chapel
park development site, april 2013 (p ward 2013)
As the Show & Tell day at the Burton in March drew to a close we
were approached by a gentleman whose interest in the project was a concern
about the inclusion of the Bideford Black Pigment Ltd Chapel Park Mine and
Processing Plant site in the Torridge District Council’s Development Plans[i].
His distress was caused not by the obliteration of a site of local historic
interest or the possibility of the dangers of building over numerous mineshafts
and underground cavities, but for the safety of the resident badger population
whose sett entrances may be seen in the black topsoil littering the area and
which had apparently been disturbed by precursory development of the site. Indeed
on a recent visit to the site with ex-miners we tried to imagine its previous
incarnation as they reminisced about the tranquil beauty of the valley where
they played as children, courted their loved ones and worked many years ago.
Apart from the concrete lined stream (to stop the mine shafts flooding) and the
dusty noise of the processing plant, the valley was lined with trees and surrounded
by dairy farms – ‘a beautiful place to work, right out in the country.’ It was
hard to imagine looking across the piles of rubble and freshly landscaped land,
surrounded by new housing developments and supermarket. Let’s hope that
whatever development does take place at Chapel Park is done with respect and
sensitivity to its rich past.
black
badger setts, cleave wood (p ward 2010)
mary ann mine shaft entrance
with bat portal, cleave wood (p ward 2013)
bideford
black bats (earth pigments on paper; p ward 2013)
The gentleman also informed us of the cleaning away of several
cars and sealing of the old Mary Ann shaft entrance in Cleave Wood in January
2011. While the blocking up of the mine for safety’s sake has been done quite
clumsily it has included a small portal to allow for the comings and goings of
a rare and protected population of horseshoe bats who have taken residence in
the tunnels. Looking through the opening into the darkness beyond to the sound
of persistent dripping can only give a glimpse of the miners’ daily working
conditions but it is well worth a look if you are sure-footed enough to find
it.
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view
inside mary ann mineshaft, cleave wood (p ward 2013)
[i] On further
investigation it was discovered that it is for sale for £1.4 million with plans
for 13 luxury detached properties. The plans also include landscaping and
regeneration of the woodland and stream as a nature conservation area. For
further information about the development see http://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/land/bideford/?include_retirement_homes=true&include_shared_accommodation=true&include_shared_ownership=true&new_homes=include&price_frequency=per_month&property_type=land&q=Bideford%2C%20Devon&results_sort=highest_price&search_source=for-sale
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