Ball Grove Park

Explore The British Isles

Ball Grove Park

What’s now Ball Grove Park was once the site of one of the largest light tanneries in Europe. The tannery complex was built on the site of the former Ball Grove cotton mill in 1860 by W and J Sagar. The mill was greatly extended and took up much of the site and neighbouring residential areas. It was powered by water that came from two lodges. These can still be seen in the park and in the nearby nature reserve. Sagar’s Tannery Mill stopped trading in 1970 and was demolished in 1974. In the 1980s the lower lodge was drained and moved to its current position. Landscaping works were carried out to create the vibrant park that we see today.

The lake, which was once used by a tannery on the site, provides continued interest and wildlife potential, as does the large area above Ball Grove that has been designated as a Local Nature Reserve.

Seven hectares of community woodland and the Bronte Way, which runs through the park offer attractive walks from Ball Grove right up through the nature walk and continue through to Wycoller National Park.

Local History

Historic monuments near Ball Grove Park

  • Stock medieval settlement and part of its associated medieval open field system – 9.87 km away
  • Bomber Camp Romano-British farmstead and associated enclosure – 9.90 km away
  • Burwains Camp prehistoric defended settlement west of Broad Bank Hill – 5.09 km away
  • Twist Castle Romano-British farmstead – 6.84 km away
  • Two Romano-British farmsteads known as Ring Stones – 7.49 km away
  • Beadle Hill Romano-British farmstead – 6.38 km away
  • Ring cairn 25m east of Ell Clough – 6.16 km away
  • Saucer barrow 90m east of Ell Clough – 6.17 km away
  • Bowl barrow 140m east of Beadle Hill – 6.38 km away
  • Bowl barrow 155m east of Beadle Hill – 6.35 km away
  • Bowl barrow 90m east of Twist Castle – 6.78 km away
  • Ring cairn on Slipper Hill – 7.84 km away
  • Round cairn on Hameldon Pasture – 7.84 km away
  • Bowl barrow on Hameldon Pasture – 7.81 km away
  • Pike Low bowl barrow and site of beacon, Bonfire Hill – 6.18 km away
  • Small stone circle on Delf Hill – 6.57 km away
  • Round cairn 230m west of Bleara Lowe – 5.39 km away
  • Castercliff small multivallate hillfort – 2.99 km away
  • Bank House Bridge, Wycoller – 3.14 km away
  • The Hall Bridge, Wycoller – 2.71 km away
  • Wycoller packhorse bridge – 2.69 km away
  • Higherford Old Bridge – 4.48 km away
  • Wycoller Hall – 2.72 km away