Priestly Clough - Page 7

morwenna · 07-05-2011, 18:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdm27

When I was a lad back in the 50s & 60s the Clough was our trip to the country. The last time I was down there was when my old Dad and myself went on one of our last walks together before he passed away, we found it blocked off and a barbed wire fence across it! I always remembered it as a beautiful place even then as a snot nosed working class urchin. We used to get to it, I know there are a few other ways, by going past Rileys farm then taking a right at the bottom. Does anyone know what the ruins were just in front of you there?? In Summer you would find the place full of families enjoying themselves in this area, picnics etc. As kids we would walk all the way climbing across the "pipe" through to Five Arches then back. Is the place still privately owned and blocked to everyone?

sorry this is first message and getting used to it.around 1953 i lived in a cottage at nigher friar hill farm and we spent most of our time playing in priestley clough.i vaguely remember in some part of the clough we came across a sundial quite tall....though i was quite small then ...and it was covered in brambles etc.im sure i didnt imagine it but no one else seems to remember it.thanks

morwenna · 07-05-2011, 18:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdm27

Does anyone know what the Red Barn actually was, I only remember it as a few red bricks and foundations?

just reading the messages and i seem to remember someone told me it was some sort of isolation hospital.

JCB · 07-05-2011, 19:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by morwenna

just reading the messages and i seem to remember someone told me it was some sort of isolation hospital.

I don't remember the sun dial . As for the Red Barn , we used to play inside it , but I have no idea what it was originally .

mickp · 07-05-2011, 19:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by morwenna

sorry this is first message and getting used to it.around 1953 i lived in a cottage at nigher friar hill farm and we spent most of our time playing in priestley clough.i vaguely remember in some part of the clough we came across a sundial quite tall....though i was quite small then ...and it was covered in brambles etc.im sure i didnt imagine it but no one else seems to remember it.thanks

WOODNOOK66 · 18-03-2013, 22:08

Do you rember the lords who lived on perth st

lol1944 · 19-03-2013, 10:39

Brings back memories. Spent many many days with all the Springhill lads up the clough.

john conway · 14-04-2013, 13:40

Priestley Clough was also my playground between 1952 and 1960 at which point girls, beer and snooker took over until 1964 when I started travelling to the Yorkshire Dales to go caving and where I now live.

On Friday after walking my dog Peggy, and completely out of the blue, I got the urge to visit Priestley Clough once again.
We, that’s Peggy and I, started out from Higher Antely St, where I use to live, and entered the Clough via “The Donkey Steps” that lead up to Bullough Park, passed the bowling green and cottages then down a footpath to join the old cinder path at what use to be “Black Rock”. From here, the cinder path, now long gone and now just a foot path, took us to another track that use to run down to Nelsons Farm. Here there was a ridding school and a footpath diversion that dropped you down to the lower path and an old bridge. At the point where the track takes you up to and over the old railway line (now a Bridleway/Cycle Track) I kept at river level and picked up the river where the Red Barn was and a small waterfall. Further up is the first of two pipes that cross the river before you reach the final bridge and the base of an old Mill chimney before the Five Arches, now replaced with one bridge. Here I joined the Bridleway/Cycle Track and made my way back to Nelsons Farm and traced my foot steps back up to Black Rock, Bullough Park and Higher Antley Street.

It's over 50 years since I last walk in the clough, but I managed to find all the areas I played in and where we made dens, collected birds eggs and had little adventures. I took a load of pics and very much enjoyed wandering up through the clough with Peggy my boarder collie and we both got home safely tired but happy.

Now I'll read all the post which I probably should have done in the first place <GL

maxthecollie · 14-04-2013, 16:37

Never been up the clough for donkey's years

JCB · 14-04-2013, 17:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by john conway

Here there was a ridding school and a footpath diversion that dropped you down to the lower path and an old bridge. At the point where the track takes you up to and over the old railway line (now a Bridleway/Cycle Track) I kept at river level and picked up the river where the Red Barn was and a small waterfall. Further up is the first of two pipes that cross the river before you reach the final bridge and the base of an old Mill chimney before the Five Arches, now replaced with one bridge.

How did you manage to keep at river level ? The last time I tried to get down to that part of the clough where the Red Barn and two pipes are it was all fenced off and barbed wired off .

davidf · 15-04-2013, 18:45

The nearest thing that I can think of which you, being quite small at the time as you describe yourself, saw as a sundial is the wrought iron structure which was fitted on to the exposed pipe near to the Five Arches. This was a semi-circular device intended to prevent we kids from crossing on the pipe, and was like a protractor with metal spikes radiating outwards from where the device was clamped on to the pipe. Of course we managed to climb around it when we weren't swinging hand-over-hand across one of the narrow bars fitted alongside and at either side of the main pipe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by morwenna

sorry this is first message and getting used to it.around 1953 i lived in a cottage at nigher friar hill farm and we spent most of our time playing in priestley clough.i vaguely remember in some part of the clough we came across a sundial quite tall....though i was quite small then ...and it was covered in brambles etc.im sure i didnt imagine it but no one else seems to remember it.thanks

gdm27 · 15-04-2013, 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidf

The nearest thing that I can think of which you, being quite small at the time as you describe yourself, saw as a sundial is the wrought iron structure which was fitted on to the exposed pipe near to the Five Arches. This was a semi-circular device intended to prevent we kids from crossing on the pipe, and was like a protractor with metal spikes radiating outwards from where the device was clamped on to the pipe. Of course we managed to climb around it when we weren't swinging hand-over-hand across one of the narrow bars fitted alongside and at either side of the main pipe.

Yea I remember doing that!!!

DtheP47 · 15-04-2013, 20:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidf

The nearest thing that I can think of which you, being quite small at the time as you describe yourself, saw as a sundial is the wrought iron structure which was fitted on to the exposed pipe near to the Five Arches. This was a semi-circular device intended to prevent we kids from crossing on the pipe, and was like a protractor with metal spikes radiating outwards from where the device was clamped on to the pipe. Of course we managed to climb around it when we weren't swinging hand-over-hand across one of the narrow bars fitted alongside and at either side of the main pipe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdm27

Yea I remember doing that!!!

It was easier to take the high bank and then come back down to the river level...oh yes and throw sods at the numpties swinging along the pipe....