Friday 28th June 2024
Come Walking Friday Evening Walks: The Plunge and Edenfield.
This evening’s walked started from Exchange Street in Edenfield, where twenty walkers headed down the road which soon became nothing more than a farm track, that eventually took us into the centre of the village. After turning left, we walked as far as the Parish Church, where we crossed the road and waked along East Street. On either side of the path there were wildflower meadows waiting to be harvested and after a short climb we turned right, taking a narrow footpath into the fields. From here we had good views over to Holcombe Moor and Peel Tower.
Views over to Holcombe Moor
At the end of the footpath, we turned left onto Gincroft Lane, and climbed for a short distance before going through a farm gate, on our right. The footpath took us to New Hall, which dates to 1530, the home of the Rawstrome family and where in 1645 a visitor to the house died from bubonic plague.
Continuing around the hall we headed down into Dean Woods, where we soon joined Plunge Lane and just after passing Plunge Farm, we turned left onto a narrow footpath which led down to the ruins of Plunge Mill, built by Giles Hoyle in 1904.
Heading to Dean Woods
The Plunge
After viewing the ruins we crossed the footbridge, over Dean Brook and joined Michael Wife Lane, named after a woman, who in 1618 was put in the socks for refusing to repair the lane.
Footbridge over Dean Brook
We followed the lane up to Rochdale Road, and once across the road we turned right into Bury Old Road, and walked as far as Brook Bottom Holiday Apartments, where we joined Hollins Lane, and headed down to Whalley Road. Once across the road and turned right, and walked down to a stile, on our left where we joined a footpath leading through the fields to the ruins of Rose Mill, Stubbins. The mill was first built in 1801 for calico printing, it was bought by Turnbull & Stockdale in 1931 and continued printing until it closed in 2001.
Heading to Rose Mill
From the mill we turned right and headed back into Edenfield but not before we were told about the working conditions experienced by the young people in the mills, which was one of the problems contributed that to the infamous Chatterton Riots of 1826. Once back in Exchange Street we had covered 4 surprisingly dry miles.