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You’re about to discover Fishpool Valley; almost hidden from view, this peaceful wooded landscape

has a rich and fascinating history. It once harboured a busy woodland industry, before being

remodelled in the ‘Picturesque’ style in the early nineteenth-century. It is now home to rare and

protected fungi, flora and fauna.

A Picturesque Pocket Guide to

Fishpool Valley

The pumphouse

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The ‘Picturesque’ valley

The concept of the ‘Picturesque’ became popular in Georgian England; this was the movement to create a more natural landscape, using the principles of intricacy, roughness, variety and surprise. Much of the landscape design of Fishpool Valley was undertaken at the beginning of the nineteenth-century, when many land owners began to employ local gardeners to plan and develop pleasure grounds.

Follow the winding paths through the valley, stumble across follies and sweeping views, explore off the beaten track and even do a spot of painting in the grotto. Immerse yourself in the ‘Picturesque’ and follow in the footsteps of those who admired and enhanced the natural beauty of the landscape over two hundred years ago.

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The working valley

Echoes of the valley’s industrial history can still be seen throughout the landscape; the limekiln, quarries, icehouse, charcoal burning platforms, pumphouse and indeed the fishpools themselves are all evidence of the industrial activity which took place here. The fish that were kept in the pools were a year round food source for the castle and not the fish we normally consume today; we have records of the pools being stocked with carp, perch and trout. We also know that the valley was worked for its timber; oak trees from the valley were once transported to Birkenhead to be used as piles during the building of the docks. Any logging would have been undertaken with horses and transported on huge wagons. The working valley would have been a hive of activity; a noisy, industrial setting, quite different from the tranquil landscape you see today. Ta

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Wildlife

The valley is home to native British bluebells, wood anemones and wild daffodils in spring, as well as snowdrops in February. Lesser spotted woodpecker, pied flycatcher and goshawk are some of the rarer birds seen in the valley. Keep a look out for dipper, buzzard and grey wagtail which can be regularly seen on both walks. Nine species of bat have been recorded and the damp environment supports numerous species of invertebrates that rely on wood decay. Such conditions also suit Fungi; one of these, a bracket fungus, is home to a nationally rare fly that builds its home in the new layers each year. Lichens, some of which are nationally rare and endangered, thrive in the valley. Critically endangered white-clawed crayfish also inhabit the pools and streams. This rich biodiversity means that much of the valley is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

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How to use your pocket guide

This pocketbook is designed to guide you through the valley, highlighting points of interest. Please refer to the map on pages 16 and 17 to orientate yourself. There are two way-marked walks through the valley. The numbered points on the walks relate to those on the map.

The Fishpool Dingle Walk follows some surfaced tracks and some newly restored

paths. It is 1 ½ miles long and should take you around one hour. It’s mainly flat, with some slopes and steps. Follow the pumphouse way-markers.

The Highwood Walk follows some of the lost carriage rides and restored historic

paths through the valley. It is three miles long and should take you around two hours. You’ll encounter steep slopes and steps, wooded valleys and challenging terrain. Follow the bird way-markers.

Parts of the valley are grazed, so remember to keep dogs on leads and close all gates behind you. Please keep dogs out of the pools in order to protect wildlife.

Fishpool Dingle Walk

1 Turn right at Visitor Reception and go through the kissing gate next to the cattle grid. Follow the pumphouse way-markers across the field until you come to a gate. Go through the gate into the valley.

2 Head down into the valley and admire the majestic Douglas Fir which tower beside you as you walk towards the limekiln. Limestone quarried on the estate was burned in these charcoal-fired kilns to produce quicklime. This was used as a building mortar and as fertiliser on the farmland. It was also used to whitewash buildings and waterproof walls.

We’ve conserved the limekiln as part of our project, to prevent this structure from further deterioration.

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3 Keep following the hard track, keeping the pools on your right. Ignore the left-hand turn which goes up the hill and continue straight on. Keep the modern brick pumphouse on your left and look back to admire the view down the valley. Just behind this pumphouse, a conduit house was recently uncovered. This was believed to settle water for drinking and fed water into the fishponds.

4 You’ll eventually come to a chestnut gate. Go through the gate, follow the way-markers to your right and take the next right.

5 Continue along the hard track until you come to a small gate on your right. Go through this and follow the path round to the left. The late eighteenth-century rusticated grotto will appear on your left. The window in this ‘Picturesque’ structure overlooks a cascade that was built into the dam and was a place to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet of the woodland.

Conservation work has been carried out on the grotto, including repointing and rebuilding of the stone work. You can now step inside, have a rest and listen to the

sound of water flowing down the cascade and through the valley once more.

6 Keep following the path through the wooded valley, keeping the pools on your right. You’re now following one of the old historic walks, which have been restored by our ranger team. The pools on your right are thought to be medieval and provide habitat for brown trout, dragonflies, bats, freshwater shrimps and the critically endangered white-clawed crayfish.

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7 Keep following the path for some time, admiring the view towards the limekiln on your right. When the path finishes, follow the pumphouse way-markers down the hill to your right. On your left you’ll see a bench which also marks the spot of one of the old charcoal burning platforms. Charcoal was required to fire the limekiln. Much of the landscape would have been managed woodland; charcoal making in the past required men and sometimes their families to live out in the woodland to maintain the large charcoal burning clamps that smouldered for several days.

8 Continue on, down the steps and over the bridge towards the Gothic pumphouse. This was built sometime after 1800. Step inside the pumphouse to take a closer look at the wheel and pump mechanism which pumped water up to the castle. It’s very likely that workers would have been responsible for managing water flow, operating sluices and maintaining the dams throughout the valley.

9 Follow the track up to the left until you come to the hard track. Turn left and continue on, keeping Wagtail Pool on your left. You’ll eventually come to a right turning; follow this up the hill until you arrive at a gate. Go through the gate and through the next gate into the main car park.

Gothic pumphouse

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3A Chestnut Coppice I Lower PoolB Quarry II Otter PoolC Grotto III Icehouse PoolD Waterfall IV Wagtail PoolE Hollow Oak V Pumphouse PoolF Charcoal Burning Platform VI Limekiln Pool

VII Grotto Pool

a Foxgloves - Summer

G Sunken Chamber

b Wild Daffodils - Early Spring

c Bluebells - Spring

H Icehouse

d Wood Anemones - Early Spring

e Wild Garlic - Spring

I PumphouseJ Douglas Fir

O Grave of Captain James CroftP Conduit HouseQ Summerhouse platform

Walks:

Key

K Limekiln & Quarry

Seasonal highlights:

L Candelabra Oak

Beech Hangar

M Cascade

Valley Boundary

N Viewing Platform

Hard Tracks

Fishpool Dingle walk Highwood walk1 1

Our rangers and supporters have

created 18 hand-crafted wooden

benches which can be found in

various locations throughout the

valley. These spots have been

chosen for their ‘Picturesque’ views

and are located at the historic

viewpoints. Some are easier to find

than others; you’ll need to go off the

beaten track to find them all.

1918

Highwood Walk

1 Head up the field behind Visitor Reception, following the bird way-markers. You’ll eventually come to a gate; go through the gate and follow the wooded track until you come to a right turning. Take this turn and follow the track as it winds its way to the base of the gulley.

2 Keep following the bird way-markers and head back up the valley, crossing another track and continuing on until you come to a kissing gate on the right. Go through this and follow the path round to the left.

3 Follow this path for some time, admiring views to your right across the valley. You’ll eventually come to some steps on your left; ignore these and carry straight on, following the bird way-markers, until you arrive at the summerhouse. This would have been a place to rest and admire the natural surroundings and magnificent view. During excavations, an inscribed stone was found in the summerhouse floor.

My favourite spot…

“ I love the view down the sweet chestnut valley from the re-discovered summerhouse platform. When you stand on this Victorian platform and look up to the right and see the 20th century grave of Capt. James Croft, which was also built at the head of this valley, you realise that people have been admiring this spot for hundreds of years – and you are just the next in a long line of admirers who have come to Croft and fallen in love with this spot.”

Imogen Sambrook, Fishpool Valley Project Manager

Where’s your favourite spot?

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4 Keep following the path past the summerhouse and along to the next viewing platform. You’ll eventually come to a clearing with a bench; why not take a seat and admire the view? This is the highest point in the valley and provides an extended view across the pools. We’ve gradually opened up this view as part of our restoration project, which has also enhanced biodiversity in the valley by allowing more light to reach the valley floor.

5 Go back to the track you were following and continue down into the valley, still following the bird way-markers. You’ll eventually come to a gate; go through this and continue straight on, ignoring the gate on your right and the tracks going left. Follow the hard track round to the right.

6 Keep following the track until you come to the beech hangar on your left; the magnificent wooded slope. You’ll also see a quarry on your left; limestone was quarried here and processed in the limekiln.

The stone at the summerhouse platform

The quarry

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7 Follow the path down to the right, which will take you past another view point; take a seat for a moment of quiet reflection.

8 Keep following the path through the woodland. Go through the next gate, turn left and pass through the second gate. Continue on through the woodland. The track will continue for some time.

9 You’ll eventually need to turn downhill and will emerge at Lower Pool. The dam here was restored in summer 2018 and you can now stand on the bridge and listen to the sound of water which flows down the spillway.

10 Follow the track back up to your right before heading down into the valley once again. The hard track will pass beneath the remains of the icehouse, which can still be found on what was recorded as ‘Ice House Bank’ on a map of 1839. Ice that formed on the pools in winter would have been collected and stored here.

11 Keep following the hard track, keeping the pools on your right. You’ll eventually pass the Gothic pumphouse on your right; more information about this structure can be found on page 15. When you see the limekiln ahead of you, turn left on the hairpin bend and follow the restored historic path back up towards the main car park and Visitor Reception.

Overleaf is a space for you to write a poem, paint or draw a

picture based on your experiences of Fishpool Valley.

Don’t forget, we’d love to see your creative responses.

Flick to the inside of the back cover for details

of how to share them with us. The dam slipway

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Our work

Thanks to our supporters, we’ve been able to revive the ‘Picturesque’ Fishpool Valley. Before the project, dams were in urgent need of repair, historic structures were deteriorating and views had been lost. Now, water flows through the valley and down restored spillways, lost views have been revealed through sensitive thinning and historic structures have been conserved and repaired. This work would not have been possible without the support of our members, visitors and volunteers who have worked tirelessly on this project, taking part in conservation work, archaeology, research, digital media and more.

We’d love to hear your feedback and see how the

valley has inspired you. Here’s how to get in touch:

01568 780246 croftcastle@nationaltrust.org.uk

NTCroftCastle @NTCroftCastle @NTCroftCastle

For more information about Fishpool Valley go to:

nationaltrust.org.uk/croftcastle© National Trust 2019.

Photography: National Trust Images/ Emily Roe/Imogen Sambrook

The National Trust is an independent registered charity, number 205846.

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