Chesham Bois

Showing Units 27 (left) and 33 (right). The car with one of its wheels off is mine.

A view across a dry valley from the footpath to the east of Hill Farm.

This information board is on the Chess Valley Walk near Latimer Road in Waterside. It has the following wording: Cannon Mill Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Cannon Mill was named after the Canons of Missenden Abbey, its 13th century owners. Originally a corn mill, it was later converted to produce animal feed. It ceased working in 1936 and was demolished c.1960. The brick foundations, weir and mill race can still be seen. Left column The diverted river The river once flowed along the valley bottom through what is now the Moor Recreation Ground. When the mill was built, the river was diverted into an artificial channel known as a leat, to create a head of water to drive the mill wheel. A small channel, which bypassed the mill, can still be seen flowing parallel to the leat. This channel was used to take excess water around the mill. Photo of Alfred Gee (left) and some of his mill workers. Sheep dipping Sheep dipping was an interesting sight at Cannon Mill in the early 20th century. Alfred Gee, who was miller from the 1870s to 1936, would board up a section of the bypass stream to form a trough, into which the sheep dip was poured and the sheep were taken in. Image of Greater willowherb Middle Column Photo: Cannon Mill was disused from the 1930s Brown trout Brown trout live in this part of the Chess and you may be lucky to see them darting between the ripples. Trout need oxygen-rich, fast-flowing water and a clean gravel bed to spawn. In the winter months, you may spot a redd; a small depression in the gravel bed that the female excavates to lay her eggs in. Cannon Mill was one of 13 mills along the Chess, each having its own system of weirs and sluices. These structures prevent fish from moving up or downstream, making populations vulnerable to dying out if there is drought or pollution. To rectify this, in 2008 small pipes were removed which had linked the bypass to the main river, and were replaced with an open channel. This means fish can now move freely around the old mill weir. Riverflies Riverflies thrive in clean, fast-flowing chalk streams like the Chess. They play a vital role in maintaining the habitat, helping to break down organic matter such as leaves and branches, and provide a food source for fish, birds and mammals. Many are sensitive to pollution and so can be monitored to assess the health of rivers. Photo of Mayfly (baetis) There are 51 species of mayfly found in the UK. They are herbivores, feeding on algae that they scrape from gravel and river weed. Photo of Stonefly Stonefly nymphs are poor swimmers preferring to cling to the weed or undersides of rocks in fast-flowing water. Photo of Cased caddifly Cased caddisfly larvae live with a protective case that they construct from materials such as and, gravel and vegetation. From left to right Mayfly (baetis) length Stonefly length Caddisfly length 12mm approx 10mm approx 25mm approx Right column Image of Grey heron Fish facts! Photo of Brown trout • Brown trout can live for up to 20 years, but most die before they are a year old. • Brown trout are predators, eating insects, fish and even small mammals. • Trout have teeth, even on the roofs of their mouths. • Trout can change colour to match their mood! Map of the Chess Valley Walk from Chesham to Rickmansworth Foot of the board from left to right QR Code, chilternstreams.org, Chiltern Chalk Streams Project, Chiltern Society, Chilterns Conservation Board. This board was produced as part of the Chalk Streams and Wetland Meadows Project a partnership between the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, Chiltern Society and the Chilterns Conservation Board. It was funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, Chesham Town Council and the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project. Design: Amanda Carroll studiobeam.co.uk Green Recovery Challenge Fund: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Environment Agency, Natural England Meadows 12mm approx

This board is one of ten together on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES WEIRHOUSE MILL As the River Chess meanders downstream and leaves the residential streets of Chesham behind, the last of the big four - and best preserved- mills stands proudly as the flow of the river's channels forms around it. Over the centuries, Weirhouse Mill was mainly used for grinding corn and making paper, but what it set aside from the other mills was its highly valuable brown trout farm, which continued until the late 20th century. The site is now home to construction and industrial supplies distribution company Decco Ltd. The Chesham branch is one of fifteen locations around the UK that together employ over 250 workers in three distinct markets: high street retailers, garden centres and building and engineering.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES. THE CHESS VALLEY As the River Chess bids farewell to Chesham, it flows through the picturesque Chess Valley towards the site of a Roman Villa now known as Latimer Park. As well as a hotel, fisheries, charities and small businesses, the land is farmed for wheat and barley and livestock. Once the sheep have weaned their lambs, they spend three months, from August to October, grazing on the river meadow next to the Chess, gorging on the rich variety of grasses and wildflower. This restores the sheep's health and condition more speedily than traditional pastures, in preparation for the mating season in November. At the same time the sheep tread the seeds from the flowering plants into the earth to help the germination process, whose benefits are reaped the following spring by pollinating insects, birds, mammals and the wider ecology.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE HOLLYWELL SPRING Sitting alongside the path of the Chess Valley Walk in Waterside is the boundary of Hollywell Spring. The site is owned by Eccleston Properties Inc. of Chicago, Illinois, USA, which has been rumoured to have had designs on developing it as a luxury housing complex complete with an environmental wonderland. Within its borders are several artesian wells which were originally dug in the Victorian era to farm watercress but was also successfully used as a trout farm. More recently it was owned by PowWow Water Company Ltd, a subsidiary of confectionery giant Nestlé, who used the wells to supply spring drinking water for watercoolers in businesses across Britain. In 2003, the company was allowed to double its extraction quota - much to the consternation of residents and local councillor Justine Fulford, who campaigned to prevent the extension of the licence to extract water on the grounds that it was hurting the local environment. The total amount PowWow abstracted from the local catchment was 0.16%. The company went into administration in 2010.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE CANNON MILL Cannon Mill was one of the most productive of the corn mills along the Chesham stretch of the River Chess. It acquired its name when it belonged to the canons of the local Missenden Abbey. A combined farmstead and mill, it latterly belonged to the Cheynes family, who also owned adjoining land to the west called Cannon Mead. The mill had grandeur. It was built on to the mill-house with an adjoining cottage below the right bank, with whitewashed brick walls, wooden upper walls and a shallow slate roof. The mill's position was unusual, as the cottage below the right bank was almost face-to-face with the weir and sluice-gate, making it appear that a flood would wash the cottage away. However, the bypass turned and led away behind the cottage and mill, powered by an iron overshot wheel. By the 1930s, the mill was felt to be too unprofitable and it was demolished in 1960.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE BLUE MIND With the River chess mills long gone, a new industry is pervading life in the 21st century digital culture. The technological revolution has changed the way we use our time and the demands put upon it. Mental health is a widely recognised condition to arise from the frenetic pace of modern living. with 1 in 4 adults in the UK experiencing mental health issues each year. According to NHS England, green environments can reduce stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Contact with nature has a positive impact on heart rate and blood pressure. Greenness in residential areas and the use of natural places for recreation are linked with lower levels of cortisol, the body's main stress hormone. Treatments such as tree-bathing, meditation and aromatherapy, which were once met with scepticism, are now commonplace. Scientists are now also quantifying the positive cognitive and physical effects of water. According to Dr Wallace J Nichols, marine biologist and author of Blue Mind, being close to water can bring about a meditative state that makes us happier, healthier, calmer and more creative. Water is considered the elixir and source of life. This deep biological connection has been shown to trigger an immediate response in our brains when near water and can induce a flood of neurochemicals that promote wellness, increase blood flow to the brain and heart and induce relaxation.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE Located at the south east of Chesham Moor, stepping stones provide safe passage across a bend in the River Chess. Initially installed by the community in the 1990s, the stones have been maintained with the help of Chesham Environmental Group and River Chess Association. This is a popular spot for visitors to the Moor to cross from the open playing field into the woodland that envelopes the many channels of the river and continues onwards through the Chess Valley.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE The Balks, as they are known locally, are a series of cultivation terraces, rumoured to have been created by the Saxons to farm crops without being affected by the springs and marshes below. Many of the terraces have been destroyed: the upper slopes were ploughed for livestock farming and the lower slopes demolished to accommodate the Metropolitan train line. In 1869, the middle section became the site of Chesham Hospital and retained so until its closure in 2005. With the hospital buildings demolished, the site is now subject to planning permission for development as a residential care home.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE REWILDING Despite the many man-made developments alongside the River Chess in Chesham, areas remain where the landscape appears similar to a time before human habitation. This section of the Chess, which flows through the hamlet of Waterside, was renowned for its two corn mills - Lord's Mill and Cannon Mill. The echoes of their legacy are still visible through waterfalls, channels and millponds. But, as time passes, nature shifts, evolves and reclaims, and in an area where the prominence of rewilding is widely known, this could be an opportunity to let nature manage itself.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE THE VALE The Chiltern Hills town of Chesham is situated at the confluence of four dry valleys, formed by the meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age. The first recorded reference to the town was in the will of Lady Elgiva, wife of the King of England, in 970. She referred to it by its Old English name of Cæstæleshamm, meaning 'The River Meadow at the Pile of Stones'. In the valley, three springs appear and form the River Chess - a chalk stream whose very existence is under threat from excessive water use, winter droughts and the imminent development of HS2. The average household water use for washing and drinking in the UK is about 140 litres a person, whereas in the Chess catchment it is 170 litres. Recent unusually hot summers and dry winters have added to the strain on the River Chess, with the entire river area in Chesham sometimes dry throughout the summer months.

This board is one of ten on Chesham Moor with photographs by Matt Writtle. It has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE CHESHAM MOOR Located at the start of the picturesque Chess Valley Walk, Chesham Moor is an attractive 17- acre stretch of common land at the south-eastern end of the town. The Moor contains a football pitch and is popular with dog walkers and runners and ideal for picnicking. However, life on the Moor wasn't always so idyllic: during the Victorian period it was the town's domestic refuse site, which has since been land filled and smoothed over to create the image we see today. Consequently. the level of the land is higher than it was originally, and it is technically an island, being completely surrounded by the River Chess.

Situated in Moor Road, this board has a photograph by Matt Writtle. It also has the following wording: THE RIVER MEADOW AT THE PILE OF STONES BY MATT WRITTLE THE LORD'S MILL Industry forms a huge part of the history of Chesham and its valuable water source the River Chess. In the 10th century the Saxons diverted the course of the river to create the millpond that would power the Lord's Mill. Over the centuries industry continued to thrive and in 1889 demand facilitated the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway. By the mid-20th century the population had exploded from just over 7,000 in 1901 to over 16,000. This increase created greater demand for water and led to inconsistent river flows and so industry began to decline. Lord's Mill was forced to use steam, then electricity, before finally grinding to a halt in 1955. Today the factories are long gone and what industry remains, resides in a handful of business parks one of which - the aptly named Chess Business Park - stands opposite a dry, redundant millpond that was once a symbol of the town's prosperity.