Thanks to the eagle eye of fellow local blogger The Stymaster, I can share the following sale document with readers of the blog. It seems Linley Woods – longstanding subject of reader curiosity hereabouts – is up for sale. Clearly quite a tough pitch for the estate agents, Bruton Knowles, they suggest it may be good for ‘Outdoor activities’, which is possibly a bit of an understatement.
All this could be yours. No mention of a guide price, though. Click for a larger version.
Lots of disclaimers in there. Love the note about prospective purchasers viewing at their own risk. Click for a larger version.
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Interesting one Bob. I have many happy memories of Linley Woods when I was a kid in the early 60s. We used to cycle there and then have great fun riding up and down the deep and steep ridges in the woods. When I say steep they were certainly bottle testers for us kids!
@Fawlty: I did the same in the late 70s.
I lived extremely near by – but was forbidden to enter!
I burst the tyres on my RSW14 on “the Killer” and rode home buckling the wheels as a result.A week later I fell in the canal lunging at a stickleback. but didn’t we all?
I too played there in the early 70’s – long before BMX bikes it was a perfect place for bike riding , ironically there seems less biking there now than there was all those years ago. The various *drops* like The Killer and Devils Drop . All done on the old bikes of the time.
Then there were the dark and scary caves full of rubbish and rats m the one with the steps all the way down infested with rats and waste.
Great to play there as a kid – the swings off the trees over huge drops, saw some accidents but never had one. In another ironic twist my daughter fell off one there a few years ago and fractured her wrist!!
Who does it belong to for them to sell it any way?
On the 7th of March 1838 the Inquest was held 3 men who were killed in the Daw End Lime Works belonging to Messrs Strongitharm and Company. About 100 tons weight of limestone which had been undermined and excavated, suddenly gave way and fell upon them and they were killed instantly.
A verdict of Accidental Death was returned.
(Staffs Advertiser)
On 23rd April 1877 the Geological Society visited the Limeworks of Messrs G and H Strongitharm at Linley, and descended the extensive caverns made by the excavations of the Dudley and Wenlock limestone, which were lighted by the proprietors by candles and coloured fires, producing a very interesting effect. The new railway cutting which passes close to the mouth of these caverns, was examined form end to end, and many fossils were found….
Do any readers know if its true that a house on Bosty Lane near the railwayline fell into the caves. I think it happened in the 50s or 60s. My sister broke her arm on the tarzan swing , i got into big trouble for taking her into the woods she plays the violin .
That is so beautifully put
I lived at linley wood and could tell you lots of tales about that area from when I was five years old in1945 to 1952 when we where re housed .we lived in one of army nisson huts.No 12.life was great for us kids but very hard for our parents.We had a ball .the woods to play in. the canal to swim in, old bomb shelters as dens and of course the cement works to explore.We always had to be wary when playing as the local farmer Sid Dolman was not adverse to firing his shotgun in our direction if he saw us.We played in the caves of course but we never saw any ammunition that was supposed to be stored there ,there was certainly two big heavy sliding doors there and also steps and iron door in a cave at the bosty lane end of the woods.If any one remembers the Taylors,Grahams,lavenders,Mathews, Parsons,Parkes to name but a few,it would be interesting to read there comments
August 1850…
Linley Caverns…These caverns, the beauty of which is much enhanced by a magnificent subterraneous lake of great extent, are situated at Daw End, near Walsall and were objects of great attraction on Wednesday last, being brilliantly illuminated for the occasion.
The visitors were admitted by tickets procured at a small expense, and the grandeur of the scene excited universal gratification. Many respectable of the town and neighbourhood of Walsall, Birmingham, Dudley were present. These caverns are the most extensive lime rock excavations in Staffordshire
Linley Wood is a place of natural beauty, the current owners (the same family for 70yrs) have fenced the wood with the help of Natural England to protect the triple SSI areas.
Hi Ruth, I spoke to you briefly one time at the woods. Do you have no further plans to sell? I repeatedly tried to stop the burning of the big Oak in the field corner. A chap from Pelsall Lane whom claimed he had permission to retrieve fallen dead wood for firewood was coincidentally never far away whenever i found the base of the tree alight.