The Clock Face Colliery Country Park

Plus the new community woodlands nearby:
Maypole Wood   and   Wheatacre

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As its name suggests, CLOCK FACE COLLIERY COUNTRY PARK  in St.Helens is on the site of a former colliery that dates back to 1890. By the early 1960s the mine was producing over 160,000 tons of coal a year and employing over 700 men. However, in October 1965 the National Coal Board deemed the pit uneconomic and announced that the colliery would close the following year.

The Clock Face Colliery Country Park can look beautiful when it snows - photographed in February 2007

The site was reclaimed by St Helens Council as a community woodland and public open space in the late 1990s. Measuring 57 acres, the park contains developing woodlands, footpath networks, meadow areas and a fishing pond that is leased to the Clock Face Angling Club. It’s linked to the Sutton Manor Woodland, another former colliery along 'Miners Way', a reclaimed mineral railway route.

A jogger on a perimeter path in the Clock Face Colliery Country Park, St Helens - photographed in May 2006

There is plenty of wildlife to spot if one looks close enough. This website's owner once jogged over the site at 5am and counted 30 rabbits. I can discount scurrilous suggestions that it was one hyperactive rabbit which I saw running about 30 times!

Wild flower meadow in the Clock Face Country Park, St Helens - photographed in June 2006

There's no big extensive sculpture located at Clock Face Colliery Country Park and no amenities of note. However it's a fabulous place to walk the dog, exercise or simply relax. Plus there's some great woodland located close by which brings us neatly to....

Maypole Wood by Clock Face Colliery Country Park

Adjacent to the Clock Face Colliery Country Park in Gorsey Lane is Maypole Wood which is named after the neighbouring Maypole Farm and district, with Maypole originally being a Bold hamlet that has been traced back to 1786. The Forestry Commission acquired the Maypole Farm land in May 2001 and planted thousands of trees two years later. It forms part of the expanding Mersey Forest and is a developing woodland with trees, meadows, paths and wildlife.

Maypole Wood has a number of benches which have been constructed at designated points so that visitors can take a break and admire the young trees, which are growing rapidly, as well as enjoy the birdsong and wildlife. It's sandwiched between the large country park and Griffin Wood, at the bottom of Hall Lane, with its remarkable sculpture trail. Combining the three together makes for a superb walk or cycle.

Some of the young trees in Maypole Wood - photographed in February 2005


The trees in Maypole Wood are flourishing - photographed in May 2007

The Forestry Commission’s notices on the site state:

Welcome to this Forestry Commission community woodland. Whether walking the dog or riding through take a moment to relax amidst this mosaic of woods, grassland and wet meadow. Watch finches on the seed heads or buzzards hunting rabbits. Listen for the “little bit of bread and no cheese” call of yellowhammer or just the buzz of bees amongst the wildflowers and trees. In the centre are willow beds where different weaving varieties are being grown.

Click Here for Mersey Forest's walking map fact sheet with more information on Maypole Wood.

Wheatacre Community Woodland

It's worth also mentioning Wheatacre here as like the other community woodlands, it's in close proximity to the Clock Face Colliery Country Park. The main entrance is off Gorsey Lane and the site is sandwiched between Colliers Moss and Burtonwood and runs alongside the Bold Business Centre. It's named after Wheatacre Farm which the Forestry Commission acquired in February 1998 and converted into a woodland. Click here for Mersey Forest's Wheatacre walking map fact sheet for more information.

An entrance to the Wheatacre woodland photographed in June 2009

The Forestry Commission’s notices on the site state:

Created from farmland and now open for everyone to enjoy, there is something for you here whatever your age. Kick a ball about, gather with your mates at a bench or just stroll through listening to the larks. Walk the dog or admire the wildflowers and ponds, butterflies and dragonflies. Or ride your horse or bike through to other nearby open spaces.

A high-angle view of Wheatacre woodland with Fiddlers Ferry power station in the background

Beauty:  Clock Face Colliery Country Park / Maypole Wood etc. Photo-Album;   Slideshow;   Blog post: Sutton Manor’s Dream - Clock Face’s Nightmare;

Heritage:  Clock Face Colliery;  Colliery Photo-Album; Education: Clock Face School / St.Aidan's School;
Streets & Placenames: Origins of Clock Face;

 Tuesday February 7th 2012 - 1:30pm - Clock Face Maypole Health Walk - Meet at the Country Park car park in Gorsey Lane, WA9 4SE - One hour health walk
 Tuesday February 28th 2012 - 1:30pm - Clock Face Maypole Health Walk - Meet at the Country Park car park in Gorsey Lane, WA9 4SE - One hour health walk
 Tuesday March 20th 2012 - 1:30pm - Clock Face Maypole Health Walk - Meet at the Country Park car park in Gorsey Lane, WA9 4SE - One hour health walk

             Download Health Walks Programme for December 2011 and January 2012

         Clock Face Colliery Country Park Contact Details:

St.Helens Council Civic Pride & Community Spaces Section: Tel. 01744 456123
Mersey Forest: Tel. 01925 816217;  mail@merseyforest.org;
Download Dec. 2011 Mersey Forest Newsletter | Mersey Forest Love Your Woods

Clock Face Angling Club: Day tickets for the Country Park fishing pond (aka Clock Face Pit) are available from Clock Face Newsagents, 415 Clock Face Road, Clock Face, St.Helens, WA9 4QL. Tickets cost £6 (£3 juniors). Weekdays only dawn until dusk - no night fishing allowed. No unaccompanied children. Clock Face Angling Club matches are held on many Sundays for members only. This website has been written and researched and many images photographed by the Sutton Beauty & Heritage site owner, Stephen Wainwright. All rights are reserved but my pictures and text content can be re-used for non-commercial use. High resolution versions of my own photographs can be supplied at no charge. Other images are used for heritage and educational purposes and are believed to be in the public domain. This site takes a responsible attitude to copyright and, where appropriate, I endeavour to obtain permission from rights holders. This is not always possible and you are encouraged to contact me via the contact page if you require accreditation for the use of any photograph or to discuss any issue.

Sutton Beauty & Heritage strives for factual accuracy at all times. Please do also get in touch if you believe that there are any errors, with details of any corrections contained within the site's update history page, which also details the regular updates. Many individuals from all over the world have kindly contributed Sutton information and photographs. If you would like to participate in this project, I would be delighted to hear from you and this website always credits any assistance given. Do also consider contributing any recollections of old Sutton that you might have for the Sutton Memories pages, which are proving very popular. I respond quickly to emails and if you haven't received a response within 12 hours, do check your junk mail folder or re-send your message. Thank you!  SRW

Header picture:  Walking the dog in Clock Face Colliery Country Park in May 2006