THE MOOR POND WOODS PROJECT, PAPPLEWICK: APROGRESS REPORT

by

RICHARD SHEPPARD

The Moor Pond Woods Project is a Local HeritageInitiative (LHI) grant-aided scheme, set up as amillennium project by Papplewick Parish Council in1999. Its aim has been to enhance the largely woodedarea between the west side of the village and theRiver Leen for local recreational use, for natureconservation, and as an educational resource. Thisarea contains relict features dating from the IndustrialRevolution including earthworks ofleats and silted-up former millponds and sluices, parts of a complexwater management system designed to power a seriesof cotton mills built by George Robinson alongsidethe Leen (Fig 1). Although detailed articles aboutRobinson's enterprise have been published (Greatrex1986; 1987) a brief for further research was preparedwith County Archaeologist Mike Bishop. Trent &Peak Archaeological Unit (TPAU) was commissionedto produce a desk-based report, followed by fieldsurvey and assistance in organizing local volunteers(Friends of Moor Pond Woods) to carry outinvestigative excavations. Since then the Friends.have carried out further fieldwork under their ownauspices. Clearance work has also been carried outby Leen Valley Conservation Volunteers andstonework has been restored by Phil Turton Buildingand Consulting Services Ltd. This brief reportprovides a summary of work to date.

The Stage 1 desk-based study (Sheppard 2001)was submitted to the Project's Steering Group in2001. It collated documentary references, maps andprevious written reports about the study site andsuggested where further research was desirable. Thereport set out to build upon Greatrex's work byconcentrating on the water supply system rather thanthe mills, as previously. Robinson was first attractedto the area because the Leen's soft pure water wasespecially suitable for bleaching, initially for linen.He went on to build six Gotton mills between 1778-94, four being of an industrial scale equal to

Arkwright's, and on new rural sites. These weresystematically demolished in the mid 19th century. Asophisticated water supply system had to ensuresufficient power could be derived from a modestriver, whilst contending with variations in rainfalland geology, and the activities of the 5th Lord Byron,living upstream at Newstead Abbey, who provokedRobinson into a long drawn-out Court case overensuring water rights. The system of millponds andleats may have developed in stages as more millswere built and as concerns over water supplyescalated. Eventually, in response to the uncertainty,steam engines were installed in two of the mills asancillary power sources. Robinson also built workers'tenement rows and estate buildings, some of whichsurvive to this day.

The project area covers the site of three ofRobinson's mills. Papplewick is recorded as havingtwo water mills and a mill dam in 1540 (Walker1970,231) and a good case can be made for the latterhaving been above Walk Mill, part of which stillremains today to the north of Pap pIewick Lane (SK547505). The area oftheformerWalkMillPond stillshows in the fields to the north. In 1778 a new leaseallowed Robinson 'to make a Cut or Canal from thesaid Dam or River Leen to and for the use of a largebuilding then erecting ... intended to be used oremployed as a Mill for spinning of Cotton, Silk, FlaxorWool'. The mill was described in local newspapersas being 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 5 storeyshigh. Situated close to present-day Grange Farm, itwas later referred to as Old Mill, after another mill(New Mill), was built alongside several years later.Later collectively known as Grange Mill, the site isnow grassland and gardens. Whilst Old Mill could bepowered through a connection to an existing millpond, Robinson's second mill, Top Mill, was built,along with new ponds (Top Upper Dam and UpperDam), close to the border with Linby (SK 545 510).

OLD MILL INEW MILL (approx.)

Grange Farm "'"

FIGURE I: Plan showing three of Robinson's former mills and associated dams, leats and water-control features near thevillage of Papplewick.

This building was Robinson's smallest mill and itsroadside elevation was embellished with Gothicdetailing and castellations, thus its other name ofCastle Mill. Once derelict and threatened withdemolition, its eventual renovation in 1962 receiveda Civic Trust Award. It remains the only intactSUrvIVOr.

The current project has concentrated oninvestigating the water supply system and gainingunderstanding about how it operated. In brief, thenorth part of the system (the area covered by theproject) includes the following components. FromTop Upper Dam (SK 545 513) a leat ran southwardsalongside Upper Dam and then parallel to the river toa triangular-shaped holding pond (SK 547 508).From here sluices allowed water to be funneled intoMoor Pond (SK 548 507), the largest embankedreservoir of the entire system, or into a smallerirregular pond to the east (SK 548508). An outlet atthe south-west comer of Moor Pond fed water intothe canal mentioned above and perhaps back to theriver when its volume was low. In addition, anotherleat skirted thewestern side of Moor Pond, terminatingnear a curious oval-shaped brick-lined shaft ofunknown function (SK 548504). Water was somehowtransferred across Papplewick Lane to another wideleat or linear reservoir. From here water descendedabout 2m to enter a straight channel running behindGrange Cottages (SK 549503) towards Gr;tpge Mill,and onwards as a tailrace to the next mill in sequence.Natural run-off and spring water may also have fedinto the system from the east.

The Stage 2 field survey by TPAU (Sheppard2003) included the detailed mapping ofthose parts ofthe system not already covered, and the taking oflevels at selected points. Along a distance of 1.2km,from Upper Dam in the north to near Grange Farm tothe south, the River Leen today has a fall of about 8m,utilized along the way at Top Mill and Walk Mill. Incontrast, the level of the leats to the east is fairlyconsistent for most of this distance, averaging aheight of 72.5m, but dropping 1m into the leat /reservoir south of Pap pIewick Lane and another 3mbetween there and Grange Farm. The latter wouldhave provided a powerful flow towards the largemill. With the exception of this southernmost leat,most of the system was designed for both conduit and

for containment, as allowance appears to have beenmade for overflow, perhaps attimes of heavy rainfall,into lower ditches and into subsidiary ponds. Thefour largest mills were all situated south of MoorPond and other ponds created close to the river belowGrange Farm.

Since 2002 fieldwork has been carried out aroundMoor Pond by volunteers from the Friends of MoorPond Woods, Scouts, Air Cadets and the Leen ValleyConservation Group. A sluice at the south end ofthetriangular holding pond has been uncovered andsince restored as a feature with aplanned explanatoryinformation board on a nearby bridge. Two phases ofstonework were revealed here; the second, a rougherdrystone walling, was in part aligned on a formertimber-lined trough that had transferred water from apossible overflow pond, across the sluice to the leatthat followed the west side of Moor Pond, suggestingthatthis particular leatwas a later addition. Remainingiron fixtures showed that the trough had been 2ftwide, 4ft high and 36ft long (0.6 x l.2m x 11m).Another sluice in the east side of the holding pondwas uncovered and recorded this last summer byproject volunteers working with the SherwoodArchaeology Team (Plate 1).

Other wall restoration has taken place at the south-west comer of Moor Pond. A brick-arched drainsituated in the middle of a 15m long curving stonewall had let water feed away towards the formercanal mentioned above (now a long linear depressiondefined by field boundaries), or to the river beyond.The drain is also aligned on a brick-lined shaft ofunknown purpose showing above Papplewick Lane,whose further investigation now requires safetymeasures (Plate 2). According to anecdotal sources,a number of drains have been exposed under the Lanein the past and this area, between Moor Pond, WalkMill and the river, requires further investigation tofind out where the Pond's water went.

In 2002 an initial resistivity survey in the area ofGrange Farm, the site of Old Mill and New Mill, wascarried out by amateur archaeologists Alan and CeliaMorris, at the behest ofthe author. As this showed upanomalies east of cottages on the lane leading to thefarm, some trial-excavations were subsequentlycarried out by the Friends to investigate their cause.

PLATE I: One of the Friends of Moor Pond Woods (Papplewick) exposing walling around a former sluice-gate in summer2005. Photo by Stephen Walker.

PLATE 2: Top part of the oval-shaped brick-lined shaft situated above the south-west corner of Moor Pond Wood, Papplewick.Photo by Stephen Walker.

In one trench rubble infill was found to a depth of atleast 1.8m, a depth indicative of either cellarage or amill wheel-pit. Another trench uncovered part of aplaster floor and a robbed-out east-west wall trenchabout 3ft (0.9m) wide, and with fragments of ceramicflue-tiles used in the mill's internal heating. A trenchacross the nearby leat revealed only a re-cut for amodem drain and no evidence for original ditch-lining. More recent geophysical investigation to thewest of the cottages by TPAU has revealed linearanomalies on a different alignment to those to theeast, suggesting perhaps that the two mills that hadstood in this location may not necessarily have beenco-existent in position or time.

Field investigations so far carried out on Robinson'swater-supply system north of Grange Farm and onthe latter site have pointed to further complexities.With the continued support and enthusiasm of the

Friends and associated volunteers, much moreinformation awaits discovery over the coming yearsto elucidate how the system developed and how itwas able to provide sufficient waterpower to turn thespindles in those' dark satanic mills' that once gracedthe Papplewick skyline.

The author is especially indebted to MaureenBarker and Stephen Walker of the Moor Pond WoodsSteering Group for their hard work and support. Alsoto Lee Scudder of the Greenwood Communi ty Forestfor his enthusiastic collaboration, Alan and CeliaMorris for their kind help and colleagues EileenAppleton, Doug Gilbert, Matt Hurford, AlistairMacintosh, Richard Parker and Laurence Platt fortheir assistance. Finally, thanks to Mr and MrsHardstaff for allowing access to their land at GrangeFarm.

Greatrex N., 1986. 'The Robinson Enterprises at Papplewick:Part One', Industrial Archaeology Review 9(1), 37-56.

Greatrex N., 1987. 'The Robinson Enterprises at Papplewick:Part Two', Industrial Archaeology Review 9(1), 119-139.

Sheppard R., 2001. Moor Pond Wood, Papplewick. AnArchaeological Desk-top Study, Trent & Peak ArchaeologicalUnit.

Sheppard R., 2003. Moor Pond Wood, Papplewick. AnArchaeological Site Survey and Some Trial Excavations, Trent& Peak Archaeological Unit.

Walker V. W., 1970. Newstead Priory Cartulary 1344 andOther Archives. Thoroton Society Record Series 8.