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Windermere Rd Park/ground Saved

i agree viv...and i know how hard the small group of volunteers work all year round...well done to all

lyn
 
Actually our chairman is using some to make apple cake which will be served at our AGM. Held on the fields with activities for the children. Tours of the field to see what we have done and plan to do. The aim is to get more people involved.
 
Just so you don't think it is all sowing seeds and looking at the pretty results.
This was the scene yesterday morning at 10.15.

A wagon arrived and dumped a load of wood chip
delivery.JPG

This was the result
before.jpg
Two hours of hard work later the car park looked like this

after.JPG

End result is paths now more visible and easier to walk on
woodland path.JPG
 
astonishing jan...how you and your co helpers managed to get all of that bark from the car park to the path and spread it in a couple of hours i will never know...well done to all i have seen the video of it being off loaded and there was tonnes of it

lyn
 
Thanks Lyn.
The team worked hard and we had people who hadn't helped before turn up. People lent barrows and builders bags for us to use as well. One dog walker even stopped for a while and helped. :rolleyes:
 
Most Birmingham parks seem to have "friends groups" who organise activities or generally help maintain the park.

Until recently we had the support of a ranger who came and helped and gave us advice but because of cuts (Birmingham short of cash) we no longer have a ranger assigned to our park.

Not sure if I have said before but we also have a weekly tai chi/ qi gong session. This was free but we are now making a small donation each week to keep the group going.

A local football team trains on the field and plays their home matches there - the coach is actually running sessions during the holidays - as he says it keeps the lads off the streets.

A regular haunt of dog walkers and joggers alike. It also provides the main car park for visitors to Moseley Bog.
So it is a well used amenity.
 
shame you have lost your ranger jan and now have to pay to continue your tai chi sessions but as you say it is a result of bcc being cash strapped...thoughtful also of the footie manager to keep the training up during the holidays...if only everyone pulled together like this (and i am sure a lot do) then all would be good...keep up the good work but dont over do things..look forward to your undate photos

lyn
 
Apparently there as a windmill on the fields years back seen in David Cox's notebook.View attachment 122902

Some history about Richard Grevis' windmill that Morturn mentioned in the above post earlier on this thread. It was linked to Moseley Hall. And there was possibly an Iron Age enclosure somewhere on the site (later ploughed out) From the Bill Dargues site.


There seems to have been visible evidence of an earthwork on what is now Wake Green playing field between Yardley Wood Road and Windermere Road. Possibly an Iron Age enclosure, it survived until the 1820s when it was ploughed out. There was a local legend that King Alfred made his headquarters here before locally defeating the Vikings. While this is possible, it is more likely an imaginative antiquarian invention.

This may be David Cox's Wake Green windmill
This may be David Cox's Wake Green windmill

Also on the playing fields on a site to the rear of Adrian Croft, Wake Green Windmill was recorded in 1664 as belonging to Richard Grevis of Moseley Hall. It is known to have been leased in 1766 by John Allen from John Taylor of Moseley Hall. It had been demolished by 1834. This windmill is one of the few Birmingham windmills whose appearance is known: a sketch exists drawn by Birmingham water-colourist, David Cox in 1819.
 
that is interesting viv thanks..in the drawing it looks like there is a little stream..janice may know if there is one near the fields or close to where the windmill once stood

lyn
 
The stream is most likely the one which feeds Sarehole Mill (water driven). It goes through Moseley Bog to Sarehole.

The mill on the fields is believed to have been a "post mill". That is the wooden top part could be turned so it could best use the wind.
 
The stream is most likely the one which feeds Sarehole Mill (water driven). It goes through Moseley Bog to Sarehole.

The mill on the fields is believed to have been a "post mill". That is the wooden top part could be turned so it could best use the wind.

interesting jan thanks

lyn
 
Some history about Richard Grevis' windmill that Morturn mentioned in the above post earlier on this thread. It was linked to Moseley Hall. And there was possibly an Iron Age enclosure somewhere on the site (later ploughed out) From the Bill Dargues site.


There seems to have been visible evidence of an earthwork on what is now Wake Green playing field between Yardley Wood Road and Windermere Road. Possibly an Iron Age enclosure, it survived until the 1820s when it was ploughed out. There was a local legend that King Alfred made his headquarters here before locally defeating the Vikings. While this is possible, it is more likely an imaginative antiquarian invention.

This may be David Cox's Wake Green windmill's Wake Green windmill
This may be David Cox's Wake Green windmill

Also on the playing fields on a site to the rear of Adrian Croft, Wake Green Windmill was recorded in 1664 as belonging to Richard Grevis of Moseley Hall. It is known to have been leased in 1766 by John Allen from John Taylor of Moseley Hall. It had been demolished by 1834. This windmill is one of the few Birmingham windmills whose appearance is known: a sketch exists drawn by Birmingham water-colourist, David Cox in 1819.
That is great story about King Arthur! I really enjoy that history, too bad it was ploughed out.
 
Following on from all the chat about history of the Fields.
Today a small group of us attended a history walk/talk round the fields given by Dr Mike Hodder (former city archaeologist).
He told us about the ridge and furrow markings which can be seen - dating from when the fields were common land.
How the make up of the boundary hedge can help determine it's age.
We walked down into a large dip (which I was once told was a bomb crater) but is the remains of a pit dug to remove, and use, the top layer sand, the gravel from lower down and finally the underlying clay.
For me, however, the really fascinating bit was where he thought the windmill, referrrd to in earlier posts, had been sited. Not where I expected. Just inside what is now the boundary hedge to the top level of Moseley Bog. Where old maps show an area known as Windmill Close. I will post a link to a map showing this when I put my laptop on.
If I have written anything wrong then fellow Forum members who walked today, Morturn and Superdad3, will hopefully correct me. Nice to meet up with them.
Thanks to Mike for talking to us.
 
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I think your very much spot on with your summary there Janice, perfect, many thanks.

I had already done a drone survey of the field earlier in the year that can highlight detail of the field marking. It was nice of Mike Hodder to give some explanations and also look at some previous suggestions that it may be a hill fort, but the evidence did not really support this.

Windermere-Fields-Mavic-Aug-18_0002.jpgThe first image shows a number of previous football and possibly Rugby and cricket pitches marked out. The changes in the grass are possibly cause by the substance (fleet with is caulk based) to make the pitches.
 
Mike talked about the boundary adjacent to the cricket club and how it was hedge and a ditch. He also said it have been moved, possibly when the large houses were constructed. Mike also talked about how field marking are more visible at different time of year and lighting conditions.

With a detailed drone photogrammetry survey, we can apply artificial lighting and shading to bring out hidden detail.

This image shows the old boundary and interestingly the clay pits are much older than we thought.

Windermere Fields snapshot 2 Radiance Shading01.jpg
 
Mike talked about the boundary adjacent to the cricket club and how it was hedge and a ditch. He also said it have been moved, possibly when the large houses were constructed. Mike also talked about how field marking are more visible at different time of year and lighting conditions.

With a detailed drone photogrammetry survey, we can apply artificial lighting and shading to bring out hidden detail.

This image shows the old boundary and interestingly the clay pits are much older than we thought.

View attachment 196722
Mort, what kind of drone/camera has the photogrammetry? Thank you!
 
Mike also discussed agricultural use of the land and how it was once common land. Interestingly farming techniques of cultivating for crops in strips still continued into the early nineteenth century.

The images also show a likelihood of WWII allotment use. Janice did a super piece of research and thinks she can identify the allotments were done by a local school.

Talking to Mike, he feels that this site still has a lot to offer in terms of research. I certainly feel it fortunate that the field been retained as a recreational site and been protected from the heavy duty farm machinery which today would have ploughed out all of the field marks.



Windermere Fields snapshot 3 Coloured Discriptor02.jpg
 
Mort, what kind of drone/camera has the photogrammetry? Thank you!
Hi Richard

I use a DJI Mini 3 Pro now. It weight is less than 250g, so the Civil Aviation Authority approve it use on site like this. I am also registered as a drone pilot with them.

The drone has a 12 megapixel camera that can give a ground resolution of 1.8 cm per pixel so, it is very accurate for surveying work. You can put GPS ground control points in too, but I was more interested in revealing hidden features.

I use a programme call Agisoft Metashape to process the images into a photogrammetry 3D model.

Reality Capture is also a super photogrammetry programme too. Photogrammetry is a super tool for archelogy, quick, easy, none damaging and it will highlight areas of potential further interest.
 
Absolutely fascinating. Thanks Janice and Mort.

This is a great demonstration of the opportunity to uncover lots of previously undetected/lost historical features. I think it's incredibly exciting. So much to discover out there.
 
Hi Richard

I use a DJI Mini 3 Pro now. It weight is less than 250g, so the Civil Aviation Authority approve it use on site like this. I am also registered as a drone pilot with them.

The drone has a 12 megapixel camera that can give a ground resolution of 1.8 cm per pixel so, it is very accurate for surveying work. You can put GPS ground control points in too, but I was more interested in revealing hidden features.

I use a programme call Agisoft Metashape to process the images into a photogrammetry 3D model.

Reality Capture is also a super photogrammetry programme too. Photogrammetry is a super tool for archelogy, quick, easy, none damaging and it will highlight areas of potential further interest.
Thank you very much! We have DJI’s here so I will take a look. I went to a seminar where Robert Ballard of Titanic fame was the presenter (super interesting) who had a colleague who specialized in aerial photography as well as the use of ground penetrating radar and laser application's, attended his seminar. Unfortunately my mobility is restricted, however I should be good to go in another few weeks. Your information on the type of drone (so many out there) as well as cameras etc will give me great guidance. Thank you!
 
Following on from all the chat about history of the Fields.
Today a small group of us attended a history walk/talk round the fields given by Dr Mike Hodder (former city archaeologist).
He told us about the ridge and furrow markings which can be seen - dating from when the fields were common land.
How the make up of the boundary hedge can help determine it's age.
We walked down into a large dip (which I was once told was a bomb crater) but is the remains of a pit dug to remove, and use, the top layer sand, the gravel from lower down and finally the underlying clay.
For me, however, the really fascinating bit was where he thought the windmill, referrrd to in earlier posts, had been sited. Not where I expected. Just inside what is now the boundary hedge to the top level of Moseley Bog. Where old maps show an area known as Windmill Close. I will post a link to a map showing this when I put my laptop on.
If I have written anything wrong then fellow Forum members who walked today, Morturn and Superdad3, will hopefully correct me. Nice to meet up with them.
Thanks to Mike for talking to us.
Maps of the area can be fond here

The first map has a windmill marked and the second map shows the windmill no longer marked but Windmill Close is indicated.
 
Maps of the area can be fond here

The first map has a windmill marked and the second map shows the windmill no longer marked but Windmill Close is indicated.
Very interesting evolution!
 
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