Woodnook Vale
About Priestley Clough
Priestley Clough is designated as a Biological Heritage Site (BHS) indicating habitat value of County level significance.
The woodland at Priestley Clough is an ancient woodland that has been wooded since at least AD1600. However, some will be descended from the original woodland that recolonised the land after the retreat of the ice age some 10,000 years ago!
The woodland gets its name from John Priestley, a cotton manufacturer who once ran Woodnook Mill. There was a mill pond next to the Bath Street path which held the water to power the mill’s water wheel. Like the rest of the valley, the Clough has a long association with coal mining and its medieval name was Coal Pit Holme.
This section of woodland is located halfway along the linear Woodnook Vale route.
Rothwell Heights
The uppermost part of the LNR at Rothwell Heights on the western side of the valley is prominent in the landscape and offers panoramic views taking in the whole of the LNR.