| Description | The Heronry Wall, Waterton Park, Walton.
The archaeo historical features of Waterton Park were the subject of an archaeological assessment by Peter Thornborrow (WYAS) in 1993. 'The Heronry Wall' was one of the features identified.
The images depict a stone built boundary wall surrounding a probable plantation, The Heronry. The wall is around 6' high and built of coursed rubble with triangular section coping stones. The boundary predates 1851, possibly landscaping associated with the construction of Walton Hall (PRN 13068) to the north around 1768 (OS 6' 1st edition. 1851. Sheet 248). The boundary is very sinuous and has the appearance of a designed 18th or early 19th century landscape feature.
The significance of the Heronry Wall lies in its construction by Charles Waterton which began building the wall in the 1820s in order to mark the boundary and deter poachers from the Heronry. In effect, The Heronry was possibly the earliest nature reserve in the country. Waterton, through careful management and the planting of trees and shrubs, sought to encourage wild life, particularly birds. Waterton also provided food and nesting places. Although Waterton's management of the reserve ceased after his death (Waterton is buried in Stubbs Wood near by. See PRN 13072), the landscape is little altered (City of Wakefield MDC. Undated. Pamphlet: 'Charles Waterton of Walton Hall near Halifax. 1782 1865. Pioneering naturalist, traveller and explorer').
The Heronry Wall was identified in a 2005 survey of Haw Park Wood. The grid reference provided by the survey is SE 36543 15583. The survey was undertaken by Archaeological Services WYAS at the request of The Rotary Club of Wakefield. For further information regarding the 2005 Haw Park Wood survey see PRN 8132. The report which contains a photographic image of the feature is held by WYAAS. The description of the wall is transcribed below:
'Two walls were located in Compartment I [with reference to a map contained within the report]. The largest of these was Monument 9 that forms the southern boundary of the compartment, and continues outside the study area to the north west and north east. The wall formed the impressive boundary to the wild life park around Walton Hall and was completed in 1826 (Sargent 2005) and was flanked by a track way along the southern (outer) side. The section of wall that passes the current study area is largely linear and is c.580m long. It extends from the west side of compartment I where it crosses a small natural valley and rises uphill to the south east. Towards the middle section it passes thorough a steep sided cutting before reaching a flat area to the east. Near the eastern woodland boundary, the wall turns to the north east at two obtuse corners and continues out of the study area.
The wall is constructed from roughly hewn coursed sandstone blocks with bonded courses c.0.1m thick. The wall taper from c.0.5m wide at the base to 0.3m wide at the top and is capped by triangular worked tones. A maximum height a 3.3m was observed, but the wall varies dramatically in height with distinct steps along the top. The external southern face has been rendered in places towards the east. The construction of a causeway in the west and cutting in the central section served to maintain consistent level for the wall and associated track way over the local topography'.
(Archaeological Services WYAS. 2005. 'Haw Park Wood. Walton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Archaeological level I survey'). |