Category: About Warminster: Up The Leg And Down The Stocking (Leg And Battles, The Leg, Black Sammy)

Thursday 24th January 2013

Up The Leg And Down The Stocking is the name of a path that once connected Henford Marsh, Warminster, with Five Ash Lane and Southleigh Wood, Sutton Veny.  The path was diverted in 1987/1988 when the Warminster Bypass cut across it. The path now runs from Five Ash Lane to the track that connects it to a junction with Gravelly Lane to the south side of Eastleigh Bridge (over the Bypass).

These photographs, of the path in the snow, on Thursday 24th January 2013, were taken by Danny Howell. The two photos above show the path near its southern end with Five Ash Lane.

One of the beech trees alongside the path.

Snow on the beech tree roots.

View north along the path.

Fallen branches in the snow.

A winter wonderland.

Snowy branches overhead.

Rhododendrons on the right.

When the snow lay round about.

View across Coombe Bottom, to the west of the footpath and Woodcroft Wood.

The path runs alongside the trees
(the eastern edge of Woodcroft Wood).

The view north-west.

The view over Coombe Bottom towards Warminster
(Arn Hill in the distance).

A grey sky this January afternoon.

Bracken in the foreground, beeches beyond.

View over Coombe Bottom towards Warminster.
Up The Leg And Down The Stocking,
and Woodcroft Wood on the right.

The path where it narrows.

A pleasant place, even in the snow and the mud.

Up The Leg And Down The Stocking.

The snow had drifted deeper here.

At the southern end of Up The Leg And Down The Stocking where it meets the southern end of Gravelly Lane at the junction with Five Ash Lane.

Wilfred Middlebrook, in The Changing Face Of Warminster, 1971, noted:

Black Sammy is another name for the Leg, a path rising from Henford Marsh to Southleigh Woods. Also called Leg And Battles, but as described previously [in The Changing Face Of Warminster], better known locally as “Up the Leg and down the Stocking.”

Wilfred Middlebrook, in The Changing Face Of Warminster, first written in 1960, updated in 1971, noted:

There are many pleasant walks from Henford Marsh [Warminster], a favourite one in days gone by being “Up the Leg and down the Stocking” – you turned right through the stile and continued up the field through the wood, then doubled back at the top of the ridge and came down to the marsh again by the Bishopstrow lane [Eastleigh Lane / Eastleigh Wood Lane]. Alternatively, the Sutton Veny-Crockerton road can be crossed at the top of the wood and the beautiful Southleigh Woods explored.