Continuing our walk to the Gamekeeper’s Lodge. After leaving behind the small bridge which incidentally gets its name by being one of two archways along the route, the other being the Dark Arch. The bridge is not much wider than the roadway above that it supports, and so is always, “light”, whereas the second arch is some 80 yards long and is in contrast “dark”. After the arch the roadway and railway split apart again, the roadway as it is today, but the railway was over to the right, the extent of its track terminated by a small retaining wall, bits of which are still in existence.
During the summer months with the whole roadway bounded by vegetation it is unlikely that you would notice, little more than a hundred yards beyond the arch, over on the hillside to the right, a small dark structure, shrouded by trees, yet here is an old eighteenth century ice house, deeply embedded in the escarpment. Details can be found on the Parlington website (www.parlington.co.uk). Another curio again on the right is a tree which in its trunk forms the letter, “N”, for “Nellies Tree”, a memory of a love long ago by an enthusiastic woodman on the estate, declaring his affection!
Here the rail track crossed the roadway and goes off to the left. The reason awaits as around the corner is the entrance to the Dark Arch, the railway did not pass through the tunnel as it is both too low and the gradient is also unsuitable for a train. The Dark Arch was built in 1812-13, to allow coal traffic from the mines to pass through the tunnel out of sight of the family in their mansion house, which sits only a few hundred yards off to the right, a small remnant of the hall still survives.
However when the railway came, even before it had steam power, the track was laid to suit the gravity powered gradient behind the Dark Arch, in the sunk fence or Ha-ha, which separated the gardens of the hall from the deer park. So hence the reason for the road and rail to cross over. The whole extent of the tunnel and large retaining wall stretching both ends of the tunnel enclose the house gardens. Hidden behind were picturesque manicured lawns with gravel pathways and feature fish ponds. Then at the western end of the wall we reach the Gamekeeper’s cottage.