Symonds Yat
Symonds Yat is a village in the Forest of Dean and a popular tourist destination, straddling the River Wye and the borders of the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, it is within a few miles of Monmouthshire and the Welsh border. The name is said to come from Robert Symonds, a 17th-century sheriff of Herefordshire and "yat" as an old word for a gate or pass.[1]
History
The Yat Gorge was mined for iron ore and remains of a smelting works are located down stream of the Symonds Yat Rapids.[2] The ironworks at New Weir date from the 1590s and were operated by the White family until 1753, George White leased the site to John Partridge, an ironmonger from Ross on Wye. Partridge combined the ironworks at New Weir with his forge at Lydbrook which smelted pig iron from his furnace at Bishopswood.[3] The works closed when the lease ran out in 1798 and the adjacent weir and lock buildings were demolished and the lock filled in 1814.[3]
In April 2009 Herefordshire Archaeology excavated New Weir Iron Works at Symonds Yat West to establish how the iron works functioned between the start of smelting in and the decline of the works in the 1800s. It was found that the works included a 'slitting mill', for making wire nails and a rolling mill powered by water wheels.[4]
The Old Court Hotel in Symonds Yat West, which was built in the 16th century,[5] was the ancestral home of the Gwillim family and was home to John Graves Simcoe, who was governor and one of the founding fathers of Upper Canada.[6]
Symonds Yat East
Symonds Yat East is on the Gloucestershire side of the river, it has two hotels, a canoe hire centre and the Saracens Head public house. A steep footpath leads from the village up to Symonds Yat Rock. Another footpath and a cycleway, constructed on a former railway line, runs on the eastern bank to Monmouth.
Symonds Yat West
Symonds Yat West is on the Herefordshire side, it has a large caravan and camping site, and a small amusement park owned by Kimberly Danter (Daughter of Henry Danter and family member of the famous UK showmen the Danter family). Symonds Yat west amusement park used to have a small fun fair which was removed in 2010 due to lack of service. It used to contain outdoor dodgems, twister, casino royale miami, flying jets, octopus, bouncy castles, ski jump, etc. Most rides were moved up to Stourport on Severn theme park also owned by Henry Danter. You can find some of the old rides now at Murco's petrol station on the approach to Symonds Yat coming from Monmouth (S WALES). [7] Symonds Yat West also has visitor attractions including a maze built in 1977 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II,[8] and the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo.[9]
River crossings
Two hand ("pull") cable ferries enable foot passengers to cross the river, powered by ferrymen who pull the ferry across the river using an overhead cable.[10] The only connection by road is upstream over Huntsham bridge; this is a five mile trip. One ferry is operated by the Saracens Head Inn and the other is operated by the Ye Old Ferrie Inn.
Biblins Bridge
A suspension bridge was built over the river by the Forestry Commission using local oak timbers in 1957. Linking Symonds Yat East to the Biblins camp site, the bridge was fully refurbished in 1997 and rotten timbers and the two support towers were replaced. Although it is designed to take up to 30 people, it has a badly weathered sign requesting that no more than 6 cross at a time.[11]
Symonds Yat Rock
Symonds Yat Rock overlooks a spectacular gorge through which the River Wye snakes. This rock is the perfect viewpoint from which to watch raptors. A pair of Peregrine Falcons that nest annually within sight of the rock can be watched through telescopes set up by the RSPB. Buzzards, goshawks and hobbies are also regularly seen and it is sometimes possible to see migrant raptors such as ospreys and European Honey Buzzards.
Seven Sisters Rocks
Seven Sisters Rocks are seven limestone pillars on the Herefordshire side of the River Wye.
Rock Climbing
The River Wye at Symonds Yat has cut a deep gorge in the Carboniferous Limestone exposing numerous impressive cliff faces. There is extensive and popular rock climbing in this area with long single pitches at all grades.[12]
Archeology
At nearby 'King Arthur's cave' on the Great Doward, there have been important archaeological discoveries including the remains of a hyena family and Sabre-toothed cat bones.
Tourism
Tourist activities include canoeing and kayaking down the rapids, boat trips, a maze, an oriental garden, and a number of country pubs and guest houses, including the Old Court, The Saracens Head Inn, Ye Old Ferrie Inn and the Wyenot.
Media
Symonds Yat was featured on the 2005 TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the West Country. A scene from the movie Shadowlands was filmed at Symonds Yat Rock, with the view of the Wye Valley in the background, but it was meant to be another location within the plot of the film.
Symonds Yat Rock was used as a location for some episodes of Series 5 of the BBC television drama Merlin.
Symonds Yat was used as a location for some of the shots filmed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Symonds Yat Rapids
Symonds Yat Rapids are a grade 2 man-made feature at Symonds Yat used by canoeists and kayakers for whitewater training and playboating.[13]
References
- ↑ "Symonds Yat Visit Herefordshire". Visit Herefordshire. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- ↑ "A Brief History". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hodges, Dave. "The Ironworks of the Wye Valley". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ "Excavation at New Weir Iron Works, Symonds Yat West". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ "Old Court Hotel". Images of England. English Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ↑ "Wyenot?". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ "River Wye Camping". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ "Meet the Maze Makers". Archived from the original on 2010-10-05. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ "Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ "Access between Symonds Yat West and Symonds Yat East by pedestrian ferry and footbridge". Archived from the original on 2010-04-29. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ Molesworth, I.D. "A Study of Biblins Footbridge". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ "Regional Access Database: Symonds Yat". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
- ↑ "Symonds Yat Rapids Management Group". Retrieved 23 September 2010.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Symonds Yat. |
- BBC archive film of Symonds Yat from 1985
- Symonds Yat in 2010 (Video)
- The Gwillim Simcoe family story