Mill St, Ossy - Virtual Earth

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

The reservoir outline can still be seen (it's full of trees). but that doesn't explain the circles.

See my last post amended (posted while you composed yours)

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

See my last post amended (posted while you composed yours)

Nah....a tent would not leave a permanent 'print' and shanty town buildings would be square/rectangular.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Nah....a tent would not leave a permanent 'print' and shanty town buildings would be square/rectangular.

They would be producing human waste which would make the grass grow greener

[MargaretR]

I have been websearching again and found that navvies built 'sod huts'
Towards an archaeology of navvy huts and settlements of the industrial revolution | Antiquity | Find Articles at BNET

Little is known in detail about the construction, use and frequency of the sod hut. It seems to have been used when no other accomodation was available or where the individual navvy was particularly independent (Coleman 1981: 80-85; Sullivan 1983: 73-80). It was a small, self-built dwelling constructed of locally available materials such as turf, timber and tarpaulin.

and this amusing account of how they lived
http://www.victorianweb.org/history/...ullivan/4.html

[Neil]

You can see them better on google hill street oswaldtwistle - Google Maps

[walker]

I think the circles were made by horses on tethers, as I know they used to be tethered in this field. The brown patches are were they have eaten the grass. Hope this helps.

[tosh]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

The reservoir outline can still be seen (it's full of trees). but that doesn't explain the circles.

get the time team out on the job.

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by walker

I think the circles were made by horses on tethers, as I know they used to be tethered in this field. The brown patches are were they have eaten the grass. Hope this helps.

That was one of the possibilities I considered. There are two more:

1) The reservoir up the corner suggests that this field may have been used for the bleaching process of woven cotton. However, I don't know enough about late 18th/early 19th century printing/bleaching technology.

2) I recall that about 30 years ago, this was a footy field used by Ossy Rovers. As we all know, people from Ossy know neither whether they are coming or going, so I suspect the team merely ran around in circles, which fully explains the patterns.

[K.S.H]

Theres a lot more in the field to the right as well if you look, but they are green, comparing them to the size of the cars at West End Auto's yard they must be about 30-40 feet in diameter, tethered horse does seem a good guess

[K.S.H]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

I recall that about 30 years ago, this was a footy field used by Ossy Rovers.

Wasn't it known as twenty steps or something like that, "think" it got its name from the number of steps up the side of the railway bridge

[Bagpuss]

Originally Posted by K.S.H

Wasn't it known as twenty steps or something like that, "think" it got its name from the number of steps up the side of the railway bridge

Correct KSH, I won my first football medal playing there for the Ossy Nippers.

[spearthrower]

There have been ponies tethered in this field the marks are probably left by the pony as it circled around feeding at the tethers limit

[Sparkologist]

Mr T, Accyweb's answer to Fox Mulder. The truth is out there!