Following on from the success of the parish’s VE75 Poppy Trail and building on the popularity of local and family walks, Wickersley Parish Council created a ‘Locations Trail’. The trail picked out landmarks around the village and combined them with historical facts, information and local stories – the trail has enabled everyone to learn a little more about their village.
Councillor Sue Ellis, Chair of the Wickersley Parish Council, said: “Our Locations Trail has given another dimension to local walks in ‘lockdown’. We’ve had people who have lived in the village for years expressing their surprise at some of the information we’ve discovered, about which they were unaware. And the trail has been great for those who have recently moved into the village and want to find more about the area they live in.
“We’ve published the answers on our Facebook page, @WickersleyParish Council, and all the information we’ve gleaned and pulled together will go in the ‘Local History’ section of our new parish website. We’re hoping that local people who have family information and stories will get in touch and help us develop this important village archive.
“We’re grateful for the help provided by former parish clerk of many years, David Pike, and local residents and former parish councillors, Keith and Beryl Billington.”
Among the locations highlighted in the trail are the Old Stocks built into the wall in the Silver Jubilee Gardens – the gardens mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary in 1935 and the village stocks were moved here and built into the wall to preserve them.
The Martin Almond Memorial Garden and The Gazebo were also featured. The Gazebo – at the corner of ‘Wickersley Grange’ and next to Wickersley Club, formerly The Needles Inn coaching house, – is a listed building thought to be where passengers would wait for the stagecoach. It dates from the early 18th century when Morthen Road was the main, and toll, road between Rotherham and Bawtry.
