By the mid 1920’s man had finished with our Avon Valley - the
copper, zinc, coal mining and quarrying industries had gone and left their
scars. All that remained of man's touch
was sewage - pipelines and treatment works.
Although nature was starting a healing process, holes and
quarries were the readymade landfill sites for man’s rubbish post-war - notably
in Bickley Woods and at Conham Farm.
Thankfully in the early 1950s Kingswood Urban District Council
had the beginnings of a ‘conservation conscience’ and was looking positively at
the idea of National Parks. It looked at
the Avon Valley plateau at the bottom of The Swan Field bordering on the edge
of a pair of the biggest quarries. Here
there was an extensive panoramic view of the river valley - upriver to
Keynsham, downriver towards Brislington.
With the idea of creating a Park the plateau was compulsorily
purchased in 1960 and fenced-off with iron railings. Then there followed a few years of
development - the rebuilding of 100 Steps; removing the colliery tramway and
building some steps down towards the river;
fencing at the quarry top’s edge
and seating at the viewpoint.
The finished scheme had been officially opened in April 1957 and
the souvenir proudly claimed the Park to be a “small natural gem”. Commentary
in the programme held out the hope that around the horseshoe bend, when the
Conham sewage works was eventually closed, the land it was on would be restored
to a water meade. In fact it was tipped
on!
In the 60 years since the Park was opened many trees have grown
- and fallen. The unwanted consequence
has been the partial obstruction of the panoramic view. The Friends and South
Gloucestershire Council proposed to restore the view; the amenity of the
viewpoint; the safety standard of the fencing; and the waymarking of the
Panorama Walk circuit. Plans have been drawn up and costed for this restoration
project and grant funding sought - ironically from the Landfill Communities
Fund. If the project goes ahead and the new Panorama Wildflower Meadow on the
plateau grassland blooms - we will have a Park to be very proud of!
PS: Note that the
souvenir programme for the Avon Valley Park opening stated that it was being
dedicated to the public for their perpetual enjoyment. What is that worth in these times??
Robin Champion
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