Yorkshire Water has been working with archaeologists who have surveyed woodland across Yorkshire and discovered 406 areas of historical interest, some of which date back to the medieval era.
The surveys were carried out at 40 of the company’s woodland sites by JB Archeology Ltd, supported by local groups and specialists.
More information was uncovered on sites including the World War Two training area on the edge of Langsett woods near Barnsley, the remains of the abandoned settlement of Scar village in Upper Nidderdale which in the 1920s was a thriving village of 2,000 inhabitants and the drowned settlement of West End near Blubberhouses, also in Nidderdale, which was evacuated and flooded during the construction of Thruscross reservoir in the 1960s.
In additions, hundreds of tree carvings were examined at Ryburn wood near Ripponden some of which date back to men who were about to be conscripted to fight in the Great War.
Geoff Lomas, Recreation & Catchment manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “We want to do our best to be a responsible landowner and one way we can do this is to conserve the ecology of woodland that we own for future generations to enjoy. This means we had to deepen our knowledge about the heritage of these sites so that when we want to carry out conservation work the heritage of these sites is not damaged. Lots of these places have a rich history and it’s nice to think that this will be preserved for prosperity’s sake.”
Mel Dalton, Heritage Officer at North Yorkshire County Council, said: “The surveys have increased our understanding of these areas of woodland. The most interesting aspect has been the 19th and 20th Century remains associated with the creation of the reservoirs and water works, including aqueducts, sluices, weirs, tanks, and even the remains of former workers’ houses. This has given us a fascinating insight into historic water management which was previously poorly understood.”
