Brimscombe Valley 1890 25165

A Memory of Brimscombe.

This photo is taken off a knowle in Knapp Hill Lane, above the Factories, of Critchlies, (now demolished0, who made hair grips and knitting needles in the 1960s and Olympic Varnish, who in made working canal boats in 1890.
Knapp Lane exits into Toadsmoor Lane and past a factory once known as “Shiltons”, now closed, (who were wool staplers and working in 1890).
This area was known as the Knapp Lane Mills.
Easily identified in the photo is the GWR railway viaduct standing in front of Hacks Mill with the rail lines winding their way towards the Brimscombe Halt ½ a mile way and Stroud 2 miles further on.
In front of the viaduct is a large pool of water which is where Olympic built and launched its working canal boats on the Thames & Severn canal, which then passed under the Steel framed railway bridge until it was filled in during the 1960s and the canal culverted and cut off.
Across the tow path, (to the left and in front of the aqueduct), is a large mill pound for Hacks Mill, fed by the valley’s river "The Frome".
Behind Hacks mill is the widest part of the Golden valley and the Port of Brimscombe, can be seen as a large, rectangular, purpose made pond.
To the right of the Port, is the rising hillside of the Bourne and above Quarhouse and Lypiatt.
Thrupp is around the corner and out of sight and to the left of the port is Brimscombe Hill.
At the furthest edge of the port, are the mills of Brimscombe and on its right edge, were its main offices and store houses, Later known as the Polly & Polly Basin, (derived from their later use as a polytechnic in the 1950s) before they were tore down and built by Bensons, (O ring clip makers), in the 1970s.
The Port of Brimscombe was the 2nd largest inland port in the UK when it was completed and was a junction between the Severn trows and the narrower long boats of the Thames & Severn canal.
It made its fortune from trans shipments off loading from trows to narrow boats.
Furthest in the distance is Ham mill in Thrupp, where the valley floor narrows before it opens out again after Stroud, also out of sight and around the corner.
On the Left, the are hillsides of Brimscombe, Butterow and Rodborough fade into the distance west towards Stroud. On top of these the commons of Minchinhampton and Rodborough.
In 1890 the Port of Brimscombe, and the mills of the Golden Valley were again richer than for many a century, when its origins had been sheep 200 years before.
This was the valley of our childhood and teenage years between 1958 and 1974 and was the playground and theatre of our vivid imaginations.