Heatherlea (ruin)

Heatherlea as it is shown on the older maps or Heather Lea as it seems to be at other times was a grand victorian villa as it was built in the 19th Century. A not-insubstantial dwelling with glasshouses and and kitchen gardens behind. Despite high walls still upstanding in the 1970s, today the ruin of the house consists of a pile of stone rubble, although some moss-covered stone lintels and other worked stone can be found.

The interesting parts of the ruin lie beyond where higher ground is banked up behind a stone wall, beneath which the remains of a covered spring can be found, probably used as a water supply but covered-over as part of the landscaping works. I suppose it could be dangerous but it is possible to crawl inside where a strangely-sloped flagstone roof is found on top of drystone walling - the construction is very similar to local field drains. Above the embankment in an area said to have been the kitchen garden there is a large, circular pit which is the remains of a concrete water tank - incorrectly labelled on the OS maps as an old shaft. Similar but larger tanks were constructed in the early 20th Century to serve housing estates and can still be found today.

Created: 18  January  2020  Edited: 29  November  2023