Geograph - photograph every grid square

This public footpath, 200m long, originally started at Spout Hill, and now starts at Sage Grove, and proceeds straight down to Delf Hill, apart from a bend near the far end.

The path is not shown on the 1824 township map, but the fields are named, Upper Ing and Lower Ing on the north-west side and Intake on the south-east side. On the 1850 six-inch map the path is shown as a field path along the edge of Intake, starting at a 'Well' at Spout Hill. It is not shown at the Delf Hill end. A line of trees is shown on the north-west side, and also the contours of the valley, but no open stream.

The next map is the 1:2500 map of 1893. This shows the mill pond of Spout Mills on the north-west side. This was perched up on a retaining wall, and occupied some of Upper Ing, which had merged with Lower Ing. Opposite was a square area captioned 'Tanks' in land taken from Intake. The well is no longer shown. The southern end of the path is shown going through a covered passage between mill buildings. The northern end of the path at Delf Hill is now shown clearly, on the present line. Three houses, now joined together as 'Delf Cottage' are shown between the path and Delf Hill and another house, that waslater extended, on the north side of the path, facing Delf Hill. The only change on the 1907 edition is that the line of trees is no longer shown, but that is probably a just change of mapping policy. On the 1918 edition Lowe Ing has been fenced off again. The 'Tanks' have gone. The 'Mill Pond' is now captioned 'Reservoir'. The path is still a field path, fenced only on the north-west side, where it goes along the edge of Intake. There was no significany change on the 1933 edition. On the 1:2500 map of c.1960 the path is now enclosed past Intake, and Ing has been divided differently, with buildings shown in the present yard and adjoining land.

The mill was burnt down and in a ruined state for a while. The site was redeveloped c.2010. Intake has been divided into smallholdings; part of it has been made into a garden, and the southern part is derelict.