At Waterhatch, Winchcombe
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Philip Halling, Waterhatch
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Note: I haven’t been able to find a photo of the areas of Waterhatch described in my poem, but I’m hoping to update soon! In the meantime, please enjoy a video exploration of the site, here.
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It’s close to silent at this former farm,
without a breeze to rustle through the site –
yet something’s here. You feel it brush your arm!
The undergrowth has risen to a height
amidst the ruins – fallen, falling, bricks
and almost all the farmhouse buried deep
in earth and roots and water’s viscous mix;
an outhouse only holds its own old heap
of rubble now. But something glimmers, steel,
a moss-strewn buttress crumbling either side –
this is the farm’s once-whirring water-wheel,
and though it’s still today, it stands astride
the stream of Beesmoor Brook with dignity,
amongst the ghosts of early industry.
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Published in The Dirigible Balloon, June 2025
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In common with Belas Knap, Waterhatch made for an interesting focus on family walks while I was physically able to join them. We tended to access the site by walking to the entrance to Sudeley Castle at the top of Vineyard Street, then taking the right turn rather than the left onto the castle's driveway. If memory serves, it’s possible to join the 'Waterhatch way’ by crossing a couple of fields farther along the driveway, but our usual route was more direct, and it just made for a bit of a change!
It’s quite a hike along the way to Waterhatch, but the exertion is well worth it. This is one of the most atmospheric places I’ve ever experienced, and I’m quite tempted to write another and more sinister poem! In February, however, clusters of snowdrops pop up and add an almost fairy-tale quality to the ruins, which is beautiful to see.
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Next: Butterfly Farm