It's always good to work at a new site, and so this was our first visit to a newly opened area of Crane Park at Mill Road in Twickenham. The site was previously owned by the Environment Agency, but was recently transferred to council ownership. Along with partners, such as the Friends of the River Crane Environment and TCV, the Environment Trust was asked to help plant a new native hedge to provide additional habitat and a natural border with the neighbouring allotments.
The weir at Mill Road, Twickenham.
The newly opened area of Crane Park.
The old mill pond.
A new hedge of hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, spindle, guelder rose and field maple is planted.
Boys from Tower House School prepare the ground for planting by Archdeacon School.
The recently unveiled stag beetle bench provides an excellent spot to sit and take in the peaceful scene.
A non-native American signal crayfish was found lurking in an old vacuum cleaner pulled from the murky waters of the mill pond.
The established hedge at Mill Road, planted five years ago, and recently laid by TCV and others.
Items pulled from the mill pond.
Some information regarding the now demolished mill at Mill Road, taken from:
After the Duke of Northumberland's River had been constructed in the 16th century, two mills were built on the reinforced stretch of the Crane in Twickenham. The first of these was referred to in 1753 as the New Mill: it stood where Mill Road crosses the southern stream of the Crane by the former Fulwell Park. It may possibly have been used for a while as a copper mill, but by 1767 was an oil mill. In 1799 part of the buildings had formerly been used for drying tobacco and part had been erected as a windmill. Linseed oil and cattle-cake were made at the mill in the late 18th century and the early 19th, and between 1845 and 1865 it was converted to papermaking. This also seems to have been given up fairly soon afterwards and the mill had gone out of use by 1880.
From: 'Twickenham: Mills', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 151. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22290 Date accessed: 15 March 2014.
An image of the New Mill in 1780, probably looking upstream. It's no wonder that we found so many bricks and roofing tiles when we were planting the hedge...
At the link below, it's possible to view a much enlarged and detailed version of this picture.
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