The first of the three villages is Bolton upon Dearne, which is quite an ancient settlement, even if that isn’t immediately apparent today. Its oldest building is the Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, which has medieval origins, and the village was recorded in the Domesday Book (as “Bodetone”) as part of the Manor of Bolton-upon-Dearne with neighbouring Goldthorpe (our next stop along the railway line), which was owned by Norman Baron Roger de Busli. Whilst the area around the church still has traces of the original agricultural village, Bolton upon Dearne changed considerably during the twentieth century when Goldthorpe Colliery opened not far away and housing was built in and around the village to house the miners. The colliery has of course now closed and Bolton upon Dearne has largely become a commuter village for people working in the towns and cities nearby, but as with several of our previous South Yorkshire walks, the legacy of the mining industry has left its mark on the area.
Bolton-upon-Dearne Railway Station is spelt with hyphens, and its name has subtly fluctuated over time, reflecting the fact that an internet search for Bolton upon Dearne demonstrates that most people aren’t sure exactly how the name is spelt. The station actually opened as Hickleton Railway Station in 1879, but only kept this name briefly and was renamed Bolton-on-Dearne later in the same year. It then got renamed Bolton-on-Dearne for Goldthorpe in 1924, then Bolton-on-Dearne in 1961 and finally Bolton-upon-Dearne in 2008. Sadly, none of the original station buildings survive, making this another fairly uninspiring station with twin platforms, waiting shelters, and little else. We leave the station via the bridge over the platforms onto Lowfield Road, then turn left and follow the road, which soon becomes one of those footpaths that has a name, in this case Lowfield Lane. We are heading away from the village at this point and out into the surrounding countryside, past one of several nature reserves in the area, Adwick Washland Nature Reserve, which is on the left. This was once farmland and has now been transformed into a large area of water meadows and marshes, with a rich variety of birdlife. We walk alongside it until Lowfield Lane ends at a crossroads of paths, then turn right along a track (West Moor Lane) and at the next crossroads turn right again and follow the path to a footbridge over the River Dearne.
Adwick Washland Nature Reserve.
The Dearne runs for roughly forty miles from just above the village of Denby Dale (which we shall visit on a future walk) to its confluence with the River Don at Swinton, and is both Bolton upon Dearne’s greatest asset and on occasion – due to the threat of flooding – its biggest headache. The river has been followed in recent years by a long-distance walking route called the Dearne Way, which has brought more walkers to the area than it might once have had; we have just followed part of it, which follows Lowfield Lane. In addition, the Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership has done much to promote the heritage of the valley, with information boards installed at several railway stations in the area, including Bolton upon Dearne, Swinton and Mexborough. Whether or not this has in any way boosted South Yorkshire’s tourist trade in any way is debatable, but it is certainly an admirable effort to showcase the area’s more scenic assets, which are perhaps overshadowed by the relatively close proximity of the Peak District on the edge of the county.
To the left of the footbridge is Adwick Bridge, a sandstone bridge dating from 1800, which carries Furlong Road over the river. After crossing the bridge, we turn right and follow a path (initially beside the river), soon passing Barnburgh Colliery Woodland on the left. As the name suggests, this woodland has been planted on another former colliery site like those we have seen at Kiveton Park and Bentley. When the path we are following ends at Mexborough Road, turn right, follow the road under the railway viaduct, then turn left again to resume the riverside walk, shortly passing Brookfield’s Park Landscape Area on the left. On reaching Dearne Road, cross straight over and continue straight ahead along the path, which bends right and then curves left to follow the river. Turn right to cross the next footbridge over the river, and on the other side turn right. We now leave the river to head back into the centre of the village, taking the next left turn and following a metalled path uphill. It soon reaches a crossroads, where we turn right to reach the end of Ingsfield Lane.
For approximately a mile, we follow Ingsfield Lane as it becomes first Wath Road and then High Street, passing through a long strip of twentieth century housing, which will be of limited appeal to anyone who isn’t interested in inter- and post-war suburban development. Nevertheless, we eventual reach Angel Street and the historic core of Bolton upon Dearne, with the Church of St. Andrew the Apostle. As briefly noted above, this is an ancient church, which has unsurprisingly been granted Grade I-listing for its historic and architectural significance. It boasts a Saxon nave dating from about 1200, a fourteenth century chancel and north aisle, and a tower dating from the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries.
The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle.
After visiting the church, turn left, passing the former Angel Inn (now converted into a private dwelling, which is at least a better fate for a former pub than demolition) on the corner. Follow Angel Street, which soon curves left and becomes Station Road, passing the former Carnegie Library on the right. We have discussed Carnegie Libraries before, and this one was one of the first outside Scotland. It opened in 1903 and ceased to be a library in 1973, although happily the building remains in use, currently as a gym. From here, turn left to follow Station Road to a roundabout, then turn right along Thurnscoe Road. Walk past two entrances to Bolton-upon-Dearne Cemetery on the right, then turn right into a third and follow a path across the cemetery, passing the cemetery chapel, to reach Furlong Road. Chapels are of a course a feature of many cemeteries and we will see many more in future walks; many of them have architecture deemed worthy of Listed status, but sadly this is not one of them. Whilst solidly built, it is relatively plain and functional, and is currently boarded up and appears to be edging ever closer to dereliction.
Having left the cemetery, turn right, shortly passing the Methodist Church on the left. Just after the junction with Edna Street on the right, the village War Memorial can be seen, built in 1925 and unfortunately protected – presumably from vandals – by a locked gate, preventing a closer examination. Finally, from here, we take a short route through a small housing estate to complete the walk: cross the road and turn left, follow a path across a playground to Hawthorne Drive, turn right, then left into Park Crescent, then right along Manor War, and then one last left turn to return to the railway station.
Our walk around Bolton upon Dearne complete, we now take a two minute trip north along the railway line to its close neighbour, the village of Goldthorpe…
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