Hidden Stroud, Part III

The Slad Brook

Long ago, I used to cross this brook regularly, and stop to admire the ducklings playing, or deplore the shopping trolleys dumped there. As a tenant whose home backed on to the brook, I had riparian rights: that is, the right to draw water from the brook. I never did, but once I used the water for a ritual. It worked.

UK citizens of a certain age may have had to read Cider With Rosie, by Laurie Lee, as part of their English O grade or O level. I certainly did, but it was by happy coincidence that eighteen years ago I found myself living just a few miles from Laurie Lee's village, Slad. Stroud is the meeting place of five valleys, the Slad valley being just one of them. The Slad Brook, or Slade brook, flows into town from the village, and then enters a culvert after it rushes down this man-made waterfall. At least three times in my life here, the brook has burst free from the culvert and flooded the lower half of Slad Road, cutting it off from town.

Two heavy rainfalls in 2007, the first in June and the second in July, the latter being known as The Great Flood, caused havoc in Slad Road. The July floods temporarily wrecked a doctor's surgery and pharmacy, and staff working at the Co-0operative supermarket had to be evacuated by the fire brigade. Residential properties were also wrecked.

At the height of the 'monsoon', two water skiers and a boat arrived and started disporting themselves in the road. An elderly gentleman who remonstrated with them was pushed over, and had his arm broken.

Later, a working group was set up to prevent further floods in the area. Divers were hired to inspect the culvert, and retrieved at least seven shopping trolleys, along with other unusual items. The main road has been strengthened, and the waterfall redesigned, to make it harder to use as a dumping ground.

This shot was taken where the brook is bridged by a pedestrian pathway linking Landsown road and Slad Road. I had not intended to blip another hidden place so soon. In fact I was not in the mood for photography at all, but after having my lunch in a small, non-mansion park, I realised I could cross the brook to check out a shop in Lansdown on my way home. So I got my camera out. It is waterproof...

The improvements to the brook are noticeable: it is cleaner; an ugly metal grille further up has been removed; and of course the bramble/blackberries are out!

Crumble, anyone?



To see further links to the Hidden Stroud series, see here.

Flood of 2007