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Ballard's Green

Settlement in Warwickshire North Warwickshire

England

Ballard's Green

Arley industrial estate and Arley Wood The industrial units are viewed from the path from Spring Hill to Daffern's Wood; they occupy the site of Arley Colliery, which closed in 1968. Arley Wood blankets the horizon. This ancient woodland was replanted with conifers in the 1960s, apparently to provide pit props for the mine; see <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630660">SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood</a>.
Arley industrial estate and Arley Wood Credit: A J Paxton

Ballard's Green is a picturesque village located in the county of Warwickshire, England. Nestled in the heart of the countryside, it is surrounded by rolling hills and lush green fields, offering a tranquil and idyllic setting for its residents. The village is situated approximately 10 miles northeast of the historic town of Warwick.

With its origins dating back to the medieval period, Ballard's Green is steeped in history and boasts a rich architectural heritage. The village is known for its charming thatched-roof cottages, which are a quintessential feature of the area. These traditional dwellings add to the village's character and provide a glimpse into its past.

Despite its small size, Ballard's Green has a strong sense of community. Residents often participate in various social activities and events, fostering a close-knit atmosphere. The village also has a community center, where locals gather for meetings, celebrations, and recreational activities.

Surrounded by the beautiful Warwickshire countryside, Ballard's Green offers ample opportunities for outdoor pursuits. The area is crisscrossed with scenic walking and cycling trails, allowing residents to explore the natural beauty of their surroundings. Additionally, the nearby River Avon provides a tranquil spot for fishing and boating enthusiasts.

While Ballard's Green may be a peaceful rural haven, it benefits from its proximity to larger towns and cities. Residents have easy access to amenities and services in Warwick, such as shops, schools, and healthcare facilities. The village's location also allows for convenient transportation links to nearby towns and cities, making it an attractive place to live for commuters.

In summary, Ballard's Green is a charming and historic village in Warwickshire, offering a tranquil and close-knit community, stunning natural surroundings, and convenient access to amenities and transport links.

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Ballard's Green Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 52.518306/-1.591009 or Grid Reference SP2791. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Arley industrial estate and Arley Wood The industrial units are viewed from the path from Spring Hill to Daffern's Wood; they occupy the site of Arley Colliery, which closed in 1968. Arley Wood blankets the horizon. This ancient woodland was replanted with conifers in the 1960s, apparently to provide pit props for the mine; see <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630660">SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood</a>.
Arley industrial estate and Arley Wood
The industrial units are viewed from the path from Spring Hill to Daffern's Wood; they occupy the site of Arley Colliery, which closed in 1968. Arley Wood blankets the horizon. This ancient woodland was replanted with conifers in the 1960s, apparently to provide pit props for the mine; see SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood.
Daffern's Wood, New Arley Situated on the western edge of New Arley, Daffern's Wood is roughly triangular in shape and about three hectares in extent. According to the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust it is an ancient semi-natural wood which has been documented back to around 1600. It is a Local Nature Reserve. <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/DaffernsWood" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/DaffernsWood">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span>. A public footpath passes below the wood, which can be entered from the stile visible at the left of the picture.
Daffern's Wood, New Arley
Situated on the western edge of New Arley, Daffern's Wood is roughly triangular in shape and about three hectares in extent. According to the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust it is an ancient semi-natural wood which has been documented back to around 1600. It is a Local Nature Reserve. LinkExternal link. A public footpath passes below the wood, which can be entered from the stile visible at the left of the picture.
Birch and hazel in Daffern's Wood For more information on this Local Nature Reserve see <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7635597">SP2889 : Daffern's Wood, New Arley</a>.
Birch and hazel in Daffern's Wood
For more information on this Local Nature Reserve see SP2889 : Daffern's Wood, New Arley.
St Lawrence's Church
St Lawrence's Church
Old Arley with church tower So named to distinguish it from the neighbouring mining village of New Arley, Old Arley predates the modern coal industry by centuries. St Wilfrid's church was built in the 14th century and was restored in 1873; see the listing at the Historic England site <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1034773?section=official-list-entry" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1034773?section=official-list-entry">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> .
Old Arley with church tower
So named to distinguish it from the neighbouring mining village of New Arley, Old Arley predates the modern coal industry by centuries. St Wilfrid's church was built in the 14th century and was restored in 1873; see the listing at the Historic England site LinkExternal link .
Former village school, Old Arley Arley acquired a free school in 1875, according to Wikipedia <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Arley" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Arley">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> ; this was presumably the building, now converted into housing.
Former village school, Old Arley
Arley acquired a free school in 1875, according to Wikipedia LinkExternal link ; this was presumably the building, now converted into housing.
Yew arch, Arley churchyard Two yew trees growing to either side of the gates to St Wilfrid's churchyard form a pointed arch. The tree to the right seems to be having a bad hair day (or perhaps a bad hair epoch, since these are yews and very long-lived).
Yew arch, Arley churchyard
Two yew trees growing to either side of the gates to St Wilfrid's churchyard form a pointed arch. The tree to the right seems to be having a bad hair day (or perhaps a bad hair epoch, since these are yews and very long-lived).
A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood Arley Wood belongs to the Forestry Commission and is a PAWS or Planted Ancient Woodland Site, an ancient woodland that was largely destroyed and turned into a conifer plantation some time in the mid to late twentieth century. According to Arley Parish Council the replanting was carried out in the 1960s to provide pit props for Arley Colliery. The mine was closed in 1968, owing to falling demand for coal as a household fuel, so the destruction was for nothing (though the nearby colliery at Daw Mill continued in production until 2012). The wood is slowly being returned to a more mixed and quasi-natural state, with oaks and other broadleaved trees planted in clearings. See <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630689">SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood</a>, also the sites of the Woodland Trust <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/arley-wood/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/arley-wood/">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> and Arley Parish Council <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://www.arleyparishcouncil.co.uk/about-arley/neighbourhood-plan" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://www.arleyparishcouncil.co.uk/about-arley/neighbourhood-plan">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> .
A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood
Arley Wood belongs to the Forestry Commission and is a PAWS or Planted Ancient Woodland Site, an ancient woodland that was largely destroyed and turned into a conifer plantation some time in the mid to late twentieth century. According to Arley Parish Council the replanting was carried out in the 1960s to provide pit props for Arley Colliery. The mine was closed in 1968, owing to falling demand for coal as a household fuel, so the destruction was for nothing (though the nearby colliery at Daw Mill continued in production until 2012). The wood is slowly being returned to a more mixed and quasi-natural state, with oaks and other broadleaved trees planted in clearings. See SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood, also the sites of the Woodland Trust LinkExternal link and Arley Parish Council LinkExternal link .
Oak tree in Arley Wood Arley Wood, an ancient broadleaved wood, was turned into a conifer plantation in the 1960s by the Forestry Commission, with great loss of wildlife habitat for little commercial gain. The Commission now recognises this and is gradually planting broadleaved trees. A young oak is growing among the ranks of conifers, with a birch off to the right. "For its first twenty-five years, the Forestry Commission had little direct impact on woodland; but after 1945 foresters acquired woods and treated them as if they were moorland, trying to poison or otherwise destroy the existing vegetation and to replace it by plantations, usually of conifers. This was justified by a crude kind of cost-benefit analysis... a third of our ancient woods have been the victims of this habit of thought. Successful replanting destroys not only the trees of a wood but the herbaceous plants as well, which succumb to evergreen shade or are buried by heavy leaf-litter." (Oliver Rackham, The History of the Countryside, Phoenix Press, 2000, pp95-96). See also <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630660">SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood</a>.
Oak tree in Arley Wood
Arley Wood, an ancient broadleaved wood, was turned into a conifer plantation in the 1960s by the Forestry Commission, with great loss of wildlife habitat for little commercial gain. The Commission now recognises this and is gradually planting broadleaved trees. A young oak is growing among the ranks of conifers, with a birch off to the right. "For its first twenty-five years, the Forestry Commission had little direct impact on woodland; but after 1945 foresters acquired woods and treated them as if they were moorland, trying to poison or otherwise destroy the existing vegetation and to replace it by plantations, usually of conifers. This was justified by a crude kind of cost-benefit analysis... a third of our ancient woods have been the victims of this habit of thought. Successful replanting destroys not only the trees of a wood but the herbaceous plants as well, which succumb to evergreen shade or are buried by heavy leaf-litter." (Oliver Rackham, The History of the Countryside, Phoenix Press, 2000, pp95-96). See also SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood.
Path through Arley Wood The ancient Arley Wood was turned into a conifer plantation in the 1960s, with a great loss of wildlife; note the ranks of trees of a single species and the dense undergrowth of bracken. It is now slowly being replanted with native broadleaved species such as oak. See <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630660">SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood</a> and <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630689">SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood</a>. Though the loss is greatly to be regretted, it remains a peaceful place, beautiful in its way, the rustling of the trees blotting out human noise, apart from the occasional passing of aircraft overhead or the hooting of a train on the nearby railway.
Path through Arley Wood
The ancient Arley Wood was turned into a conifer plantation in the 1960s, with a great loss of wildlife; note the ranks of trees of a single species and the dense undergrowth of bracken. It is now slowly being replanted with native broadleaved species such as oak. See SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood and SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood. Though the loss is greatly to be regretted, it remains a peaceful place, beautiful in its way, the rustling of the trees blotting out human noise, apart from the occasional passing of aircraft overhead or the hooting of a train on the nearby railway.
The northern edge of Arley Wood Though Arley Wood was turned into a conifer plantation in the 1960s, its edges remain those of an ancient wood: sinuous, curving or zigzag, as described by Oliver Rackham, with broadleaved trees and a woodbank and ditch. The slight rise of the land outside the wood to the ditch along the edge can be seen very clearly here. The field beyond the wood is very muddy and has been reseeded by the farmer; a large puddle has formed after heavy rain. The land falls away to the Bourne Brook, with more fields and woodland beyond, as the land rises again towards Ansley. See also <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630660">SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood</a> and <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630689">SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood</a>.
The northern edge of Arley Wood
Though Arley Wood was turned into a conifer plantation in the 1960s, its edges remain those of an ancient wood: sinuous, curving or zigzag, as described by Oliver Rackham, with broadleaved trees and a woodbank and ditch. The slight rise of the land outside the wood to the ditch along the edge can be seen very clearly here. The field beyond the wood is very muddy and has been reseeded by the farmer; a large puddle has formed after heavy rain. The land falls away to the Bourne Brook, with more fields and woodland beyond, as the land rises again towards Ansley. See also SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood and SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood.
North Eastern edge of Arley Wood The edge of the wood looks well-trimmed here, and the boundary ditch is clearly visible, crossed by a plank footbridge. See <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630845">SP2791 : The northern edge of Arley Wood</a>, also <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630660">SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood</a> and <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7630689">SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood</a>.
North Eastern edge of Arley Wood
The edge of the wood looks well-trimmed here, and the boundary ditch is clearly visible, crossed by a plank footbridge. See SP2791 : The northern edge of Arley Wood, also SP2891 : A young oak tree among the conifers, Arley Wood and SP2891 : Oak tree in Arley Wood.
South Eastern gate to Arley Wood, with snail bench The bench was installed on the route of an Arley parish walk, an offshoot of a longer North Warwickshire Heritage Trail. It carries a couplet from the poem 'Leisure', by the Welsh poet and tramp W H Davies. The whole poem can be seen at his Wikipedia entry <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._H._Davies" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._H._Davies">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> ; for the footpaths, see the North Warwickshire council site <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://www.northwarks.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/8388/arley_parish_walk.pdf" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://www.northwarks.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/8388/arley_parish_walk.pdf">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> .
South Eastern gate to Arley Wood, with snail bench
The bench was installed on the route of an Arley parish walk, an offshoot of a longer North Warwickshire Heritage Trail. It carries a couplet from the poem 'Leisure', by the Welsh poet and tramp W H Davies. The whole poem can be seen at his Wikipedia entry LinkExternal link ; for the footpaths, see the North Warwickshire council site LinkExternal link .
The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea This remarkable ancient oak has hollowed and split into two halves, which continue to grow. The tree stands at a field boundary by a public footpath; a boundary fence runs between its two halves. It is overshadowed by a larger, younger oak. The old oak is listed by the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory as an ancient tree, a pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), 9.32m in girth at a height of 1.4m <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/tree?treeid=224522&from=3523&v=2395484&ml=map&z=16&nwLat=52.521221154191636&nwLng=-1.6090820501422698&seLat=52.514287713370464&seLng=-1.6001985738849456#/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/tree?treeid=224522&from=3523&v=2395484&ml=map&z=16&nwLat=52.521221154191636&nwLng=-1.6090820501422698&seLat=52.514287713370464&seLng=-1.6001985738849456#/">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> . Steven Falk has also written about this tree; estimating its age is difficult as so many growth rings are missing, but on the evidence of its girth he believes it may be more than 900 years old. See his The Veteran Trees of Warwickshire <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349330488_The_Veteran_Trees_of_Warwickshire" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349330488_The_Veteran_Trees_of_Warwickshire">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> .
The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea
This remarkable ancient oak has hollowed and split into two halves, which continue to grow. The tree stands at a field boundary by a public footpath; a boundary fence runs between its two halves. It is overshadowed by a larger, younger oak. The old oak is listed by the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory as an ancient tree, a pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), 9.32m in girth at a height of 1.4m LinkExternal link . Steven Falk has also written about this tree; estimating its age is difficult as so many growth rings are missing, but on the evidence of its girth he believes it may be more than 900 years old. See his The Veteran Trees of Warwickshire LinkExternal link .
Trunk of an ancient split oak, Monwode Lea This is a close-up of the once hollow, now fully split trunk or bole of the Monwode Oak, with a fence passing through it. For more information, and and a fuller view, see <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7632512">SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea</a>.
Trunk of an ancient split oak, Monwode Lea
This is a close-up of the once hollow, now fully split trunk or bole of the Monwode Oak, with a fence passing through it. For more information, and and a fuller view, see SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea.
A tree of two halves: the Monwode Oak This ancient split oak, with a field boundary fence passing through it, is seen here from the south, with the late afternoon sun falling on it in mid-October. For more information on this remarkable tree, see <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7632512">SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea</a>.
A tree of two halves: the Monwode Oak
This ancient split oak, with a field boundary fence passing through it, is seen here from the south, with the late afternoon sun falling on it in mid-October. For more information on this remarkable tree, see SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea.
The Monwode Oak, viewed from the south This ancient, hollowed out, and now split oak straddles the field boundary. The foliage of its younger neighbour overhangs it at the top left. Monwode Lea Farm and some of its cattle can be seen in the distance. A public footpath crossed the field; there is a stile a short way beyond the tree. For more information about this ancient oak, see <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7632512">SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea</a>, which links to its page on the Ancient Tree Inventory of the Woodland Trust and to Steven Falk's study of the Veteran Trees of Warwickshire. This is one of two oaks he has found in the county with a girth of more than 9 metres. The other is 'Shakespeare's Oak' in the park of Stoneleigh Abbey, which is more intact and much better known, but is not near a public right of way. Judging from their girth, he thinks both may be over 900 years old.
The Monwode Oak, viewed from the south
This ancient, hollowed out, and now split oak straddles the field boundary. The foliage of its younger neighbour overhangs it at the top left. Monwode Lea Farm and some of its cattle can be seen in the distance. A public footpath crossed the field; there is a stile a short way beyond the tree. For more information about this ancient oak, see SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea, which links to its page on the Ancient Tree Inventory of the Woodland Trust and to Steven Falk's study of the Veteran Trees of Warwickshire. This is one of two oaks he has found in the county with a girth of more than 9 metres. The other is 'Shakespeare's Oak' in the park of Stoneleigh Abbey, which is more intact and much better known, but is not near a public right of way. Judging from their girth, he thinks both may be over 900 years old.
Ancient oak tree, Monwode Lea This is a younger neighbour of the venerable Monwode oak tree <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7632512">SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea</a>, and stands a short distance away in the same field, which is crossed by a public footpath. 'Younger' for an oak, that is; it is perhaps three or four hundred years old, judging from the girth of 5.6m (at a height of 1.2m, according to the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory) and the ready reckoner cited by Steven Falk. Its crown is much reduced in size. See its page at the Ancient Tree Inventory <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/tree?treeid=224518&from=3523&v=2395484&ml=map&z=16&nwLat=52.52312719545651&nwLng=-1.609124965486508&seLat=52.51619405544825&seLng=-1.6002414892291839#/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/tree?treeid=224518&from=3523&v=2395484&ml=map&z=16&nwLat=52.52312719545651&nwLng=-1.609124965486508&seLat=52.51619405544825&seLng=-1.6002414892291839#/">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> and Falk's The Veteran Trees of Warwickshire <span class="nowrap"><a title="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349330488_The_Veteran_Trees_of_Warwickshire" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349330488_The_Veteran_Trees_of_Warwickshire">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span>. It is a pedunculate oak, Quercus robur.
Ancient oak tree, Monwode Lea
This is a younger neighbour of the venerable Monwode oak tree SP2691 : The Monwode Oak, Monwode Lea, and stands a short distance away in the same field, which is crossed by a public footpath. 'Younger' for an oak, that is; it is perhaps three or four hundred years old, judging from the girth of 5.6m (at a height of 1.2m, according to the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Inventory) and the ready reckoner cited by Steven Falk. Its crown is much reduced in size. See its page at the Ancient Tree Inventory LinkExternal link and Falk's The Veteran Trees of Warwickshire LinkExternal link. It is a pedunculate oak, Quercus robur.
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Ballard's Green is located at Grid Ref: SP2791 (Lat: 52.518306, Lng: -1.591009)

Administrative County: Warwickshire

District: North Warwickshire

Police Authority: Warwickshire

What 3 Words

///premature.elite.casual. Near Hartshill, Warwickshire

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Located within 500m of 52.518306,-1.591009
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Lat/Long: 52.5166854/-1.5845973
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Lat/Long: 52.5156577/-1.5876379
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Lat/Long: 52.51593/-1.587764
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Lat/Long: 52.5197125/-1.5901184
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Lat/Long: 52.5173913/-1.5842681
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