Stowmarket Town Centre - History and nature walk - Combs Ford and the old Swimming pool

A walk on the secret footpaths of Stowmarket Town Centre, finding solitude as I explore Combs Ford, the lost swimming pools, the River Gipping, Gun Cotton explosion information, and the Stowmarket connection with Maltesers!!
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[@seandade6315]

Many happy memories fishing the river rat from the old swimming pools back toward the museum and also the gipping as a kid.keep up the good work

[@markanthonysmith-authorhul9412]

I lived in Stowmarket 2000 - 2004 and Needham Market beforehand. I feel quite sad that I didn't recognise these walks. I wish I'd have got my neighbour walking... Very informative. Thank you

[@Banglish123]

My grandparents lived in Stowmarket and I can remember walking around the town in the 70s. There was a footpath from where Asda is now past the livestock market and the football ground on my way to Woolworths. I also remember swimming in the pool at Combs Ford

[@markanthonysmith-authorhul9412]

Blimey! I lived there for years. I've learned something new here

[@Sunflower-tm2hi]

I enjoyed this! Thankyou!

[@BeeLZBeeb]

Me and my sisters remember the old swimming pool, I was very young but I loved it. I remember the flooding too

[@dexterstiff7160]

I can remember going into the old swimming pools in the early 90s having a look about.

[@Walksandwanders]

Wow. I didn’t realise they were still there in the early 90s. Although I didn’t move here till 1989, so wouldn’t have been aware of them back then.

[@markanthonysmith-authorhul9412]

You make Stowmarket look like Greater London 😂 Can't believe the hidden walks - very expansive

[@loki1066]

Still got my 'stowmarket maltings-room at the top' nightclub membership card.

[@SylviaAlana]

Very interesting

[@Walksandwanders]

Thank you!

[@loki1066]

I used to have to flush the filter of the old pool and thousands of gallons of dirty/chlorinated water went in to the river. The river is probably grateful the pool has gone.

[@takemeaway285]

I spent many happy hours in the open air swimming pool as a child in the 1970s, it was on the site where River Gardens is now.

[@Walksandwanders]

takemeaway I did wonder that after I edited the video! Thanks for watching. 👍

[@smezley50]

Another informative video Don, like you I've lived here for 30 years and never known or been down those tracks. I like the old photo of the river and barges.

[@MeowTheCheesepuff]

I would only say the river is little by todays standards , when it was the primary route for transport the river Id have said it was pretty admirable. Unfortunately it seems because of the Sluice, Canals, railways and industry "development" over the years we are losing our rivers. We have lost the prominence of other Rivers locally like the old Blackbourne river for example, which compared to its wide valleys of old it exists as a drain or a drip in the shadow of their ancestry flow. Even looking west to Bury its clear to see what is todays "Lackford Lakes" was the remains of a far mightier river. Its probably because of the general decline of these rivers that the ones we have today look much smaller, just like the Gipping. Great Video !

[@loki1066]

Voice at the start sounded like Hartley Hare from Pipkins puppets 😅

[@markanthonysmith-authorhul9412]

Please can you do a Stowmarket video on how the town has changed since 2004? People say I wouldn't recognise Stowmarket now. I left in 2004 with a broken heart. I lived in Combs Ford and my neighbour moved quite suddenly. I was gutted.

[@markanthonysmith-authorhul9412]

Hi Don. I'd like you to start at ASDA (I think the record/CD shop is now an opticians) walk through the High Street up to Combs Ford Esso. Then up Lavenham Way to Semer Close. I'd love to see how it's changed since 2004. It'd make my day if you could jog my memories with this video...

[@michaelosborne8831]

Great Video i have to do that Walk one day

[@ictict1309]

another great video....the open air swimming pool the concrete one was in the area of where the houses is in that cul-de-sac ....and the other really old swimming pool is still there well the remains of the metal steps etc is at the back of the allotments, when i had an allotment in the 1990's you could walk down the steps to fill your watering can...an old boy probably long gone now showed it too me....hope this helps

[@Walksandwanders]

ICT ICT Thanks for watching. And I know someone who has an allotment down there. I’ll get them to show me. 👍

[@ictict1309]

@@Walksandwanders you can walk across the allotment land its not private as such its was owned by the museum but if lots of people watching your video walk on the allotments that might annoy the tenants i guess so your video will be good to show it....i gave up my allotment in 1994 because upto that point nearly every other year the water used to flood it...they actually built up the bank around the back of the allotments to divert the water through the mill and then under the bridge, prior to the bridge like you say the whole allotment area was just the flood plain of the river Rat, there are 3 stories of pikes meadow told to me, the garage name 1, number 2 there were pike in the river , and 3 gypsies used to camp there "Pikies" bit of a derogative name nowadays

[@ictict1309]

Oh and the last bit of your video to go with pikes meadow.. A young pike fish is a pikerel

[@OurDaysOut]

Thanks Don, we enjoyed that and have subscribed. 👌

[@Walksandwanders]

Our Days Out Thanks for watching AND subscribing! Much appreciated!

[@donnamayhew1473]

Few years back now there was a footpath though the ICI then over the railway line on to the fields that are now the Tesco estate

[@Walksandwanders]

donna mayhew True. I did do that once years ago. I think technically it was the continuation of Takers Lane which was the olden route up to Stowupland.

[@Walksandwanders]

Who remembers the swimming pool?

[@marksmith5156]

I remember the swimming pool spent many Saturday mornings in there was cheap then walk back home to needham market the path at ici was one that was a talking point when the solvent lead based paint was made there footpath was 20 meters away from the solvent storage they said if it went up it would have taken most of stowmarket with it my dad and grandad both worked at ici was 2nd biggest factory in the town

[@guyjames2795]

Swimming pool was other side (town side) of river

[@Walksandwanders]

Guy James I know. That’s the side of the river I was on. 😉

[@guyjames2795]

Walks and wanders sorry , thought you said you were in Pikes Meadow🙄

[@Walksandwanders]

I mentioned Pikes Meadow but was on opposite side of river. Anyway, no probs. Thanks for watching. 👍