A number of these yellow flowers are to be found growing on the north bank of the Wom, on an area regularly flooded after heavy rainfall, which often causes the brook to spill over its usual banks.
Hopefully this photograph will reveal the smaller clusters of leaves which are part of the whole plant, easily hidden by the larger leaves surrounding it.
A regular if slightly worrying sight in the Wom, mid-way between the’western’ foot bridge and the road bridge which forms the boundary of Wombourne Park, is the regular occurrence of foam. There must be a local drain emptying into the brook at this point.
Hopefully the aquatic life won’t be too adversely affected by it.
Towards the mid-point of the Wom brook_s passage through Wombourne Park, (where a small underground stream emerges in a waterfall, which in turn feeds the Wom ), the result of recent tree management work is quite noticeable.
In the above photograph, taken from the south bank of the brook, tree stumps clearly show the recent results of chain-saw usage to fell several thick tree trunks. Further evidence of this work may be seen along the banks of the brook, heading towards the village centre,
(Although not easily discernable, the overgrown waterfall is located towards the left of the picture, behind the tree stumps. In the foreground, you can just make out the brook.).
Apologies for this late posting (it should have been posted long ago!), but a couple of us spotted this lone snowdrop growing on the bank of the Wom a couple of weeks ago-a solitary example, but quite distinctive against a predominantly green background.
District Council officials have arranged to meet with local volunteers at 7:30 pm, on Wednesday 31st March 2004, in the Civic Centre, Wombourne. Hopefully there will be further news relating to the proposed developments planned for the section of the Wombrook which runs through Wombourne Park.
By the end of last week, the District Council completed what might appear to some as fairly severe pruning of one of Wombourne Park’s most noteable landmarks, namely the large oak tree close to the footbridge, located in the west of the Park. However, regulalr visitors to the park will recall the larger branches (some the size of small trees themselves) that have become detached from the oak as a result of high winds. The tree itself is used by local youngsters as a swing, and the author can only assume that this work was carried out as a safety measure, in order to reduce the potential risk to park users of injury as the result of falling branches.
Looking westwards towards the foot bridge.
In the past, horse riders and motorcyclists have been known to use Wombourne Park, accessing the area via the Kingswinford Railway Walk. This understandably caused some alarm and raised concerns amongst the local inhabitants who regularly utilise the park for walking and recreational purposes. The horses’ hooves were cutting up the grass, thus far exceeding the normal wear and tear expected in a public park.
The motorbikes caused similar damage to areas of the park, and the speeds at which some motorbikes were being driven along footpaths caused understandable alarm and raised fears about the safety of walkers.
During the summer of 2003, a swing gate was established at the west end entrance of the park, which also accesses the Kingswinford Railway Walk. However, local youths have discovered a way to open the gate fully (please see the photo above), thus opening up the area again to motorcycles. The South Staffordshire District Council is in the process of rectifying the problem.
Conservation work is already underway along a section of the south bank of the Wom running through Wombourne Park. Local volunteers, assisted by workers from a neighbouring company which is supporting conservation work in the community, and guided by officials of South Staffordshire District Council, have employed a ‘basket-weaving’ technique in order to shore up the section of the stream bank vulnerable to erosion by the stream.
This is a web log set up to chronicle some of the developments that are ongoing in the area of Wombourne Park in Wombourne, South Staffordshire, chiefly relating to the Wombrook, the stream more commonly referred to by the local inhabitants as the ‘Brook’.
Although the Brook runs through a larger area of Wombourne, the focus of this log centres upon that part of the stream that runs through Wombourne Park, and directly impacts upon its flora and fauna.
It is hoped that the ‘Friends of Wombrook’ (the local inhabitants’ support group), along with those officers of South Staffordshire District Council who are directly involved in the planned developments affecting the Brook, will occasionally drop into this area in order to contribute to this weblog’s development.
I will attempt to maintain this web log as often as my work permits, and just as long as our host server is available to enable this to happen. You will be helping us at ULTRALAB, the research arm of Anglia Polytechnic University, to research the use of web logs!