Return to introduction or Go to next location Bishops WoodsThe Bishops lead hunting parties in these woods, hunting the deer that were then abundant. Sadly, today there are no deer in these woods. Today the woods are managed by the Forestry Commission and the trees grown are pine for commercial purposes. It is still possible to find hidden traces of the original forest with the oak trees that would have been abundant then.
Medieval tracks can still be found. As you walk along these tracks listen carefully and you may occasionally still hear the sound of horse’s hooves, the baying of dogs and the shouts of men as they pursue the deer.
The woods are a magical place in the spring. It is easy to put yourself in the mind of those medieval persons when the woods transformed themselves from a bleak, lifeless landscape into a landscape full of colour and sound. They believed that as the winter gave way to spring then the Spirit of the Green Man had been awakened. It was the Green Man’s rousing that was the signal for all trees, plants, animals and birds to welcome the return of the sun and the warmth it brought., to burst back into life again from the winter sleep.
Carpets of bluebells are found everywhere in the woods. Take a deep breath and enjoy the smell of the bluebells. In places you will also find rare orchids and Lily of the Valley.
You will come across many huge anthills. Watch the wood ants using the tracks as motorways as they go back and fore. You will see and hear the cries of buzzards as they glide magnificently overhead and hear the sound of woodpeckers, although you may not see them. If you are lucky in the spring you will also hear the cuckoo. The woods were also the workplace of early industry. Glasshouse In 1580 Bishop William Overton was responsible for bringing two glass making families, Tyzack and Henzey from Lorraine, France to start glass making in the woods. One of their glass furnaces can still be seen; although not complete it is in its original location. This area being rich in the raw materials required for the manufacture of glass, sand, oak and bracken.
The inside walls of the furnace are lined with glass. During the Elizabethan period demand for glass was huge and by 1615 so much wood had been used from Bishops Wood that an Act of Parliament was passed prohibiting the use of wood for glass manufacture. The glass makers moved to Newcastle-On-Tyne where coal was plentiful as the fuel for the furnaces.
Occasionally pieces of glass produced by the these glass makers can still be found in the woods, this glass being over 500 years old. Saw Pit Pits used for cutting up timber can still be found in the woods. This is a good example. These saw pits are always found near old tracks and may have been used by the glass makers.
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