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A Pre-Historic Track from Bredon Hill to Midsummer Hill

  • 16 Jan 2012
  • Old Roads
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In the Worcestershire Archaeological Society's Transactions of 1936, Edward F. Gray of Ripple Hall recorded an ancient trackway going through Ripple Churchyard, as follows:

Bredon Hill and Midsummer Hill were once connected by a track, now partly overgrown lanes and partly grass footpaths, which never diverges from the line more than about 900 yards, chiefly to utilise old crossings of the Avon and Severn, and to avoid the swamps of Longdon Marsh. Starting from Bredon, an old track and footpath run westwards to Twyning Fleet, an old crossing of the Avon, in a line for Midsummer Hill, It continues almost straight for Ripple Church through Twyning village and to the left of Brockeridge Common; and possibly crossed the Ripple Brook some 200 yards below the present road bridge, following the line of a little used right of way through Ripple churchyard to the wayside cross which marks the middle of the village, where it intersects the old coach road running north and south. The village street continues to the hamlet of Uckinghall. Here, another ancient cross marks the divergence of a track to the river Severn, where there was formerly a crossing at the Barley House....

From the Barley House the 1828 map shows a road, now mostly disused and overgrown with brambles, continuing west over the crest of Longdon Heath, where there lies a cluster of cottages; and round the north end of Longdon Marsh, past Castlemorton to Midsummer Hill.