IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
The Batch, BRISTOL, BS39 5US

A rather ramshackle caravan, left at a jaunty angle close to the footpath. The rope fencing makes a minimum of difference.

A small brickwork feature on The Street, close to the old Methodist church, bears no information. Could it have been a marker for the old coal pits (on which Bishop Sutton grew in the past), or perhaps as a reference to the preachings of John Wesley, who is said to have visited in September, 1782? Then again, it might just be a garden feature of no especial interest.

The area close to Sutton Mill is raised above the road level of The Street. At the top are a number of old grindstones, set into the wall. A Primrose adds the finish.

A footpath junction, but with the path now crossing what was open land and now is the new housing development of Summerleaze.

Sutton Mill, the large building further up the road, was the main grinding mill in the past. A few relics from those days are set into the wall close by.

A prohibitive sign, amid the brambles beside a short footpath, appears to have authority from the local gentry.

The old Methodist church served the coal miners and their families for over 200 years, but has finally been forced to close in 2015. A prayer box perhaps might be in need of hope itself now.

Once this impressive mill was the main grinding mill for flour in Bishop Sutton. It appears to have been built after the main Sutton Top Pit coal mine was sunk and subsequently closed right behind it. By the late nineteenth century it was powered by a steam engine, but there is little evidence that it was an older mill or had used other forms of power. By the outbreak of WWII it had fallen from flour production and in the post-war period had become pretty derelict. It was extensively renovated and converted into flats. Outside, a bus shelter and notice board were built, bearing the Silver Jubilee mark.

A couple of the larger coal pits were not far from this church. Both the coal mining industry and the church are now closed, with the latter serving for 237 years. The hall may still be useful as a hired venue, but the community is looking into that matter.

This homely church was founded in 1778, with the strong tradition of church-going part and parcel of what a coal mining village. John Wesley preached here later, and it contains a memorial to those men lost in WWI. The adjacent building was built in 1914 and has a corridor linking them. Both served the community but eventually the decision was made to close in August, 2015. See Image] for a detail.