In Bygone Days – there were castles and forests , silk mills, corn mills, water wheels, hidden springs and ancient tracks.
Mere , Gillingham, Bourton, Milton on Stour and Silton still have traces of these Bygone Days but Mere and Gillingham are steadily growing at a pace and new housing developments spring up it seems overnight!
Behind Purns Mill, Gillingham
We walked in John Constable’s footsteps towards Purns Mill. He painted this Mill and waterwheel a few years before it burnt down. There is still a mill by the Shreen at this spot and as we stopped to listen to the rushing water by the side of the mill we imagined how it must have been over 200 hundred years ago. The little bridge beside the ford is enchanting and the noisy Gillingham traffic still avoids this deep water obstacle. It is a peaceful place to pause and reflect.
The Ford near Gillingham
Two entrancing thatched cottages remain, hidden from view, behind Waitrose car park – their gardens full of flowers , vegetables and chickens! We step back in time.
The serenity of walking by the Shreen waters in Mere was a joy. Finding hidden corners where mills once flourished, water wheels now still – no longer turning, was captivating. A patchwork of footpaths criss cross Mere and one of these took us along the shallow river up to a tiny hamlet on a hill, a short walk away from the frenetic dual carriageway. Just below the spring line a mill with waterwheel (now a private home) stands at the beginning of the Shreen.
Climbing the castle hill – sadly no castle now – the views were amazing and worth the climb! Little is left of the Gillingham Forest but there are still remnants of mixed woodland and the autumn colours were beautiful.
After crossing Lordsmead Meadow (Lordsmead Mill is still there but private) we found a small bridge over the Shreen and eventually the path arrived at Woodlands Road, where we were met with a housing development in its early stage of groundwork preparation.
The Shreen waters
Gillingham has already been developed on all sides. Wonderful names like Peacemarsh and Bay are now mainly housing estates. The names remind us of quieter times.
Bourton Mill – unlike Constable finding Purns Mill we were too late to see this Mill – it has just been demolished to make way for a small housing development. We managed to get a glimpse of the mill pond after walking up Kites Nest hill but gave up on finding the ancient Saxon boundary marker called Egberts stone. The road past the mill had been closed but maybe next spring we will try again.
The river Stour at Stourhead springs into action gently, slowly gathering momentum until it reaches the sea. In Bourton the Stour is a stream and becomes a brook meandering past Milton on Stour into Gillingham. Touching the Shreen waters before continuing through the Stour Valley. Lots more to discover and paint – we will return soon… must be quick before the landscape changes forever.
The last leaves of Autumn
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