Beaufort Hill Ponds & Woodlands
2012 - Enhancement of Highlands Road Entrance
JANUARY 2012 - ENHANCEMENT OF MAIN ENTRANCE AT HIGHLANDS ROAD.
The entrance to the Woodlands at Highlands Road is also the starting point of the Ebbw fach Trail and this entrance area is being developed.
The following improvements are being made :-
1) An additional parking space is being provided.
2) The access road, which is often muddy after wet weather and very dusty after a dry spell, is being dug up and covered with tarmac.
3) The established trees are being retained and two additional trees are being planted.
4) Low level shrubs are being planted along the edge of the pathway.
5) Wildflower planting areas are being made at each end of th entrance area.
6) Interpretation posts installed giving visitors information about the Woodlands and the Ebbw Fach Trail.
B.G.C.B.C Regeneration Department Plan of the development of the entrance area.
INTERPRETATION POSTS.
The Society was asked by Regeneration if we could supply old photographs of the ponds/woodlands for the interpretation posts. We have being trying for several years to obtain old photographs without success, so we visited the Ebbw Vale Works Archival Trust at the old General Offices, and met with Noel Evans of the Trust. Unfortunately they were unable find any old photographs, but produced an old O.S. map of the ponds from 1888. Noel also found a copy of the Times Supplement from 1938, showing the Hot Strip Mill process at Ebbw Vale. This and many other steelmaking processes used a lot of water from the network of ponds, so it was thought that scans from the magazine would be most appropriate to use in the posts - photographs below.
We would like to thank Noel and his colleagues for their help with our request.
MARCH 2012 - INSTALLATION OF INTERPRETATION POSTS AT HIGHLANDS ROAD ENTRANCE.
Beaufort Hill Ponds and Woodlands is part of the Ebbw Fach Trail, in fact the source of the Ebbw Fach River is the outlet of the Lower Boat Pond. Three Interpretation Posts have been installed, with old maps of the ponds, photographs of the biodiversity of the site and also of the Ebbw Vale Works in1938, where water from the ponds was used for many years. On one of the posts, there is a button, which when presssed, gives a brief audio description of the site. The posts were manufactured and installed by Smith and Jones - Design Consultants , to visit their website ,please go to our LINK page.
After the Interpretation posts were installed W.M Garden Services Ltd returned and planted borders of heather along the edges of the pathway and prepared the ground at the western and eastern edges of the site entrance pond for wildflower planting.
