Bradley Park - Crawcrook, Gateshead

6th May 2020 A local walk around Bradley Park to see the deer, ducks, swans, and wildflowers. While looking at the old maps concerning the weir and adjacent building, I noticed that there was once public footpaths that linked Stanleyburn North Wood with Bradley Hall Farm, and another public footpath from Bradley Hall Farm to Bradley Gardens via the hall itself. I've passed this information onto the Ramblers Society in the hope of getting them re-established as rights of way. The farm to the gardens was still a right of way as recent as 1996, while the one between the wood and the farm was a right of way on the 1952 and 1967 maps. Some of the beech trees in the wood bear the vandalism of people's names and initials dating to at least 1960, suggesting the path was once commonly used as a right of way - As for the weir, it marks where there was once a ford but there is no mention of the building on any of the old maps dating to the 1800s. I was always told it was a mill for the farm, but now I have my doubts. The weir is very old though, possibly older than the building. Thank you for watching and please consider subscribing. ----- If you would like to support me, I am raising money for surgery in Spain: https://gofund.me/045d82ea