The ‘Needs to Know’
Distance: 4.8 miles (7.72km)
Time to walk: Roughly an hour & three quarters
Difficulty: This is a walk on a mixture of surfaces including field & woodland tracks, plus some quiet lanes. There are a few stiles towards the end. You will encounter some hills, but there’s nothing too strenuous
Parking: Carefully on the street opposite The Barley Mow in Paulerspury
Public toilets: The Barley Mow if open
Map of the route:
Paulerspury lies approximately 3 miles south of Towcester & 8 miles north of Milton Keynes. The village name means ‘Place at the pear tree’.
The village has known significant historical events. Although the site of the final battle of Queen Boudicca is not confirmed, one of the three locations believed most likely is Cuttle Mill in Paulerspury. During Elizabethan times, the Lords of the Manor, the Throckmortons, became prominent nobles, & local legend has it that the Queen & her favourite Sir Walter Raleigh stayed in the village (which led to the marriage of Bess Throckmorton to Sir Walter)
During the Industrial Revolution, little industry developed in the area, it mostly being an agricultural community. The main produce other than agriculture was lace. It has been claimed that Queen Victoria favoured Paulerspury lace. This led to an impoverished community as lacemaking was superseded by mass-produced textiles
The village is also renowned for being the birthplace of William Carey, the first English Protestant missionary in India, who began life as a cobbler & ended it as a scholar, translating the Bible into 26 Indian dialects. Carey pops up in many other of our walks
003.5 was given the directions of this walk & told to report back…I lured him with the prospect of visiting an excellent cafe en route. It wasn’t until he finished that we realised this was on a ‘Potterspury’ not ‘Paulerspury’ walk….ooops!
Let’s Walk!
1. Facing the Barley Mow, which dates back to 1766, turn right & walk, passing the village hall on your left…
On reaching the island in the road bear right…
2. Presently you’ll arrive at the Church of St James the Great. The tower & chancel were built in the 13th century, but the rest dates from the 1800s…
Walk through the little gate into the churchyard
Note the huge Lovell family grave on your left. Robin Gee tells us…
“Issac Lovell 1861 – Couldn’t find much else about the family, but Isaac was a farmer with 57 acres
He left a number of charitable bequests to the school 1862. The rector would only permit the children of church goers to attend. Hence the high attendance at churches
The charity was established by his will in 1861 & mainly intended to support the school & church
From the start a portion of the income about £12 per year was used to buy blankets or warm clothing for the aged & infirm.
Other parts of the income applied to augment the schoolmaster’s salary, providing school prizes & pay the organist but the money left to maintain monuments to the Lovell family in the church.”
3. Exit the churchyard through the kissing gate…
…&turn immediately left & head down the grass hill, bearing slightly left after the fence ends. On reaching the next gate pass through it & walk straight up the hill towards the copse on the right…
4. Exit the field through the gate below & head up Scriveners Lane directly opposite…
…to arrive in the hamlet of Pury End. During World War II, the small hamlet was hit by a stray bomb & several houses were damaged. At the junction below turn left…
5. The long distance footpath, The Grafton Way, runs through the village for 13 miles south east from Greens Norton to Cosgrove (or Wolverton), where it meets the Knightley Way. It’s named after the Dukes of Grafton, major land-owners in the area in the 18th & 19th centuries
So let’s turn right onto the bridleway that forms part of it…
6. I do like a good gate that says “Come on…Walk through Me” & this is one of those, so do just that & continue straight ahead…
This is easy to follow walking as you just ignore everything to your sides & just keep going
Note the round water tower on the right. Member Robin Gee has been doing some research on it, with a slight mystery!
“A water tower was built in 1938 to serve Pury End, Church End, Tews End & Plumpton End. This was supplied with standpipes serving each group of houses in the village.
There was no supply of fresh water provided to the village only from a well near the church – 1853. Cases of typhoid occurred 1888-89 occurred in the village & the Rural Sanitary Medical Officer tried to get the well closed & a better water supply installed. The Vestry ( they were the authority that governed the local village, now we know it as the Parish Council ) refused to support this & merely issued warning notices to the relevant property owners
The County Council 1897-8 investigated the sanitary condition of the Parish & Pury End was in the worst situation with 22 wells suppling 70 houses.
A local GP, Dr. Linnell endeavoured to get something done about the water supply but was defeated at a Parish Council meeting,1906 where it was reported that the cost of suppling piped water to Pury End would cost £800
A sewerage scheme was installed at Plumpton End in 1909
The Parish Council again rejected ,1935 because of the cost £3,500 however despite opposition the RDC prepared another scheme costing £4,000 & the water tower was built being supplied from a well. Water was sanitised & mechanically pumped up to the tower.
However I found out from another source that the above was demolished in 1969. Also, it was rectangular in shape not the shape we passed !!!!
7. Pass through the next gate…
…& just keep going with the hedges either side of you
8. Presently the path arrives at the track in the picture below. Keep straight ahead…
…& as you can see, it was a pretty wet day when 003.5 did this walk (he was so looking forward to the warm, welcoming cafe he’d been promised…)
9. The track arrives at a metal gate. Pass through it & continue up the hard surfaced road…
Continue along the quiet road, ignoring all the paths going off into the fields, to arrive at another gate
10. This is rather pretty walking. On reaching the T junction cross straight over & enter the woods opposite…
003.5 did this walk in late autumn & the colours were spectacular in what’s part of Longhedge Wood
11. The path eventually reaches a driveway…
…where you turn left & follow it towards the farmhouses of Sholebroke Farm. As the driveway bends to the right (in the picture below), continue forward onto the bridleway…
12. Look out for the little waymarker sign…
At this point head to the right of the fence, away from the track & into the woods. Keep the fence to your left to enter the woods & now continue along the path…
13. On leaving the woods, continue on the path alongside the field…
The land on your right’s Whittlebury Deer Park. Robin tells us…
“The Cambridge Deer company developed it into an International Red Deer Stud in 1993 importing Red Deer from New Zealand. A herd of elite Eastern European red Deer were used to carry out a series of embryo collection programmes & well as preparing a number of shire stags for export.
It includes the world-famous stag, Sir John & his grandson Jonty
The Whittlebury Park herd is one of the longest established deer herds in the UK, dating back to 1066.It was a medieval Royal Hunting Forest”
Ignore the path going off to the left & carry on straight ahead
14. Suddenly the path opens up & there’s a big field ahead of you. The good news is your route’s straight down the middle of it on the grass…
On reaching the edge continue in the same direction
15. At the end of the field, carry on along side the next as it makes its way up the hill…
…where finally, at the top, is a gate. Pass through this…
16. Now head to the gap on the left, passing through it & head up the gravel path, with the hedge on your left…
OS Maps shows paths heading off left & right here but we continue ahead on this gravel path (note 003.5’s shadow – he’s teasing us with his identity!)
17. Eventually the gravel track ends. Now continue in exactly the same direction, across the field towards the gap in the hedges opposite…
On reaching the hedge, pass through the gap in the picture below & continue straight ahead towards the fence
18. On reaching the fence, bear left along it, keeping it on your right…
Just after the house on your left is a gate…
Go through this & then over the three stiles to your right.
19. After the third stile head immediately right through the gap…
The path eventually reaches a quiet, narrow lane. Turn left & follow it back towards the village…
20. Follow the road as it enters Paulerspury once more…
Continue straight ahead & you’ll soon recognise the road you started on…
As the pictures show 003.5 had all weathers, but underfoot was ok as a fair chunk of this walk was on hard surfaces, making it fairly good for all times of the year
It’s a lovely little stroll & the pub’s well worth a visit too. 003.5 highly recommends the apple crumble…
Go Walk!