From Flockton Park to Woodhouse Mill

The geology around Flockton Park and Woodhouse Mill

Of the walks that I had so far taken undertaken during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, my brief investigation of the geology of Shirtcliff Wood had so far proved to be the most enjoyable and I was left in no doubt that I would be visiting the Shirtcliffe Valley again in the not too distant future. 

 

Sedge and other water loving plants

Leaving Shirtcliff Wood at Beaver Hill Road, I then came across the entrance to Flockton Park and, although I didn’t further investigate the banks of Shirtcliff Brook here, the British Geological Survey map for the district shows a spread of alluvium, which indicates that it has changed its course over a period of very many years.

 

A willow tree growing next to Shirtcliff Brook

In the area at the west end of the park, the flora is dominated by species that thrive in poorly drained soil, such as willow and sedge, and although no rock exposures can be seen in the relatively flat land here, these plants mark the presence of underlying impermeable mudstone of the Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation.

 

Subsoil with fragments of sandstone and siltstone

At the exit to the park, I noticed a bank where it looked like the subsoil was exposed, revealing broken pieces of buff sandstone and grey siltstone but, thinking that perhaps it wasn’t a natural exposure, I didn’t stop to investigate further and instead carried on past Woodhouse railway station down to Woodhouse Mill.

A terraced house on Furnace Lane

On Furnace Lane, there is a mixture of Victorian and inter-war houses but in the Victorian terraces, the stone used has the same ‘ginger nut’ hue as those seen in and around Handsworth and this probably came from the now infilled Handsworth Quarry. 

 

A window at the former Methodist church

 

At Woodhouse Mill, an old Methodist chapel, with a round window, is now occupied by Purdy’s DIY and next to the former Mission church on the corner of Retford Road/Furnace Lane there is Woodhouse Mill war memorial which, at the time of my visit was surrounded by cars from the second hand car business next door.

 

Woodhouse Mill war memorial

Shirtcliff Brook, although culverted, joins the River Rother here at Woodhouse Mill, which like Catcliffe to the north and other places on the lower course of the river is very susceptible to flooding. The Woodhouse Washlands Nature Reserve here is apparently well worth visiting, but I am sure that I would appreciate this much more if accompanied by someone who knows all about the flora and fauna.

 

The sluice on the River Rother at Woodhouse Mill

After taking a photograph of the large sluice gate, which forms an unusual landmark in the area, I ended my walk by quickly following the path alongside the river at the as yet undeveloped southern end of the Waverley Estate, before arriving back in Treeton.

 

My route from Richmond Road to Treeton