Woolings Mill, Chalford

Iam glad that a regular and important meeting of a working group of the council went well this morning. But I was quite tired when it ended, as Bomble had woken us far too early before dawn this morning and I didn't get good sleep after that. I got home just in time to take Helena to her job up the Golden Valley and I took the opportunity to drive a little further to the edge of Chalford.

I was intending to go to a builder's merchant in the village to check on wood prices but some road works and their associated long queues put me off going any further. So I parked in a side road, near where the old road traverses the valley and goes up the southern hillside, through the woods at Hyde, before reaching the open plateau and Minchinhampton.

I had spotted the mill pond of Woolings Mill, which includes the older Seville's upper mill and wandered down to the edge of the rather silted up mill pond. The river flows under the mill at the bottom of the Frome valley and immediately beside it is a railway embankment on the south side, and a road, canal embankment and then above it the main road to Cirencester, called the London Road. All this is contained within about eighty yards of the valley bottom.

There was lots to see here and capture my attention, but sadly the light at the bottom of the valley on a dark, cloudy afternoon was not conducive to brilliant images. I wish this picture could also convey the intense roaring sound of rushing water from the pond flowing over a weir between massive hand hewn limestone rocks. Ducks and coots all vied for space and any food in the pond, whilst two women on horses walked along the south side before they crossed the little bridge in front of the roundhouse and walked on under the railway bridge.

All of these scenes might have been blipped, but have to now wait for more inclement light. That is my excuse.