PROBUS WALK REPORT 1ST AUGUST 2018
Despite the heat wave six of us turned up for the monthly walk which this month continued on our recent watery theme with the short drive to Knypersley and the Greenbank Country Park.
By parking at the visitor centre we maximised our use of the shade provided by the tree canopy and with a steady decent we slowly made our way down to the upper lake which is referred to as “The Serpentine” Why I don’t know.
The Serpentine was created by building a dam to create a feeder for the Caldon Canal via The Trent; the lower lake was then called Knypersley Pool.
The Knypersley estate was owned by Hugh Henshall, brother in law to James Brindley.
The house was demolished in 1973 and the grounds then acquired by Staffs C.C. to become a country park, the only surviving relics of the estate are the Tuffa Grottos hidden away near the visitor centre.
Robert Bateman bought the estate in the 1840’s before he acquired Biddulph Grange and later constructed a driveway between the two estates. It is on this driveway we now continue our walk. water levels are surprisingly high in the Serpentine but very low in the pool.
Our next point of interest is the Wardens Tower a stone structure some three stories high which is secured and looks in good repair.
Close to the tower but easy to miss is the sign leading us to Gawtons Stone and Gawtons Well, with its trees decorated by local pagans. Legend has it that Gawton was a hermit living in local caves who bathed in the well waters, the Stone is huge and rests on two smaller stones providing shelter, further on we visited the waterfall which some think is the source of the Trent. It is certainly the source of the leat which feeds into the Pool. Further on and we join the road over the dam and cross to join the opposite side of the pool and later back to the Serpentine and upwards to the Visitor centre, a total of 4miles, mainly thankfully in the shade.
Lunch was taken at “The Top Inn” at Brown Edge. Excellent food enjoyed by all seven of us.
The next walk will be on September 5th, meeting on the Kidsgrove Car Parks for a 9:30 departure to Trentham Gardens.