Medieval footpath out of bounds?, Teesdale Mercury

Medieval footpath out of bounds?

Mar 5, 2003

A BID to divert a possible Medieval right of way on safety grounds – because it runs though a corner of the children’s playing field at Green Lane school in Barnard Castle – has been roundly condemned by the town council who claim the security reason given is a fake.

Jean Gibbon, rights of way officer at the county council, had written saying she was considering a proposal to divert footpath no 29 which clips the corner of Barnard Castle CE School field. “This will afford more safety and security to children in the school grounds,” she had written.

But Coun Alan Wilkinson said the argument that walkers were already using a diversion hid the fact that this was only because the ancient footpath has already been blocked off at one end. He would have to oppose the path’s formal diversion because it interfered with an ancient right of way, he said. He also found the safety argument unconvincing because all that was needed was a fence and the town council agreed with him to press the county council to reinstate the ancient path, not divert it, and to put up a security fence to screen any children at the school.

Coun Wilkinson also pointed out that a gate to the field and the path was consistently being left open anyway, which negated a safety argument. “The gate has been wide open the last two times I have looked at it, so this is a fake reason,” he said.

Coun Wilkinson said the path was logged on the 1856 town map, it was there before Green Lane was built up in 1795, so was at least over 200 years old. “I am however, sure it goes back to Medieval Barnard Castle because it leads to the then town pastures,” he said. “There would have to be a very good reason for doing this and the very good reason given is actually untrue.”