RICHARD Fox gave an informative walking tour of the Basins to members of the Wellington Basins Volunteer Group and other walkers.

He gave a brief history of the Fox Factory and in particular the innovative ideas of Thomas Fox who took over running the Were Textile company in the late 18th Century and built what later became the Fox Factory in Tonedale.

The group were taken on a walk around the Basins and Richard explained how the complicated system of leats, sluices and fenders, as well as the reservoir ponds at the Basins, ensured that the mill had adequate water to power the water wheel even in times of drought when the flow of the combined Westford and Rockwell Green streams was insufficient.

Designed and built in the early 19th Century, the waterways of the Basins, the inspiration of Thomas Fox, are a fine example of how a constant flow of water to power the water wheel could be maintained.

The Wellington Basins Volunteer Group is planning to publish a detailed map of the Basins area explaining how the water flow was stored and maintained.