Downs Banks
Encyclopedia
Downs Bank is an area of open countryside, located two miles (3 km) north of the town of Stone
in Staffordshire
, and four miles (6 km) south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent
. It is owned and managed by the National Trust
. The property is also known as 'Barlaston Downs' .
with a stream
running the length of the property from North to South. Other habitats include woodland and Heath (habitat).
and scrub birch trees under control, and to allow a variety of old grasses, heather
, plus bilberry
, gorse
and broom
to regain habitat. It is hoped that this will encourage species such as vivparous lizard to increase in population.
The footpaths and bridleway suffer from erosion due to their heavy use. Annual National Trust volunteer summer work camps and regular work by local staff and volunteers are required to repair them.
The stream through the property was seriously polluted with diesel oil in April 2008, originating upstream from beyond the Reserve.
to Lichfield
train service now stops at Stone station - access to the Downs Banks is then by a two-mile walk along lanes and footpaths.
The site is 'open access' on foot to all. As well as footpaths there is also a waymarked bridleway which may be used with care by horse riders and cyclists.
The site is popular with dog walkers, and owners are encouraged to 'scoop' droppings left on footpaths and verges. Two bins were erected for dog waste to be deposited in in the Summer of 2008. Local National Trust members raised the funds for these bins.
The site is sometimes used by the Potteries Orienteering Club
, and before them by the Walton Chasers since the 1950s. The Club has made a large scale-map of the site, at 1:10000.
for Joule's Brewery
, who rented it from Viscount Sidmouth
. The area was well known to the author Mary Renault
, whose parents moved to live nearby in the early 1930s.
Hop growing on Downs Bank continued until the 1940s, and there was also cattle grazing until 1950. The area was subject to purchase with the help of a public subscription and it was given to the National Trust by John Joule in 1950, as... "an offering for victory in the 1939-45 War, and as a memorial to those who died" - apparently on the grounds that it had originally been common land
, and should thus be open again to local people. However, after 1950 the lack of grazing caused its characteristic heathland to decline, as bracken
and birch were allowed to invade.
There is now a Millennium Viewpoint stone at one of the highest points, with a toposcope
(a disc of metal sight-lines/landmarks) embedded in the top of it.
The area is part of the route of the annual New Year's Eve Barlaston
Wassail
, in which a torchlit procession walks from the nearby village to the Downs Banks and back again.
Stone, Staffordshire
Stone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, and four miles (6 km) south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. It is owned and managed by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. The property is also known as 'Barlaston Downs' .
Area and habitats
The property covers 166 acre (0.67177876 km²), and consists of a glaciated valleyValley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
with a stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
running the length of the property from North to South. Other habitats include woodland and Heath (habitat).
Management
The heath has been subject to a restoration project by the National Trust, which resulted in the re-introduction of summer-grazing cattle on the hillsides of the property in 2005. The cattle help to keep brackenBracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
and scrub birch trees under control, and to allow a variety of old grasses, heather
Heathers
Heathers is a 1989 black comedy film starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty. The film portrays four girls in a trend-setting clique at a fictional Ohio high school...
, plus bilberry
Bilberry
Bilberry is any of several species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium , bearing edible berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species....
, gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
and broom
Broom (shrub)
Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in many other small genera . All genera in this group are from the tribe Genisteae...
to regain habitat. It is hoped that this will encourage species such as vivparous lizard to increase in population.
The footpaths and bridleway suffer from erosion due to their heavy use. Annual National Trust volunteer summer work camps and regular work by local staff and volunteers are required to repair them.
The stream through the property was seriously polluted with diesel oil in April 2008, originating upstream from beyond the Reserve.
Access and activities
There is a small car park at the southern end. At 2010 there is no rail service to the nearby train station of Barlaston, the station having been closed to trains for many years now. A new 2009/10 Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
to Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
train service now stops at Stone station - access to the Downs Banks is then by a two-mile walk along lanes and footpaths.
The site is 'open access' on foot to all. As well as footpaths there is also a waymarked bridleway which may be used with care by horse riders and cyclists.
The site is popular with dog walkers, and owners are encouraged to 'scoop' droppings left on footpaths and verges. Two bins were erected for dog waste to be deposited in in the Summer of 2008. Local National Trust members raised the funds for these bins.
The site is sometimes used by the Potteries Orienteering Club
Potteries Orienteering Club
Potteries Orienteering Club often abbreviated to POTOC is an Orienteering club in the West Midlands of the UK. It is for Orienteers in or around North Staffordshire and South Cheshire . The club is in the West Midlands Orienteering Association and is a member of the BOF. The Club has been ...
, and before them by the Walton Chasers since the 1950s. The Club has made a large scale-map of the site, at 1:10000.
Monuments, history and customs
In the 18th century a farm on Downs Bank grew hopsHop (plant)
Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...
for Joule's Brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
, who rented it from Viscount Sidmouth
Viscount Sidmouth
Viscount Sidmouth, of Sidmouth in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1805 for the former Prime Minister, Henry Addington. In May 1804, King George III intended to confer the titles of Earl of Banbury, Viscount Wallingford and Baron Reading on...
. The area was well known to the author Mary Renault
Mary Renault
Mary Renault born Eileen Mary Challans, was an English writer best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece...
, whose parents moved to live nearby in the early 1930s.
Hop growing on Downs Bank continued until the 1940s, and there was also cattle grazing until 1950. The area was subject to purchase with the help of a public subscription and it was given to the National Trust by John Joule in 1950, as... "an offering for victory in the 1939-45 War, and as a memorial to those who died" - apparently on the grounds that it had originally been common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
, and should thus be open again to local people. However, after 1950 the lack of grazing caused its characteristic heathland to decline, as bracken
Bracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
and birch were allowed to invade.
There is now a Millennium Viewpoint stone at one of the highest points, with a toposcope
Toposcope
A toposcope or topograph is a marker erected on hills, mountains or high places which indicates the direction, and usually the distance, to notable landscape features which can be seen from that point...
(a disc of metal sight-lines/landmarks) embedded in the top of it.
The area is part of the route of the annual New Year's Eve Barlaston
Barlaston
Barlaston is a village and civil parish in the borough of Stafford in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is roughly halfway between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the small town of Stone. According to the 2001 census the population of the parish was 2,659.-History:The old parish church of...
Wassail
Wassail
The word Wassail refers to several related traditions; first and foremost wassailing is an ancient southern English tradition that is performed with the intention of ensuring a good crop of cider apples for the next year's harvest...
, in which a torchlit procession walks from the nearby village to the Downs Banks and back again.
External links
- A large Flickr gallery of Downs Banks, including a map.