Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Episode 43
Thu 4th May 2017 | General | By Stewart Taylor
Our destination in Episode 42 was Hanley Town.
The photo was my representation of a Potteries football club – two earthenware cups on a football field.
The quick link made reference to the great English writer Arnold Bennett.
Arnold Bennett was born in Hanley and used Hanley as one of the locations in his many books although he called it Hanbridge.
Most of the Episodes in this series have concentrated on industrial aspects of the North West and that is understandable in the sense of how our region developed.
More “Dark Satanic Mills” than “Green and Pleasant Lands” we may say but, as we get close to the end of our journey, we can borrow a song title from the great Lou Reed and “Take a Walk on the Wild Side”.
We start at a car park adjacent to a now closed pub and enter a world seemingly far away from the hustle and bustle of modern life but, hark, what is that we hear?
Is it a bird? Could be as there are many different bird species which inhabit this green space.
Is it a plane? Very possibly as we are not too far away from the incoming flight path to a major regional airport.
Is it Superman? Highly unlikely if we are honest about it but we never know as these sometimes dark and mysterious places hide a multitude of surprises.
In truth, it may well be nothing more or less than the dull drone of unceasing traffic on a nearby motorway.
But try to ignore the distractions and feast your eyes on some ancient woodland as we navigate around a series of surfaced paths with the possibility of a surprise at every turn.
So what are we likely to see? This depends upon the time of year but Springtime is probably the best time to visit, as the land stirs from the dormancy of Winter and new fresh growth appears around every corner.
On the ground, vivid bluebells, yellow celandine and tiny white wood anemones abound. In the air the shrill cries of many bird species and, if you’re lucky, the rat-a-tat-tat of the great spotted woodpecker drumming on the tree trunks as it seeks to establish its territory.
As the days turn longer, and the first flush of new growth softens, the woodland changes. As Summer arrives, the wildflowers attract a wealth of colourful butterflies, iridescent dragonflies and damselflies flit across the ponds, and the large, golden flowers of the marsh marigold appear alongside the streams.
Then we enter the days of Autumn we can take inspiration from the works of the poet John Keats in the opening few lines of the well known poem To Autumn;
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
And it is at this time of mellow fruitfulness that the mature trees produce a blaze of colour – gold, russet and red – and the various bird species begin to harvest the fruits of nature to see them through the dark winter days to come.
The lay out of the pathways is such that a walk of any reasonable length is possible. Not less than half an hour really in order to get the flavour of the place but half a day can easily be set aside for a full exploration of this ancient land.
Highly recommended is a circular tour starting from and finishing at the car park referred to earlier – handy for the football ground - and, if you get the timing right, just in time for a pie and a pint before the 3 o’clock kick off.
The football club we are visiting today was formed as a phoenix club some 11 years ago and gained a place in the second tier of the NWCFL. Having no ground to call their own at that stage, arrangements were made to play at an out-of-town ground but the objective was always to return to a ground in the town.
This objective was realised in time for the 2010/11 season. In the intervening time, promotion to the NWCFL Premier Division was achieved and the establishment of their own ground set the scene for the development of the club both on and off the field.
A visit to the ground right now reveals ongoing building work to install purpose built facilities to host not only the successful first team but the many teams playing under the club name including a ladies team and myriad sides playing at youth and junior level.
Truly a progressive club with great ambition which has, at least at first team level, seen those ambitions thwarted over recent seasons. Having said that, there are, to take a line from Ian Dury, “Reasons to be Cheerful” about the direction of travel of this club.
Quick link - What links this club with Kings Lynn Town and Burscough football clubs?
Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Episode 43
Thu 4th May 2017 | General
By Stewart Taylor
Our destination in Episode 42 was Hanley Town.
The photo was my representation of a Potteries football club – two earthenware cups on a football field.
The quick link made reference to the great English writer Arnold Bennett.
Arnold Bennett was born in Hanley and used Hanley as one of the locations in his many books although he called it Hanbridge.
Most of the Episodes in this series have concentrated on industrial aspects of the North West and that is understandable in the sense of how our region developed.
More “Dark Satanic Mills” than “Green and Pleasant Lands” we may say but, as we get close to the end of our journey, we can borrow a song title from the great Lou Reed and “Take a Walk on the Wild Side”.
We start at a car park adjacent to a now closed pub and enter a world seemingly far away from the hustle and bustle of modern life but, hark, what is that we hear?
Is it a bird? Could be as there are many different bird species which inhabit this green space.
Is it a plane? Very possibly as we are not too far away from the incoming flight path to a major regional airport.
Is it Superman? Highly unlikely if we are honest about it but we never know as these sometimes dark and mysterious places hide a multitude of surprises.
In truth, it may well be nothing more or less than the dull drone of unceasing traffic on a nearby motorway.
But try to ignore the distractions and feast your eyes on some ancient woodland as we navigate around a series of surfaced paths with the possibility of a surprise at every turn.
So what are we likely to see? This depends upon the time of year but Springtime is probably the best time to visit, as the land stirs from the dormancy of Winter and new fresh growth appears around every corner.
On the ground, vivid bluebells, yellow celandine and tiny white wood anemones abound. In the air the shrill cries of many bird species and, if you’re lucky, the rat-a-tat-tat of the great spotted woodpecker drumming on the tree trunks as it seeks to establish its territory.
As the days turn longer, and the first flush of new growth softens, the woodland changes. As Summer arrives, the wildflowers attract a wealth of colourful butterflies, iridescent dragonflies and damselflies flit across the ponds, and the large, golden flowers of the marsh marigold appear alongside the streams.
Then we enter the days of Autumn we can take inspiration from the works of the poet John Keats in the opening few lines of the well known poem To Autumn;
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
And it is at this time of mellow fruitfulness that the mature trees produce a blaze of colour – gold, russet and red – and the various bird species begin to harvest the fruits of nature to see them through the dark winter days to come.
The lay out of the pathways is such that a walk of any reasonable length is possible. Not less than half an hour really in order to get the flavour of the place but half a day can easily be set aside for a full exploration of this ancient land.
Highly recommended is a circular tour starting from and finishing at the car park referred to earlier – handy for the football ground - and, if you get the timing right, just in time for a pie and a pint before the 3 o’clock kick off.
The football club we are visiting today was formed as a phoenix club some 11 years ago and gained a place in the second tier of the NWCFL. Having no ground to call their own at that stage, arrangements were made to play at an out-of-town ground but the objective was always to return to a ground in the town.
This objective was realised in time for the 2010/11 season. In the intervening time, promotion to the NWCFL Premier Division was achieved and the establishment of their own ground set the scene for the development of the club both on and off the field.
A visit to the ground right now reveals ongoing building work to install purpose built facilities to host not only the successful first team but the many teams playing under the club name including a ladies team and myriad sides playing at youth and junior level.
Truly a progressive club with great ambition which has, at least at first team level, seen those ambitions thwarted over recent seasons. Having said that, there are, to take a line from Ian Dury, “Reasons to be Cheerful” about the direction of travel of this club.
Quick link - What links this club with Kings Lynn Town and Burscough football clubs?
