Latest news with #RozStone
BBC News
08-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Calls for National Trust to replace Styal Woods wooden bridge
Walkers and runners have called on the National Trust to repair or replace a wooden footbridge that has been closed for safety reasons since severe flooding in Giant's Castle Bridge crosses the River Bollin on the Quarry Bank Mill estate in Cheshire, close to Manchester lovers said the bridge formed part of an "essential" route through Styal Woods and its closure meant much of the area had become National Trust said it could not afford the £1m or more that would likely be required to replace the bridge. Quarry Bank Mill, built in 1784, is one of the best-preserved textile factories dating back to the Industrial Revolution. The former cotton mill, next to the River Bollin, sits within an estate that includes 400 acres (162 hectares) of woodland and in January 2025 caused extensive manager Roz Stone said: "It costs us more than £2m a year to manage the estate and right now, we're fundraising to repair damage from a major landslip in the historic garden."We're not confident we can raise the funds needed to replace the Giant's Castle Bridge and raising over £1m is an unrealistic expectation."The Giant's Castle footbridge was built in the 1980s using Glulam - a strong, engineered National Trust said the structure had gradually weakened and had now reached the end of its natural lifespan. Reece Sanford said he had been coming to Styal Woods with his three dogs for 13 years. The 52-year-old, from Northern Moor in Wythenshawe, said: "Closing this bridge ruins one of the best walks in this area and the estimate of £1m to replace the bridge is ridiculous."I think we need more options from the National Trust to see if there's cheaper alternatives." Lisa Smith said she was "very saddened and upset" by the decision to close the Giant's Castle 54-year-old from Handforth in Cheshire said: "I've walked this circular route across the bridge countless times over the years and it means a lot to me and when I heard it was closing I actually shed a few tears." The chairman of the Wilmslow Striders running club, Toby Gold, complained that the bridge's closure saide said the closure of the bridge: "prevents us doing any circular routes".The 64-year-old added: "It's such an absolutely glorious environment because we've got hills, woodland, a river to run alongside and all of the alternative routes involve retracing your steps."
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Quarry Bank: Appeal launched for flood-hit National Trust park
A fundraising appeal has been launched after parts of a National Trust estate were flooded following heavy rain over the new Bank said the wet weather led to the River Bollin in Cheshire breaching its banks, causing "extensive erosion and a major landslide in the gardens".While a National Trust spokesman said it was "too early" to estimate the full cost of restoration work, "we expect it'll cost in excess of £100,000 for clear-up, monitoring, prevention works and any redevelopment".The country park, which includes an Industrial Revolution-era mill, draws about 250,000 visitors every year and has annual running costs of at least £2.2m. Estate general manager Roz Stone told BBC North West Tonight that "the level of rainfall and the speed at which it came" caused significant damage in the area, which is set in a valley in Styal, near Manchester said surface water from nearby roads and fields had flowed down a cliff in the garden, causing a landslide to block paths."We've definitely seen an increasing number of flood and bad weather events - a high number of storm closures - this winter," Ms Stone added. "Far more than I've ever experienced before."We haven't had a landslide on the site previously so this has been a more significant event, but we are noticing that [poor weather] is becoming more and more the norm and a real challenge." Experts will monitor and survey the area over coming months to check for further land movements before they decide upon what action to Stone said it "may not be as straightforward as restoring the area to how it was before".She explained: "We've got to think about the fact that this type of event is more common now and could happen again."So, potentially, we might want to take a different approach to planting or how we manage the landscape in the area."Senior gardener Lisa Rogers added that Quarry Bank, which has featured in the BBC's Countryfile programme as well as Channel 4 drama The Mill, was "a rare example of a complete garden from the industrial picturesque age" with an "idyllic" landscape backed by a large mill."It is part of the irregularity and we do not hide from that, we embrace it." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
