Ball Grove Park
Trawden Forest Parish Council took ownership of a large part of the park in 1st November 2023.
The Parish Council negotiated with Pendle Borough Council for over four years to ensure that the conditions of transfer were beneficial to both the Parish Council and the parish as a whole.
Included in the transfer was:
- Car park at Winewall Road
- Children's Playground
- Lake
- Car Park at Keighley Road
- The building and café
- The picnic area
About the park
Once the site of one of the largest light tanneries in Europe, Ball Grove Park and Local Nature Reserve is now a Green Flag award winning community treasure.
The transfer of the park, to the Parish Council, included the building known as Ball Grove Hall or Ball Grove Recreation Centre.
Within part of the building is a café. The tenant has operated in the building since 2015 and runs a very successful business. The café is known as Lakeside café. Within the café are the current only usable toilets; hence toilet facilities are only available when the café is open.
Part of this building is currently unoccupied and the Parish Council are starting the process of upgrading it with new electrics, heating, windows and doors. This will be an ongoing project, but the works are scheduled to start soon.
The park currently offers a children’s play area, a millpond and lake, a nature reserve and seven hectares of community woodland, plus the Bronte Way, which runs through the park and continues through to Wycoller National Park. In addition, a footpath was added along the edge of the upper lodge in the late 90s and this forms part of the Ferndean Way - a three mile route from Waterside in Colne to Wycoller.
Ball Grove boasts an excellent picnic area with many picnic benches available to enjoy your picnic and watch the local wildlife in the park and enjoy the relaxing and tranquil surroundings.
For information about Ball Grove's picnic site and Upper Ball Grove Local Nature Reserve, you can download the Ball Grove Park Site Leaflet.
Colne Water flows through Ball Grove Park and is an important freshwater habitat for a number of fish species, including brown trout. A diverse number of bird species frequent Ball Grove and deer are known to visit in the early hours.
Green Flag
As relatively new owners of the Park, we have continued to apply for the Green Flag. This is an annual inspection of the Park to which a number of criteria are judged, and then the decision is made as to whether the park should be awarded or not. The judging for 2025 is due to take place over the summer months and we eagerly await the outcome.
As the new owners, we had to create our own Management Plan, and with help from the Friends of Ball Grove Chairman, we managed to pull together an interim plan to submit with our entry. This can be found in the link below. Once the Parish Council have decided whether to continue with the Green Flag, a Management Plan of 5 or 10 years will then be produced.
Wildlife
When feeding the ducks, please consider the health of both the birds and the pond and throw the food on the banks rather than in the pond. This means that the food will all be eaten instead of much of it rotting in the pond. It is healthier for ducks if you feed them a seed mix rather than bread. They also like lettuce.
Kestrel and sparrowhawks can often be seen above the woodland area. Kingfishers, dippers and grey wagtails are amongst many of the visitors along the river area. The Upper Lodge is a breeding area for amphibians.
History of Ball Grove
In 1260 Winewall was one of five vaccaries or cattle farms in Colne district and lay within the Clitheroe Estate.
The firm of W & J Sagar was started by two brothers, William and John Sagar who began by fellmongering (cleaning and selling sheep and cow hides) behind the family farming business at White Walls, which later became the Boundary Mill Retail Outlet. They soon moved to Heifer Lane in east Colne near the Craven Heifer Inn where they washed the skins in the “brook” and in 1860 they took over a small mill at Ball Grove which had a water wheel for power. The business rapidly increased to 15 acres with power supplied by a modern steam turbine. 100,000 gallons of water were needed daily for the process of skin-washing and three dams were linked to satisfy this requirement, two being fore-runners of the main and upper lakes (lodges) and in order to preserve the supplies of water the owners bought up all of the farms (with their water rights) up the valley to the Moss.
The Brothers invented a de-greasing machine in 1895 which became world-famous. In 1897 they dropped fell-mongering and turned to leather tanning and by 1927 were exporting hat-leathers, chamois, clothing leather, roller skins for industry, footwear and glove leather, glue and gelatine world-wide. They employed over 400 people at that time and it was the largest tannery in Europe.
In 1932 a major fire wrecked the main building. It started in the spraying booths at 0940 and in spite of the Colne fire brigade arriving within eight minutes of the alarm, followed by the Nelson engine, the five storeys of the main building were completely gutted; fortunately no-one was injured and the firm rebuilt and continued, becoming a public company in 1946.
In 1969 they succumbed to a take-over bid and were confined to hat and shoe leather. In 1970 it was declared bankrupt and the mill was demolished between 1971 and 1974, the land reverting to the then Borough of Colne. The land was turned into a public park which it remains to this day.
Higher up the Colne Water valley was another mill known as Bough Gap Mill, founded around 1785, in what is now known as the pasture field at the foot of Spring Grove; this was one of five cotton mills using the power loom and the derelict stable-house for the horses has been rebuilt as Spring Grove Cottage above the field.
Seven hectares of community woodland and the Bronte Way, which runs through the park offer attractive walks from Ball Grove right up through the nature walk and continue through to Wycoller National Park.
Historic Pictures of the Tannery
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Friends of Ball Grove
There is a very active group of volunteers who carry out works around the park. They are Friends of Ball Grove.
Ball Grove Friends Group meets several times a year in the Cotton Tree Pub and we have a bit of a do at Christmas. Pendle Council supports us, as do our local councillors, but mainly it is an informal gathering of local people who value Ball Grove. We need all kinds of people with different skills, so whether you're a horticultural expert, have organisational skills, or you just like being active in the fresh air, we would love to hear from you. Anyone with an interest in Ball Grove is warmly welcomed to join us and you can give as much or as little time as you wish.
The group have recently been issued with hi-vis safety vests so that visitors to the Park can appreciate that they are there carrying out works to maintain and improve the Park. The group has recently had a recruitment drive and increased their membership 6-fold. This is very impressive and the Parish Council support the group with their projects around the park. We have a fantastic partnership with the Friends group.
The group of volunteers meet every couple of months to decide what works they would like to carry out on the park and bring any capital spend suggestions to the Parish Council for consultation. The general grounds maintenance is carried out by Pendle Borough Council - this job is far too big for any volunteer groups to be expected to carry out.
Photos
Take a look around the park. Click on the images to maximise.
Green Flag Award 2024/5
Ball Grove Park awarded the coveted Green Flag Award as it is officially recognised as one of the country’s best parks
Ball Grove Park in Trawden Parish raises prestigious Green Flag Award after achieving international quality mark for parks and green spaces.
Today, 16th July 2024, Trawden Forest Parish Council is celebrating after receiving a Green Flag Award
for Ball Grove Park.
The news that the site has achieved the accreditation - the international quality mark for parks and green spaces - is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team that care for the green space so that visitors and residents alike can enjoy it.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award Scheme Manager, Paul Todd MBE, said: “I would like
to congratulate everyone involved at Ball Grove Park on achieving a Green Flag Award.
It is a vital green space for communities in the Parish of Trawden to socialise, enjoy nature, for children to play safely and it provides important opportunities for park users to improve their physical and mental health.
We know that staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that it maintains the high
standards of the Green Flag Award, everyone involved should feel extremely proud of their
achievement.
It is important that our free to use spaces are maintained to the Green Flag Award standard,
making them accessible for all members of the community while ensuring the environment is
protected.”
The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Visit us
Directions from the west...
On Foot
From Colne Railway Station, (it’s a fair trek,) walk up Albert Road through the Town Centre and onward along the B6250 Keighley Rd to the big roundabout. Then take the A6068 Keighley Rd eastwards to Ball Grove Drive on your right; look for the brown sign indicating the park.
Alternatively: Cross the A56 into Bridge St then immediately left into Shaw St. Follow this down to the River just beyond the Lord Rodney Pub. From the town centre enter Colne Lane opposite St Bartholomew’s Church and walk down the hill to the Lord Rodney; follow the road to the left to reach the River. The path alongside the river is known as The Ferndean Way and it will take you through the Park, the Nature Reserve and if you wish, on to Wycoller.
By Bus
Take the Mainline M4 (Keighley half-hourly service) outside Colne Railway Station or from the Town Centre – ask for CHRIST CHURCH (stop directions are given on the bus). Leaving the bus, cross the road and go down Ball Grove Drive, into the car park and you are there.
By Car
Take the A6068 through Colne following Keighley directions and as you leave Colne look for the brown road signs directing you to the Park. There are two car parks, one off the A6068 at Christ Church which has a separate disabled section beside the lake. The second one is off the B6250 Trawden Rd at Winewall. Both are directed by the brown signs.
Ball Grove boasts two spacious car parks. One which is located north of the park, and is accessed from Ball Grove Drive, off Keighley Road.
The car park is open:
- April to September: 8.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.
- October to March: 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
The other car park is at the east of the park adjacent to the Cotton Tree pub and is accessed from Winewall Road, off Cotton Tree Lane.
Directions from the east....
On Foot
From Laneshaw Bridge, go downhill opposite the Emmott Arms, turning right into Carrier’s Row and then leave the road to the right where the River Laneshaw meets Wycollar Beck to form Colne Water and follow the river track (the Ferndean Way) into the Nature Reserve and thence into the Park.
By Bus
Take the M4 service from Keighley, getting off at Christ Church and then as above.
By Car
Take the A6068 over the Moss (from Yorkshire) or the Haworth Rd to the A6068 at Laneshaw Bridge, then look for the brown signs indicating the Park turning left just past Christ Church.
Disabled Facilities
Many of the footpaths and walkways are suitable for people with low mobility.
There are designated disabled car parking bays.
The playground has facilities for disabled users.
Lakeside Cafe
Set up in 2015 by cake maker extraordinaire, Tracey Bolton, Lakeside Cafe turned some redundant workshops and public lavatories into a welcoming cafe right by the lake. Now it is a favourite haunt of dog walkers, local families and all those who can't resist the tempting array of cakes...
Through the cafe, Ball Grove's lavatories have been reopened. Tracey and her friendly team offer hot and cold drinks, light meals, sandwiches, an all day breakfast, soups and rather special afternoon teas. All the ingredients are locally sourced and everything is homemade.
During the week, Lakeside Cafe is open 9.30 p.m. until 4 p.m. (though if the Park is busy, the Cafe is often open later).
At the weekends, the opening hours are 10 a.m. until 4 -ish.
Our Fishing Lake
Burnley and Pendle District Angling Association runs the fishing lake at Ball Grove in partnership with Pendle Borough Council. The fishing day permits to fish the Lake are available from the Lakeside Cafe. It is also possible to buy river fishing permits there, both annual and daily.
The water ranges in depths between one and two metres and is about 2.5 acres in size and has around 20 fishing pegs, including a possible four pegs with disability access.
An Environment Agency Rod Licence is required.
Night fishing is not allowed.
No alcohol permitted.
You must adhere to the Club’s rules at all times and the club’s decision is final.
For more information, please telephone 01282 427386.
PLEASE NOTE: Lakes and rivers are extremely dangerous. Do not enter the water under any circumstances. In case of emergency call ‘999’.
For more information visit:
www.pendleburnley-districtanglingassociation.co.uk
All rights reserved. Trawden Forest Parish Council
© 2023
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