Isle of the Lead Traditional Geocache
barber3: Sadly this one is no longer viable.
Thanks to everyone who has attempted it over the years.
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This is our second cache and is placed in the very pleasant Crane Park. The hope is to make a little series called Merlins Magic of which this will be the second. You will need a pen to sign the log. Stealth needed. Please take care when replacing the cache.
Crane Park is a fabulous green space where it is easy to get away from it all! It follows the serpent-like path of the river Crane from Meadway in Twickenham to Hanworth road in Hounslow. It offers a very attractive cycle path through mostly wooded park and scrubland with such common trees as oak, horse chestnut and sycamore and a rich variety of fauna and flora. The Crane Park Island local nature reserve is located here and is an area which encourages and perserves wildlife. It is on the River Crane on the borders of Whittonand Twickenham and can be accessed via Ellerman Avenue. The island was once part of the old Hounslow Gunpowder Mills, but now is a rich mixture of woodland, scrub, meadow, reedbed and river bank. These habitats are the home to a diversity of wildlife including colourful dragonflies, cunning foxes, herons and of course noisy marsh frogs. The banks of Crane river and reedbed enable the rare water vole to make its home. Crane park reserve is open all year round and has a well laid wheelchair path. Schools and educational visits are encouraged normolly meeting at the iconic Shot Tower. The Shot Tower in Crane Park is a remnant of the once sprawling Gunpowder Mills which operated from 1766 to 1926. It was built by Mr Jacobs of nearby Hanworth in 1826 and was used for making lead shot. Although the tower is 83 feet tall, it still would have only made small lead shot. Typically a much taller tower would be required for larger shot which needed a longer drop in which to cool. To make the gunshot, molten lead was transported to the top of the tower then poured through a copper sieve and dropped into a water tank at the base of the tower. It is rumoured locally that gunpowder made here was used in Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot of 1605! The Shot Tower was reopened in 2004 after being fully restored. It now is a nature and visitor centre and is often open to visitors on Sundays. Crane park is to receive a £400k grant to make it a cleaner, safer and greener park. The project will open up access to previously unwelcoming parts of the site, improving infrastructure and creating a stronger sense of identity for the Crane Valley Park. It will allow local communities to enjoy a positive experience in the heart of a wonderful open space
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Vil jnyy