Acocks Green History Society
Waters of Yardley, by John Morris Jones
These essays were brought together in 1985, and are reproduced here with permission. A few amendments have been made, however no systematic updating has been done. The River Cole walkway is a major asset to the City, and the section at Hall Green has a strong Tolkien connection: formerly known as the Millstream Way this section has now been renamed as part of the Shire Country Park in order to capitalise on the popularity of Tolkien's books and the films made of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
We have not included the last essay, the Cole Valley South, as it has been superseded by a booklet, published by the River Cole and Chinn Brook Conservation Group (contact Peter Bennett 0121 777 6780). The walkway it describes has been completed since the booklet was published, and a bridge into the Ackers site was opened by David Bellamy. That enabled walkers to join the Project Kingfisher walk from Hay Mills to Chelmsley Wood.
These essays were re-worked for the River Cole and Chinn Brook Conservation Group and published in 1989. A copy can be found here.
The river Cole in Yardley, and its fords and bridges
Standing waters (millpools and fishponds) including Moseley Bog
The waters of Yardley: settlement, communications and industry