Chissell Brook 1
This stream, Chissell Brook, has been the southern boundary of Sutton Benger parish for over 1000 years. It flows from the west to cross under Sutton Lane at the bridge just south of Sutton Lane Farm, and then goes on to join the River Avon at Kellaways.
To the west, where the stream flows through Kington Langley parish, it is known as the Stein Brook, and gives its name to Steinbrook House by the B4069. It then changes name at the parish boundary.
To the east, after going under Sutton Lane, Chissell Brook (and the parish boundary) meanders south for a while, roughly parallel to the River Avon. The brook and river create a flood plain that is crossed by the Great Western railway line on the River Avon Viaduct, which is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
Note that, while it is possible to get relatively close to the Viaduct by foot, there is no Public Right of Way that leads close enough to take meaningful photographs. See attached for full details of the Historic England Listing.
From here, there is a short loop through the parish of Langley Burrell Without, before returning to Chissell Brook a few hundred yards to the east. The attached photos are a sequence showing the route from here.
For more information about Langley Burrell, and for other walks, see http://langleyburrell.org
Chissell Brook 1840s
The attached section of the 1840 Tithe Map shows the line of Chissell Brook. The grey portions of the map were in the parish of Sutton Benger at that time, with other parts of the map in the parishes of Langley Burrell, Christian Malford, Bremhill and a detached part of Draycot Cerne.
The proposed route of the Great Western Railway is clearly shown on this map, crossing land that is part of Sutton Lane Farm, shown at No 210.
Thomas Ferris, yeoman, was the tenant of Sutton Lane Farm in 1840; he paid £434 per year for 211 acres. From 1844 his rent was reduced to £400 per year, because of the loss of 16 acres to the railway company.
The Bridleway to Avon Mill
The 1840 Tithe map shows the bridleway from Sutton Lane to Avon Mill, as it still is today. It also shows the western extension to today's Sutton Lane Meadows.
The bridleway to the Mill was created in 1778; even 'in those days' a landowner had no legal rights to alter historic footpaths. The attached map was part of the original 'planning application' and shows the 'old road from the common highway to the mill' as it zig-zagged across the fields; this was certainly not a road as we use the term today, but was simply a track, probably not very different from the same footpaths today, which still exist as a Public Right of Way.
However, note that the 'new intended road' would be 12 feet wide, making it more suitable for carts going to and from the mill.