Field Names

Field names and other topics of interest encountered during the PARK LANE circular walk.

Field names, like the paths round or through them tend to change with use and time. Based on research taken from old estate maps and living memory, the names of the fields you will see on this walk are outlined below with the current boundary configurations.

As this is a circular walk, it may be started at the place most convenient to yourself. The numbers on the map refer to information found below and relate to aspects of the walk encountered along the route. Clearly the route may be tackled in either direction, but it is easier to follow the notes if you walk in the direction indicated. Paths may be muddy if it has been wet and some stiles could be challenging for the less agile.

The walk starts on the main A365 road at the entrance to Mead Park. Begin walking westwards in the Bath direction passing some interesting old properties on your right. Worthy of note is the old Fire Sign high up on the wall the house called 'Next Door'. The next house which is set back from the road used to be an Inn (New Inn) and has two unusual star-shaped windows in the upper story. Within a few yards you pass a stone bus shelter which also houses a replica of one of the original six communal pumps which used to provide water for the village. Continue along the pavement to a pedestrian short cut off to the right (opposite Campbell's Antiques). Take this pathway into the small housing development called Godwin's Close. The field on which the houses now stand was called Godwins Close Pasture. Your way is straight ahead at first then a zigzag sharp right and left after which you follow the pavement round until a gap appears down to the fields on your right between houses number 33 and 31.
Climb over the stile into Little Godwins Close and go straight ahead over the next stile into a field called Smith's Field. Keep the hedge on your left and proceed for another 20 yards to the next stile. Then immediately cross the small stream called Castle Brook by way of a simple stone bridge.

You are now in Great Monks. Ascend the slope for about 70 yards keeping the hedge on your left until you spot a well-hidden stile in the hedge. Pass over the railway sleepers and the stile and enter Great Close. Turn right and go up the field with the hedge on your right until you reach the top where there is a public Bridle Way.

Turn right through the access gap into the next field called Newlands keeping the hedgerow with a large old oak tree on your left. Notice the three trees to the right standing across the centre of the field. Continue on through the next gap into Cradle Ground. This area was once two fields called 'Cox's Hooks' and 'Hooks Mead'.
Ahead of you on the sky-line can be seen the line of the Wansdyke, the ancient boundary of Wessex, built to keep the Saxons at bay. It was finished just prior to King Arthur's time, in the 5th century and at this location followed the line of a Roman Road. The defence line stretched from the neighbourhood of Inkpen on Wiltshire's eastern border with Hampshire and ran for some fifty miles to the Bristol Channel.
The large field this side of the sky-line was called 'The Heales' and was once divided into several parcels of land with the descriptive names of 'Four Acres Hooks' and 'Six Acres Hooks'. Currently, the names 'Eight Acres Hooks' and 'Great Hooks' are still in use.
Carry on down the slope passing two more oaks in the hedge, to the corner at the bottom and here on the left is a stone and wooden fence 'stile' to climb over into Medleys Field. On estate maps drawn up a century ago, this field was called 'Coneygre and Egg Pitt Field'. Walk forwards a short way, in the direction of the rooftops of Medleys cottages, to the barbed wire fence. Look for the' Wiltshire gate'- a small section of moveable wire fence secured by a nail and a piece of chain or baler twine. Pass through, remembering to secure the fence after you, and make for the clump of four chestnut trees on top of the rise ahead and slightly to the right.
At the crest, you can clearly see the cottages and a shed just to the right . Your way is through a gate to the right of the shed and on to the road to Neston.


Unusual tree Neston Park lodge CC logo Public Path
Once on the road, turn right and walk up the sunken lane, looking out for traffic. On your left can be seen Neston Hall set in its private Parkland. The lawns of the Hall are protected from grazing animals by a sunken ditch and wall known as a ha-ha. Neston, the village, takes its name from the local big house, Neston Hall which was built shortly after 1790: it has been the home of the Fuller family ever since. The area was once known as Corsham Side. Continue up the lane for about half a mile. A short distance past a tree with an unusual growth round its trunk you come to the first cottage on your right. This was at one time a Lodge for the Neston Estate.

Neston Estate actively supports the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. It aims to sustain the beauty and diversity of the landscape and to protect and extend wildlife habitats; to conserve archaeological sites and historic features. By restoring neglected land and creating new habitats and landscapes, opportunities are being increased for people to enjoy the countryside. So by adapting land management practices, the estate is endeavouring to enrich this area of the countryside to help the environment and give enjoyment to the public. "Neston Home Farm consists of 1250 acres farmed “in hand” on the Neston Park Estate. At present 730 acres are farmed organically producing organic milk from 150 Jersey cows, beef from Aberdeen Angus cross cattle, together with milling, wheat and malting barley used to produce organic flour and beer. The other 500 acres farmed conventionally grow cereals and beans. The whole farm for a number of years has been in the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. The C.S.S (now called the H.L.S) is a scheme jointly funded by the E.U. and D.E.F.R.A designed to encourage farmers to improve and maintain environmental projects on their holding. The scheme is open to all farmers but funding is strictly limited, so only projects that are judged to be of good environmental value are aided. Although grants are given a large part of the cost of the projects have to be paid for by the farmer. The scheme at Neston has resulted in us planting 12,000 hedge plants, the repair and maintenance of 1000meters of stone walls, the creation of over 9 miles of field margins of wild flowers and grasses, the creation of 35 acres of wild flower hay meadows together with many hedges being laid. New trees have been planted and ponds improved. The C.S.S. and the conversion to Organic farming have resulted in an increase in wild bird populations, borne out by a recent R.S.P.B. survey when over 30 species of birds were identified. We believe that this approach to farming not only helps the local environment but also allows us to produce healthy, welfare friendly food of the highest quality." Neston Park Estate As walkers, we too can help by following the Countryside Code. A farmer will normally leave a gate closed to keep livestock in, but may sometimes leave it open so they can reach food and water. Leave gates as you find them or follow instructions on signs; if walking in a group, make sure the last person knows how to leave the gates. In fields where crops are growing follow the paths wherever possible. Use gates and stiles wherever possible - climbing over walls, hedges and fences can damage them and increase the risk of farm animals escaping. Litter and leftover food doesn't just spoil the beauty of the countryside, it can be dangerous to wildlife and farm animals and can spread disease - so take your litter home with you. Dropping litter and dumping rubbish are criminal offences. Wild animals and farm animals can behave unpredictably if you get too close, especially if they're with their young - so give them plenty of space. You must keep your dog on a short lead on most areas of open country and common land between 1 March and 31 July, and at all times near farm animals. By law, you must control your dog so that it does not disturb or scare farm animals or wildlife. Everyone knows how unpleasant dog mess is and it can cause infections – so always clean up after your dog and get rid of the mess responsibly. Also make sure your dog is wormed regularly.


Hare Gate Trial Shaft A horse being brought up in a special box
Turn right here at the yew tree and go down the bridle way called Park Lane keeping the cottage on your right hand side. The fields to the right were called Pennings (you passed one on the left just after Neston Hall called Shearing Lye), and would have been used to keep sheep together at certain times of the year. Many of the old farm tenants' agreements stated that nothing could be sold at market unless it could walk there. Sheep were far more plentiful in the pastures in those times. Keep the initially bramble- then ivy-clad stone wall on your right as the track winds gently between trees and hedgerows for about half a mile. When you are roughly halfway along Smiths Leaze, look carefully at the bottom of the right hand wall and see if you can spot the small opening. This was probably a hare or rabbit gate, used in the times after the wall was built when a hare was a welcome addition to the pot.
Park Lane Quarry After about 800 yards and just before a definite left hand bend, in the trees on the left of the path is a trial shaft. It has a stone wall built around it and is grilled with old rails. By dropping a stone down the shaft the depth of the mine can be appreciated. Although this shaft is not connected with the mine it is very close and of similar depth. Following the path to the bend look through the gateway on the right. Depending on the weather and the crop growing in the field you can sometimes see another wall surrounding an air shaft near the depression in the middle of the large field. This air shaft is close to the western limit of the mine. Further up the path is a large spoil mound, keep to the right (yellow arrow) following a low stone wall until you have passed the spoil mound. To the east you should see another obvious air shaft in the field. If you look further into the second field you may also see a pile of stones with a bush growing through them, this is the shaft marking the eastern limit of the mine. One more air shaft and a trial shaft, both capped can be found in the trees and field to the west of the path opposite the spoil mound. The entrance to the mine was by slope shaft in the centre of the mound. Access to the mine is strictly prohibited by the farmer. For many years the slope shaft has remained blocked with earth and rubble. The mine itself is in remarkably good condition, partly due to very few people gaining access and due to it closing down as late as 1948. The stone here is particularly strong as there are very few joints in it. This has meant that there are no roof collapses in the mine and that water can't quickly drain out once it has leaked in. In the past some sections of the mine have completely flooded up to the roof, a tide mark is clearly visible on some of the walls. There are a few remnants of cranes in the mine along with wooden barrels and lots of cut stone stacked up on squats to let the air circulate around them. There is even a can with a cork in the spout full of paraffin once used by a quarryman to fill his lamp. One of the highlights of this mine is the stables; they are found close to the foot of the slope shaft and are the best example of underground stables in the area. The floor is cobbled and the remains of a wooden stall are evident. Lots of "Cave Pearls" can be seen on the floor along with tiny stalactites on the roof.
An interesting small book titled 'Bath Freestone Workings' by Liz Price has more information, diagrams and pictures of most of the local quarries.

The Squeeze

Hauling out the rough hewn blocks of stone Sawing into regular blocks The Squeeze

Continue along the track until you come out into the open. At this point the stone wall turns diagonally to the right, but your way is straight ahead along the track through the field called Allotments to the opposite diagonal corner. At the corner, you are now on the track of the old Roman Road/Wansdyke you first saw on the sky-line from Cradle Ground. Turn sharp right, following the line of the old road keeping close to the stone wall at your left.

Very soon you will come across a small gap in the wall called a 'belly squeeze' . You need to pass through this gap into the adjoining field known as Long Goss. It was earlier called 'Luke Stones' and was linked to the field on its left which was called 'Swallow Close'. If you care to pause here and sit on the wall, you will have a fine panoramic view of Whitley (on the left) with Melksham beyond and Purlpit and Atworth straight ahead and to your right. In the distance are the hills of Bratton, Westbury and Salisbury Plain. Keep an eye out and ear open for soaring buzzards often making their soulful mewing cry. From here you cannot see the other side of the field, but your direction is straight ahead (often you can see a path through the crop).
At the bottom of the field turn right along the edge of the crop and with the hedge on your left until you come to a gap on the left where there used to be a stile. Go through here into Great Hooks and follow the line of the hedge on your left, down and round to the small open quarry. Follow the edge of the quarry round to a stile. Sets and other signs of badgers are plentiful around here. If you are lucky, you may also see roe deer.

Gap into Castle Brook Bridge over Castle Brook The Steps Kings Stile

Cross the stile into Big Vetchleys and make for the far end of the low stone wall under a splendid row of ash trees. Go through the gate gap, turn immediately to the left and through the small gap between the wall and the bent wooden post into Castle Brook.

The field takes its name from the small stream running through it - the same stream you crossed in Great Monks field earlier on. The path leads down and across the little stream by way of a bridge made from large flat stones then rises gradually bearing slightly right to the far corner. Climb the steps and pass over or through the stile into Mead Park Field. Follow the wall to the first corner and then, keeping in the same direction to the stile. Go over here into a narrow winding footpath which brings you to the unusual Kings Stile. There is a small plaque on the wall nearby which is worth reading.
Walk forwards to the main A365 and turn right to get back to your starting point.