Castlefields Park (Tuesday 2nd February 2016)

Thanks to you all for the visits, comments and awards for my "2,000th" blip for which I am grateful.

I was recovered enough by Tuesday to make the 25-minute walk up to the surgery and then back the other way to the town centre. I was convinced I'd had some near-fatal variety of 'flu but according to the doctor I had a viral infection of the kind known as a "cold".

No sign of Eric and Erica on the church tower so on to Castlefields Park where men with chainsaws were cutting back trees above Castle Wall. My Extra shows the sign that explains why, and I have put some related text from their site below.

I walked up towards Berhills Farm but just before I reached the weir at Keevals there was some mud that was impassable with the footwear I was wearing and I had to return to Chaveywell and return home via Castle Walk and the Curzon Park estate, so my walk was some two and a half hours in all.

Castle Wall dates in part to the 17th century but the castle, if it ever existed, would have been 12th century or earlier. Matilda of England, the granddaughter of William the Conquerer reputedly stayed at a castle in Calne on her way from Arundel to Bristol in 1139, but until an archaeological dig in 2010 there was no evidence of any castle. However, the dig finally provided the evidence for a 13-14th Century fortified house, probably with a crenelated tower, right on the site where it was said to be. Tests are ongoing to establish more details. In the last two days of the excavation two parallel Roman walls were also uncovered, together with datable Roman pottery. Alongside one of the walls was a beam slot where a suspended wooden floor would have been affixed.

An historic wall within the magnificent Castlefields Park in the centre of Calne is on track to undergo essential repairs following funding from local company, Hills Homes Developments.
Castlefields Park was transferred to Calne Town Council in 2012 as a community asset from  Wiltshire Council.  The Town Council recognised the area as an essential green lung to the town  and wanted to ensure it remained as a green space and a community asset for the present and future generations to come.
Following some freak weather the Town Council discovered that in  addition to urgent work to some of the trees, the historic wall within the park was in a very poor state of repair with parts of it liable to collapse. Urgent funding was required to help with the high cost of repairs to reinstate the wall sympathetically and in a manner which was fitting for such a historic part of Calne.   Following discussions between the Castlefields Canal and River Park (CARP) Association and the Town  Council, amendments were agreed to the Section 106 agreement relating to Hills Homes’ Station Road development, which has enabled Hills to provide funding to reinstate the historic wall. The funding also provides for the expertise of a conservation architect who will ensure that the historic value of this part of Calne is preserved whilst also protecting the important surrounding flora and fauna during the project. This is the second time that Hills has provided funding for Castlefields Park.  In 2011, Hills funded the restoration of a former lock with replica narrow boat that forms a focal feature at the main entrance to Castlefields Park.

L.
3.2.2016 (1312 hr)

Blip #1751 (#2001 including archived blips)
Consecutive Blip #000
Day #2140
LOTD #985 (#1109 including archived blips)

Calne series

Taken with Nikon Coolpix P900

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Emma Pollock - Parks and Recreation (2016)
Emma Pollock (formerly in the Delgados) is one of my favourite singer-songwriters and Parks And Recreation is one of my favourite TV shows. This is currently getting a lot of airplay and is the best single around. I cannot see any connection between the lyric and the TV series, disappointingly.

One year ago:
Lacock Abbey NT

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