Roman Town

Tag: kinwarton

  • Monarch’s Way and Spernal Lane

    Pictures from an early summer walk following Monarch’s way from Kinwarton to Spernal Lane, a little bit of the Alne Hills and back again.

    Kinwarton Field Looking Towards The B4089
    Kinwarton Field Looking Towards Gerrard’s Bank
    Monarch’s Way Over Gerrards Bank Bridge
    Countryside View From The Monarch’s Way Path Spernal Lane
    Alne Hills
    Spernal Lane towards Great Alne
    Monarch’s Way Path with Trees on Spernal Lane

    All pictures taken on Tuesday the 29th of April 2025

  • Walking the Alcester Branch

    With my recent interest in the Alcester Branch railway I thought it would be good to see more of the line for myself, especially after reading the brilliantly informative book, The Alcester Branch (ISBN: 1905184050). Using maps from the book, I traced the line on recent satellite imagery using public footpaths where possible. And it turns out there is a public route from Kinwarton to Great Alne.

    Alcester Branch Walk – Kinwarton to Great Alne

    The walk starts at Kinwarton heading north east past the Old Rectory and Church. The path then goes through the Dovecote field and then another field which is divided by a hedgerow. This hedgerow follows the route of the old line towards what is now a walking trail in a woodland nature reserve. This section of the route is on the embankment, built for the rail line and at certain places is only metres away from the Alne river which curves towards the track and out again.

    Alcester Branch Railway looking west towards Alcester from Kinwarton
    Alcester Branch Railway looking east towards Great Alne
    Alcester Branch Railway on the walking trail looking east towards Great Alne

    The walking trail continues for about 700 metres before reaching Pelham Lane and what was the old Station house at Great Alne (now a residential house called Station House).

    Alcester Branch walk towards Pelham Lane
    Station House from the Alcester Branch walking trail
    Looking back at the Alcester Branch walking trail from Pelham Lane
    Alcester Branch Walk – Great Alne to Spencer’s Mill

    Across the road at Pelham Lane is a woodland conservation area called Coffee Pot Wood. Appropriately named after the nickname for the train that used to roll though here all those years ago. The path takes you through a woodland trail of sorts but only follows the line for a short period before turning off on the Henley Road.

    Station House from Coffee Pot Wood
    Walking through Coffee Pot Wood

    Some parts of this section of the line now run through private farms so I walked on the Henley Road towards Mill Lane.

    Walking down Mill Lane, Great Alne

    The contour of the line reveals itself once again at Spencer’s Crossing. It runs through private fields on either side so it’s not possible to walk the line here. Further down Mill Lane is of course the old Mill which no longer operates as a mill. It was once run by the Spencer family which is where the name Spencer comes in for the crossing.

    Spencer’s Crossing, Great Alne
    Alcester Branch Line at Spencer’s Crossing
    Great Alne Mill

    This was a good walk. Though I would mention that the fields at Kinwarton can be quite muddy in the colder months so wearing the right footwear is essential.

    Date of walk: 22nd of February 2025

    Walking the Alcester Branch Part II

  • Kinwarton Railway Bridge

    There was once a railway line that ran from from Bearley to Alcester. The line opened in 1876 and connected Alcester into the Great Western Railway network. Trains ran from Bearley, winding their way through the Warwickshire countryside through the villages of Aston Cantlow, Great Alne and Kinwarton before ending up at the Alcester.

    Constructing a railway line provides challenges – the navigation through existing infrastructure – buildings, rivers and in the case of the Alcester Branch public roads. One of the roads in question was the B4089. This road ran connected Alcester to Wooten Wawen and would intersect with the line at Kinwarton, close to the Coughton Fields Lane junction. To overcome this problem an underbridge was built which you can see in the aerial photograph below.

    Aerial photograph of the Alcester-Bearley Branch Line crossing over the B4089 taken just after the end of the war
    Photograph of Alcester to Bearley railway line, railway bridge at Kinwarton, from the road

    Taken by Richard King in 1960

    Fast forward to 1960 and the bridge is still standing despite the line being inactive for almost a decade. The photograph above (taken near the Coughton Fields Lane junction, in the direction of Alcester) reveals that this was a “skewed iron girder” bridge. Notice the red and blue brick pattern, similar to that used on the three-arched bridge over the deep cut over Gerrards Bank.

    Red and Blue English bond brickwork on Gerrards Bank bridge

    At this point the line was likely owned by the British Transport Commission as by February 1961 the land from the bridge over Gerrards Bank up to the B4089 was transferred from them to Alcester Estates. A small piece in the Tewkesbury Register & Gazette from the following month confirms the removal of the bridge.

    Kinwarton A Landmark Lost.-The demolition on Sunday of what has been locally known as the Iron Bridge means the removal of a familiar landmark. It had carried the Alcester-Bearley branch railway line (formerly G.W.R.) over the highroad between Great Alne and Alcester; this branch was abandoned some years ago. In addition to its primary use, the Iron Bridge provided useful emergency shelter from rain to cyclists and pedestrians, and as such it will be missed.
    Newspaper clipping describing the removal of the Kinwarton Railway Bridge in 1961

    Tewkesbury Register & Gazette. 17/3/61.
    Alcester-Bearley Branch Line Imprinted on the landscape today

    Google Maps

    It is easy to see the imprint of the line on the landscape some 70 years after it was last used. A lasting reminder of this fascinating piece of local history.

  • Kinwarton Dovecote to Alcester Walk

    In late summer 2016, I enjoyed a 2.5-mile circular walk from the historic Kinwarton Dovecote, taking a clockwise route towards Alcester.

    My walk began at the Dovecote, a fascinating example of a medieval dovecote. From there, I headed towards the River Alne, and following it towards the picturesque Hoo Mill. Reaching Hoo Mill, I crossed the footbridge and continued towards the Stratford Road.

    As I approached Alcester, the Centenary Field came into view with St Nicholas providing a nice backdrop. Walking through the high street I managed to stop and take a few pictures. One of which you will see on this page – although the scaffolding did ruin it slightly.

    I had never really stepped foot inside the church other than for a ceremony. So it was nice to explore a little – there are many things of interest in here – with the obvious one being the tomb of Sir Fulke Greville.

    While the 2.5-mile route is easily manageable, it does include a short section across fields, so wearing appropriate footwear is advisable. The majority of the walk, however, follows well-maintained paths, making it a relatively easy and accessible ramble for most. This walk provides a lovely blend of history, natural beauty, and town charm, offering a wonderful glimpse into the heart of Warwickshire.

    Kinwarton Dovecote
    Kinwarton Dovecote
    River Alne
    Hoo Mill and the River Alne
    Hoo Mill
    Footbridge
    Footbridge over the Alne
    Direction signs pointing to Stratford and Alcester
    Direction signs
    Centenary Field and St Nicholas Church, Alcester
    Centenary Field
    Alcester High Street
    Alcester High Street
    Inside St Nicholas Church, Alcester
    St Nicholas Church’s Nave
    The Memorial Altar-Tomb of Sir Fulke Greville and Lady Elizabeth, his wife of Beauchamp's Court, Alcester. The Lady was a great heiress, who brought the Lordship of the Manor of Alcester to her husband. The Parish Register records his burial in 1560 and hers in 1562. The Memorial formerly stood in the South Aisle.
    Sir Fulke Greville Memorial
    Altar-Tomb of Sir Fulke Greville and his wife
    Altar-Tomb of Sir Fulke Greville
    Wooden bench outside the Rotary Club, Alcester
    Rotary Club
    Playground and The Alcester Inn
    Kinwarton Road Playground
    The Alcester Inn
    The Alcester Inn
    Walking Route

    Date of walk: 29th of August 2016