effects of flooding. Damage to the
bridge near Furnace Mill on the Dowles Brook was seen by one of our volunteers,
Pete Wolfe. It resulted from a large landslip, and other smaller landslips were
seen along the Lower Dowles Brook. Carole Gammond and Jacqui Bradley
encountered a few fallen trees on the tributary, and one here, close to the
junction with the main Dowles Brook which was of some size. You wouldn't want
to have been there when it fell.
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| Fallen tree on Dowles Brook tributary: Image courtesy of Carole Gammond and Jacqui Bradley |
Large drifts of brushwood and debris have been
seen previously by Pete Wolfe along the Dowles, which probably contribute to
damage to structures and features in the banks by bank collapse and landslip.
Furnace Mill, Coopers Mill and Knowles Mill are important sites of archaeological interest along the brook which runs along the Worcestershire-Shropshire border. Furnace Mill was originally a blast furnace operating from the late 1500s until about 1600 AD. It later became a corn mill which operated until about 1920. Cooper's Mill may have its origins in the 13th century, but is known to have fallen out of use by around 1898. Knowles Mill still survives, with much of its machinery (possible 18th century) intact, although the original date of the mill is unknown. For further information on this and other mills along the Dowles, see Mills on Dowles Brook and its tributaries by Tim Booth for Wyre Forest Study Group Review. The review has also reported on Floods in the Dowles Valley in 2007, an event which resulted in bridges being swept away and much damage to Furnace Mill.
We have yet to take a good look the stream banks at the mill sites to assess whether there are remains of structures or old water channels, but it is clear that the archaeology along this brook is very vulnerable to damage and destruction by flood damage. Valuable information could be lost at any time, and unfortunately little recording of the known archaeology here, such as the mills, has been undertaken, although North Worcestershire Archaeology Group (NorthWAG) have carried out work at Knowles Mill. As most archaeological recording is undertaken as a result of commercial development, archaeological knowledge is limited for the Wyre Forest. Nevertheless, local groups with an interest in local history and archaeology are becoming increasingly successful at undertaking such work with the advice and supervision of professional archaeologists through Heritage Lottery funded projects (or similar). For further examples of such work see the Hanley Castle Community Archaeology project and the Digminster community archaeology project at Kidderminster.
Knowledge has about the archaeology of the Dowles valley and a large area of the Wyre Forest has also increased as a result of an archaeological project funded through the Grow With Wyre initiative -see the Wyre Forest Interactive Lidar (Light detection and ranging) website. Volunteers have helped with this project, and as a result you can explore the landscape of the Wyre Forest and its setting through this web site.
Our recommendation would be to continue with the present work to cover stretches of stream not yet surveyed, but also to encourage more detailed non-destructive survey and recording of any surviving remains relating to the known sites through local community archaeology projects. Stabilising the banks around particularly important structures may be worth considering, although the effect on the local hydrology would need to be considered.
To illustrate the importance of archaeological remains which can simply fall out of the stream or river banks, consider the find that one of our staff at Worcestershire Archaeology encountered in March 2013 following the aftermath of floods resulting from rain and snow melt. We were contacted by West Mercia Police after they were alerted to the find of a skull fragment lying by the bridge at Eckington on the River Avon by a dog walker. Nick Daffern went along to investigate. The find was judged to be most likely archaeological, and after radiocarbon dating, was confirmed to be Neolithic in date. The story made the national papers. On the other hand, survival of archaeological remains in river banks can defy expectations. A medieval quay at Hanley Castle on the River Severn was known from documentary sources but presumed to have been destroyed by dredging or flood damage. It was, in fact, found to survive after a diving mission. The quay was found, complete with broken pots - presumably waste from loading and unloading of goods at the quay. For further information on both incidences see the links below.
We are grateful to Pete Wolfe, Carole Gammond and Jacqui Bradley for donning the waders to stream-walk along the Dowles valley.
By Liz Pearson
lpearson@Worcestershire.gov.uk, Google+
Useful web pages:
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