Footpath from Wadsley Bridge station to Claywheels Lane

[chriscalcite 10]

rights of way are Green dotted lines.

 

Not on the older black and white maps they aren't

 

Away from maps, yesterday I had a quick look at the actual path itself from the entrance near the junction of Claywheels Lane and Limestone Cottage Lane. It is fairly overgrown with brambles. However, along the first few hundred feet from the road the path is strewn with dozens of saplings that have been cut and dumped directly across the path in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to make it hard to pass. After those first few hundred feet the path makes a right turn, at which point someone has placed a solid upright pallet and a whole bunch of cut saplings to further impede progress. I couldn't easily get past this but beyond this point the path really does look naturally overgrown (overhanging trees, brambles, etc).

 

So it appears that someone really does not like this path at all. A fair amount of effort has gone in to making it impenetrable from both ends. When you know this is a public right of way it becomes fairly annoying that someone believes their rights outweigh everyone else's?

[ricoblade 10]

Not on the older black and white maps they aren't

 

Away from maps, yesterday I had a quick look at the actual path itself from the entrance near the junction of Claywheels Lane and Limestone Cottage Lane. It is fairly overgrown with brambles. However, along the first few hundred feet from the road the path is strewn with dozens of saplings that have been cut and dumped directly across the path in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to make it hard to pass. After those first few hundred feet the path makes a right turn, at which point someone has placed a solid upright pallet and a whole bunch of cut saplings to further impede progress. I couldn't easily get past this but beyond this point the path really does look naturally overgrown (overhanging trees, brambles, etc).

 

So it appears that someone really does not like this path at all. A fair amount of effort has gone in to making it impenetrable from both ends. When you know this is a public right of way it becomes fairly annoying that someone believes their rights outweigh everyone else's?

 

You really need to see the definitive rights of way map but it does not appear to be online, it looks like you can view it at Howden House First Point reception.

 

Sheffield is one of the few authorities that does not release it's rights of way data as evidenced by the lack of information on the otherwise excellent http://www.rowmaps.com website that I use extensively.

[waddy13 10]

The family who own the business that has blocked off the footpath have a long standing reputation in the Oughtibridge/Bradfield/Worral area going back many many years for underhand practices with regards to land/farming/housing issues, and riding roughshod over anyone who gets in their way.

[birley 10]

I am getting little to no response from the council on this, it seems they are more concerned with the landowners demands than the law or the rights of the public.

They have not answered any questions about where the information came from that access to the station approach is by the landowners permission only, my guess it came from the landowner and they have not checked, I am waiting to hear from Network rail and the land register before deciding which coarse to take next. Has anyone else written to the council?

chriscalcite, I have also been to look at the Claywheels Lane end and what they have done is deliberate obstruction.

[Obelix 11]

I am getting little to no response from the council on this, it seems they are more concerned with the landowners demands than the law or the rights of the public.

They have not answered any questions about where the information came from that access to the station approach is by the landowners permission only, my guess it came from the landowner and they have not checked, I am waiting to hear from Network rail and the land register before deciding which coarse to take next. Has anyone else written to the council?

chriscalcite, I have also been to look at the Claywheels Lane end and what they have done is deliberate obstruction.

 

If you find an obstruction on a ROW then you are entitled to clear it.

 

You can't actually take kit with you specifically to clear it, but a lot of obstructions are amenable to a bit of grade A boot applications.... repeatedly....

[birley 10]

Removing the obstructions would be a bit difficult due the path at this point being fenced at both sides and quite narrow.

It is the councils obligation anyway, please email them at :-

[email protected]

and let them know you care.

 

---------- Post added 25-02-2016 at 17:09 ----------

 

In my latest email to Mr Hanson I asked if they had seen any evidence that the station approach was only accessible with the owners permission as Mr Hague had insisted, this is the reply:-

"We were aware that the approach road and the adjacent land had been sold by Railways several years ago and whilst in discussions regarding the path it was sold again to Mr Hague. When we held discussions with Mr Hague he advised us that he was the new land owner and he would not allow the public to walk over his land. We had no reason to question his statement as he was clearly using the land at the time. The previous land owner was the one who originally blocked the end of the path to stop people using it as a through route."

 

It would seem that it is now Mr Hague who decides and tells the council who can use public rights of way!!!!!!!!

Edited February 26, 2016 by birley
unclear

[Arthur Ritus 30]

As a child in the 70's my grandpa used to walk us home from wadsley bridge to Oughtibridge via station lane, the footpath being discussed and onto beelywood road and through beely wood.

 

I can remember the gantries and some railway sidings from scapa iron and steel still being there on the "plateau" which was quite an open, gravel surfaced space with several paths.

 

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/download/EAW021907

 

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/download/EAW021909

 

These photo's of 1949 shows the area whilst Scapa was still busy. Interesting there is a path from carwell lane around the base of the embankment and a more worn looking path from station lane crossing the railway siding.

At a guess i would say the carwell lane path was the proper one as i cannot imagine even in those days people being encouraged to walk through the sidings. People being people coming from the train station, nearby tram stop or walking down from housing above the railway probably took the shorter route then when scapa's sidings went it became the norm. and now signposted as a public footpath.

 

Bearing in mind all the industry on claywheels/ limestone cottage with welding rods, Batchelors and the brewery in a time before everybody drove everywhere i can imagine it being quite a busy route.

 

Going away from penistone road you can see the paths with a main artery in the middle which splits down past the side of the brewery which is what became labelled the public footpath and another carrying on towards limestone cottage lane.

I have a photo of wadsley bridge school pupils doing a cross country on there with Batchelors in the background presumably they came from limestone cottage lane on the path just bellow the railway bridge. It was used by many until very recently with the thoroughfare being blocked by the erection of more robust fencing.

 

About 15 years or so ago i walked up Station lane to the end. There was a fenced pathway next to wesley nicholls coal merchants with the public footpath sign but it was extremely overgrown with brambles then and has now since gone.

 

Its all nice history but to be honest the paths from penistone road bellow the railway lines have gone because nobody was using them.

Dog walkers north of the tracks use Baxter road and if its still so there was a hole in the fence onto the "plateau" or carry on to limestone cottage lane. As far as i know that's not classed as a p.r.o.w. but should be, it would be a bigger shame to loose that to a "i,ve bought it so i will do what i want now get off my land" type landowner.

[Bradley-St 10]

The footpath first appears on the 2nd revision OS 1:2500 map, dated 1923. In the previous edition of the OS map (1:2500 1st revision, dated 1905) there was a footpath that headed northeast across, or possibly under, the Great Central Railway line to connect with Back Lane (now Baxter Road). When the railway sidings were built it appears that this footpath was diverted southeast past the coal offices to connect with the station approach road. So there was very likely a public right of way along this path in the 1920s, though finding documentary evidence for the footpath diversion would help to make the case stronger.

[billo 10]

I used this path many times and would love to be able to use it again.

[Planner1 438]

It would seem that it is now Mr Hague who decides and tells the council who can use public rights of way!!!!!!!!

 

As I understand it, this is a permissive right of way. ie it is only in use because the owner gives permission. On such paths, the owner can withdraw their permission, which appears to be what has happened in this case.

[PeterHMM 10]

I would support getting this re-opened. I used to walk my dog down this path way back in the 1970's.

[chriscalcite 10]

As I understand it, this is a permissive right of way. ie it is only in use because the owner gives permission. On such paths, the owner can withdraw their permission, which appears to be what has happened in this case.

 

Your understanding is correct as far as it goes. However, the current owner is not the person who originally purchased the land from British Railways Residual Property Board, and there has been some suggestion that this current owner's strongly asserted belief that he controls access to the right of way has been taken at face value with no documentary evidence.

 

That may be wishful thinking, but when the PROW Group seem unaware from whom the land was originally purchased (British Railways not Network Rail) we kind of infer they haven't done any checking. Some people are also thinking that the current owner is known to be, shall we say, difficult when it comes to matters such as these and would of course claim what he claims (*)

 

So all-in-all it could be a wild goose chase, but then again, he could just be trying it on and getting away with it.

 

(*) yes, I know hearsay is not evidence, but court records are!