Why Donkey woods rivelin?

[spudgun]

I`m doing some research on hillsborough and rivelin and someone mentioned the donkey woods at rivelin. Where are these and why the name?

[Elmambo]

The Donkey wood is shown as Reaps Wood on the map (or it was ), looks to be a remnant of the oak forest the the River Lynn Firth was once famous for. It runs down from Bolehill (?) road to Rivelin Valley. I mention this because my kids called the bit of woodland the other side of the road, Donkey Wood.

 

Why is it called Donkey Wood ? I'm not sure, we were always told some one used to keep a donkey in it !

[JayneRay]

The Donkey woods is the local name for the Walkley Bank plantation, an area of woodland on the left hand side of Rivelin Valley Road (as you leave the city) between the Racker Way and Walkley Bank Road.

 

An elderly relative once told me that some donkeys were kept in the woods during the 1930s and that's where the name came from.

 

Panaramio photo / map HERE

[locket]

what about the 'donkey hill' in firth park anyone any ideas how that got it name

[iamwoody]

The Donkey woods is the local name for the Walkley Bank plantation, an area of woodland on the left hand side of Rivelin Valley Road (as you leave the city) between the Racker Way and Walkley Bank Road.

 

An elderly relative once told me that some donkeys were kept in the woods during the 1930s and that's where the name came from.

 

Panaramio photo / map HERE

 

My mother ,born 1923 and lived at rivelin told it was because someone used to keep a donkey in there in the 30,s easy as that !