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Places of Interest
Lud
Church is a chasm about 15m(50ft) deep and about 100m
long. see Walk1. There are many legends linked
with Lud Church but it does seem that it was associated with the Lollards.
"The Lollards were the first recognised critics of the established church since the Fifth Century” according to historian, Mike Ibeji. "They were founded by John Wyclif, in the 1370s, and quickly found themselves victims of persecution from the Catholic Church, and the monarchy. In 1410, Henry IV gave royal assent to a statute which legitimised the burning of heretics, 'De haeretico comburendo'; the Lollards were victims of this aggression, because of their radical policies. Their belief that the Catholic Church was corrupt threatened the privileged position enjoyed by the priests and monasteries of England."
Read more on the BBC website. Lollards
"About
1862 the landowner, Philip Brocklehurst of Swythamley, in Heaton, placed
a ship's figurehead in the form of a woman at the entrance of the ravine.
It was apparently intended to commemorate the supposed martyrdom of the
daughter of a Lollard preacher, and it was still there in 1914."
From: 'Leek:
Leekfrith', A History of the County of Staffordshire: Volume 7: Leek and
the Moorlands (1996), pp. 191-202. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22915.
As can be seen from this picture, which was taken in 1930, the
figurehead was still there but moved up into a niche in the rock face.
There have been reports from the 1960's of the figurehead rotting in the
mud at the bottom of the chasm. So in all it was there for about 90-100
years. I wonder how long a similar object would last if it was put in
there today?
The person hugging the figurehead in the picture is a relative of the photographer.
This picture was provided by Rose Robinson
The Winking Man Rock formation
can be seen from the Leek- Buxton road (A53) about 5miles outside Leek. It is part of Ramshaw rocks. It looks like a face sticking out of the hillside. As you travel past in a car the 'eye' appears to wink as a pinacle of rock passes behind the face as a consequence of parallax.
You can get to the rock formation by driving from Leek towards Buxton on the A53. After about 3 miles you pass through Blackshaw moor with the Threehorseshoes Inn on your left. Continue on up the steep hill known as Cat Torr, when the gradient eases you come to a house on the left which used to be a toll point - turn left here. Park sensibly towards the top of the hill. Walk across the heath under the rocks parallel with the A53 until you reach the Winking Man.
Dains
Mill (see walk3)was a corn and
flour mill powered by water from the Roaches and Ramshaw. The building
which has been painstakingly restored became a mill in circa 1600 - there
are records back to this time. Previously it had been associated with
a religious order and possibly dates back to 1100. The mill was refurbished
in 1800 and the present owners family took possession in 1802 and for
six generations it turned out flour, porridge oats and animal feed until
1946 when a thunderstorm burst the damn around one of the ponds, while
the owner/operator was in hospital. No-one opened the sluice gates to
protect the pond. The tall building in the picture here were the drying
rooms. 
It
was three stories high but access to each level was possible from the
hill at the back of the building. The lower level was a fire room with
a steel floor above where the grain was dried.
After 1946 the mill fell into disrepair and became a very sorry sight.
Between 2004 and 2006 a costly and painstaking refurbishment has been
effected. Further development is planned to make a "green" holiday
centre for example using the water wheel to provide about 2kw of electicity
and heat pumps upgraging heat from the mill stream.
Below is a quote from A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 7:
"In the late 1560s Thomas Gent of Upper Hulme built
a mill on Back brook, upstream from Hulme mill. In 1599 there was a complaint
from the owners of Hulme mill that Gent's mill took water from their mill
and drew some of its trade, (fn. 9) and Gent's mill was evidently demolished.
In 1600 his grandson William Gent let the site to two brothers, John and
William Hind, and the mill had been rebuilt by 1602. (fn. 10) The tenant
in 1610 was Robert Deane, (fn. 11) and the mill was known in the 18th
century as Deans (later Danes or Dains) mill. (fn. 12) It stopped working
c. 1946. (fn. 13)"
From: 'Leek: Leekfrith', A History of the County
of Stafford: Volume 7: Leek and the Moorlands (1996), pp. 191-202. URL:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22915&strquery=meerbrook.
Date accessed: 16 February 2007.
Access to the mill can be made on foot from the ford at Upperhulme. Please
park away from the village as access to the factories is required often
with large vehicles.
On access land on the north west slopes of the Roaches is an artifact of the quarrying which was a major industry in the valley. This small building - now with no roof- is thought to be a workman's hut and also to be an exercise for the apprentices who were being educated at the quarry.
The slabs of stone involved are huge and it makes you wonder how the lads lifted and moved them without the assistance of machines.
My grandson thinks the hut was built by trolls who else would be able to lift such heavy weights!!
The
Queen's Chair is a seat hewn out of a boulder precariously set
on the edge of a cliff above Rock Hall. Above the seat is a plaque carved
in the rock declaring that the Prince and Princess of Teck visited this
site on Aug 23rd 1872.
Sir Phillip Brocklehurst of Swythamley invited the royal pair. The Prince
was a minor german aristocrat and the Princess was the mother of Queen
Mary wife of George V of England.
The following are extracts from "Answers.com" on the life of the Princess
By the age of 30, Mary Adelaide(as
she was known-Ed) was still unmarried.
Her unattractive appearance
and lack of income were contributing factors, as was her advanced age.
However her royal rank prevented her marrying someone not of royal blood.
Her cousin Queen Victoria took pity on her, and attempted to arrange pairings.
Eventually a suitable candidate was found in Württemberg, Prince
Francis, Prince of Teck.
The Prince was of lower rank than Mary Adelaide, and was also the product
of a morganatic marriage and had no succession rights to the throne of
Württemberg, but was at least of princely title and of royal blood.
However with no other options available, Mary Adelaide decided to marry
him. The couple were married on 12 June 1866, at Kew Church, Surrey.
Despite their modest income, Mary Adelaide had expensive tastes and lived
an extravagant lifestyle of parties, expensive food and clothes, and holidays
abroad. The debts soon built up and the Tecks were forced to flee the
country in 1883 to avoid their creditors.
The Tecks returned from exile in 1885 and continued to live at White Lodge
in Richmond. Mary Adelaide began devoting her life to charity, serving
as patron to Barnardo's and other children's charities.
In 1891, Mary Adelaide was keen for her daughter, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (known as May) to marry one of the sons of the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. On the other hand, Queen Victoria wanted a British-born bride for the future king, though of course from royal rank and ancestry - and not some "lowly" noblewoman. Mary Adelaide's daughter fulfilled the rank criteria. After Queen Victoria's approval, May became engaged to the second in line to the British throne, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. The death of the Duke of Clarence only six weeks later looked like a cruel blow. However, Queen Victoria was fond of Princess May and persuaded the Duke of Clarence's brother, and next in the line of succession, Prince George, Duke of York to marry her instead. (He became George V-Ed)
The marriage of May into the top rankings of the royal family, led to
a dramatic revival in the fortunes of the Tecks, with their daughter one
day to be Queen consort. Unfortunately Mary Adelaide never saw her daughter's
coronation as Queen. Mary Adelaide died on 27 October 1897 at White Lodge,
Richmond Park, Surrey, and was buried in the royal vault at St. George's
Chapel, Windsor Castle
Francis(the Prince of Teck) died on January 21, 1900 at White Lodge[3].
He was buried next to his wife in the Royal Vault at St. George's Chapel,
Windsor.
To page 2 of Places of Interest