Page 7 - HB- Batchley Valley

Batchley Valley Redditch Heritage

The Batchley Valley

The High Stream

The M42 south of Birmingham follows a switchback course across the grain of the land.
At about its highest point it crosses the Lickey foothills in a deep cutting spanned by a
graceful footbridge. Nearby on the south side, by a remnant of woodland called Cocks
Croft, rises a small stream. From its source, at a height of some 625ft, the stream flows
southwards past Wheeley Farm and Hewell (both names probably derived from "heah
weille" or "high stream") then past Batchley, from which it takes its present name of
Batchley Brook. Six miles from its source it reaches its confluence with the River Arrow
near Beoley floodgates, having fallen about 345 ft. It is remarkable in that only rarely
does it now follow its natural course.

In its short length it has provided the major water source for the Cistercian Abbey of
Bordesley, powered at least four water mills, and, in its middle reaches, blossomed into
a substantial ornamental lake. It was also, and indeed still is, an important water supply
for the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

The Coming Of The Canal.

The 1791 Act authorising the Worcester and Birmingham Canal was adamant that the
summit level had to rely on springs in the bed of the canal and rain falling on its surface
as sources of water, and that there should be no interference with local streams.

In spite of this crippling condition the canal finally reached the Hewell valley from
Birmingham and Old Wharf was opened in 1807. However as a result of a subsequent
act of 1814 most streams, including Batchley Brook, were enabled to be diverted into the
canal if required. Flow down to Hewell Lake consequently became irregular and the paper
mill at the foot of the lake closed.

Batchley and Birchensale

st below the lake dam a mill leat 1.5 miles long split off from the Batchley Brook. It was
known as Top Brook or Hewell stream and after skirting Birchensale, followed a partially
culverted course to ponds serving Redditch Old Mill and New Mill, before rejoining the
main Batchley Brook to proceed on to Forge Mill. Professor Mike Aston believes that only
a monastic foundation would have the resources to build a mill stream of this standard.
At Old Mill it was joined by the even longer Bordesley Stream which split off from the
River Arrow below Alvechurch. Both mill streams were running with a rather depleted flow
until after the Second World War. Hewell Stream last had any flow about 1969, and
Bordesley Stream was filled in about the same time.

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