View from Cheddleton

Posted on December 5, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Cheddleton, Churnet valley railway, Froghall wharf, Internet, Leek, Life, Restoration, Station, Train2 Comments

Watercolour I did several years ago at the end of Cheddleton Station platform looking towards (eventually) Froghall wharf.

In the other direction the train line extends half a mile or so before ending abruptly neat the Cheddleton to Leek main road. The train line itself used to continue to Leek before travelling on to Stoke-on-Trent.

The line is starting to be rebuilt towards Leek! It’s exciting news that has been long awaited.

To find out more look up the Churnet Valley railway on the Internet.

Exterminate!?

Posted on April 7, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1960's, Cheddleton, Dalek, Dr Who, Froghall, Leek, Memory, Railway, Sci fi, Tardis, Time, Track, Trains2 Comments

One day a few years ago we visited the Churnet valley railway. We got on at Cheddleton and traveled to Froghall wharf. We didn’t realise but there was a Dr Who dalek at the station, plus a tardis! We stopped for coffee and cake and watched as the remote control dalek trundled up and down the platform while people took photos and videos.

I’ve been watching Dr Who on TV since it started in the 1960’s. I used to hide behind the settee when the cyber men came on. I still watch when it’s on now.

The Churnet Valley railway is based on a line which runs between Cheddleton and Froghall, also running towards Leek in the Staffordshire moorlands. Plans are being worked on to extend the line towards Leek and possibly Stoke as the track bed is mainly still in situ except where they built a supermarket in Leek on top pf the track.

April fools day

Posted on April 1, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Fun, Funny, Humbolt Penguins, Leek, Memories, Peak Wildlife Park, Penguins, programmes, Staffordshire, TV, Winkhill3 Comments

The Peak Wildlife Park posted a prank on Facebook today. It reported that some of their Humbolt Penguins had taken flight today and if anyone saw one or found them in their garden they should report it to the park (to check their migratory habits?).

Of course Penguins don’t fly, (and they don’t migrate either as far as I know, but I added that bit), so it was obviously an April Fools joke, but it’s nice and gentle, not rude or unkind. I remember an old one on TV when they reported that the spaghetti trees were being harvested and another one on a children’s TV programme about dehydrated water!

I haven’t seen many jokes today but I liked one about flat pack Easter eggs from IKEA, (chocolate bars), may your April Fools day be fun!

Peak Wildlife Park is at Winkhill, Leek ST13 7QR, UK. Details can be found on Google.

Train time

Posted on January 19, 2024 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Cheddleton, Churnet valley railway, Hubby, Leek, Memories, Sad, Staffordshire, Steam trains, Trains4 Comments

Watercolour painting of the top half of Cheddleton Station near Leek in Staffordshire. I have travelled on the steam train from there several times with my hubby. Something I will really miss. He was a bit of a steam train fanatic and always had masses of information in his mind. He recognised the make and types of trains (and tractors and cars) he could tell the make of tractors by the colours they were painted. Old Fergus on tractors were grey ‘old grey Fergie’ he would say.

Here’s a link to their website:

https://www.churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk/

Green man at Rudyard

Posted on January 8, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged @ivans_uk_tours, Green man, Leek, North Staffordshire, Rudyard Kipling, Rudyard lake, Rushton Spencer, Staffordshire moorlands, WalkLeave a comment

Hubby went for a walk yesterday and his friend Ivan who runs Ivans UK Tours (@ivans_uk_tours) took this photo. Ivan had arranged a walk round Rudyard Lake in North Staffordshire. It’s a canal reservoir near Leek. I pinched this photo off his Facebook page because it is so lovely and I love the Green man design. They walked all the way round the lake starting off at the Rudyard Lake Hotel around the east side of the lake along the lanes because you can’t walk along the shoreline. Then up into the woods to the north end of the lake up steep pathways and along muddy tracks. They came back along the path of the old railway line that runs from the lake up towards Rushton Spencer. However they were walking South to the dam at the south end of the lake. From there you can walk back across to the hotel car park. Approximately 7miles.

I think Rudyard Kipling was named after Rudyard Lake I think…..?

I’ve not been well enough to go and when my hubby described the route I don’t think I could have managed it even if I was well!

Staffordshire landscape

Posted on August 7, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Churnet valley railway, Coal, Consall forge, Copper, Day out, Day trip, Industrial archaeology, ivans_uk_tours.com, Leek, Life, Railway, Staffordshire moorlands, TimeLeave a comment

I wanted to show you a part of the Staffordshire Moorlands that we visited today. Consall Forge once was an industrial landscape and is part of the industrial archaeology of the area. Sitting in an isolated valley it was connected by a narrow gauge railway between Leek and Froghall Wharf. The Consall Forge was about half way along the valley. We have ridden on the preserved railway several times, but I have never found out about its history before. I have seen old lime kilns there but didn’t know their origins. I think the lime was used in the pottery industry and I think there may be a pottery there?

GOOGLE SAYS: Consall Forge kilns. At Consall Forge against the canalised River Churnet stands a bank of four large limekilns. These date from the early nineteenth century and were linked to the North Stafford Railway, a plateway built between 1815 and 1819, running from the Caldon Canal to north of Caverswall.

The valley continues to Froghall Wharf where there is a station for the railway with a good tea room and station shop. The line passes through the ruins of a copper factory which is possibly going to be developed. This makes Froghall much less picturesque than either Cheddleton, where the Churnet Valley Railway starts and Consall Forge which is where we were. The Cauldon canal was used for transporting coal from Froghall Wharf to Uttoxeter but was closed after losing money because of its rural location. It opened in 1811 and closed in 1849.

There is also a nature reserve at Consall. You can get there along narrow country lanes, along the railway or along the canal or its towpath.

Tulips

Posted on February 28, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Daffodils, Dragon, Flowers, Leek, Life, March, Spring, St David's day, Time, Tulips, Wales1 Comment

Tulips in the kitchen. Now I need some daffodils for tomorrow which is the 1st of March and St David’s day.

Wales has many symbols, the daffodil, the leek and last but not least, the Welsh dragon that appears on their flag.

It is always good to get to March, it is the start of the Metereological Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. I expect we will be blasted by March winds. But tulips and daffodils cheer me up.

Ooo! Chocolates

Posted on December 18, 2020 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Boxes, Chocolates, Christmas, Handmade, In the post, Leek, Life, Staffordshire moorlands, Sweet, TastyLeave a comment

They arrived today, from Leek, in the Staffordshire moorlands, in a big box. Bang, bang, bang on the front door this morning. I dashed downstairs and opened the door. The postman handed me a box marked fragile. What could it be? The writing on the address was very similar to that of a friend, so I assumed it was something from him. But no, there were six Chocolate boxes that I’d ordered for Christmas presents. They are handmade and in beautiful boxes tied up with ribbons. They will now be posted on to family. I might save a small box for us. X

What to do on the Solstice

Posted on June 20, 2020June 21, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Congleton, Double sunset, Hill, Leek, Life, Phenomenon, Seeing, Solstice, The cloud, View, What to do?Leave a comment

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I can remember seeing the sun set and then come out again from behind the Cloud hill, near Congleton, Cheshire.

I could not remember where we were but according to ITV.com there is a place to stand to see it….

‘The solar event which happens just once each year will be visible in the Midlands tonight.

The double sunset takes places during the the summer solstice and can be seen from various locations around North Staffordshire.

According to the Oxford Journals the double sunset can be seen from the churchyard of St Edward the Confessor in Leek. The alignment of a local hill means that the Sun is occulted close to sunset around the time of the summer solstice. This phenomenon was described in 1686 by Dr Robert Plot. Calculations show the phenomenon will be visible for another 500 years.

How does it happen?

The apparent double sunset is due to the rotation of the Earth. As the sun sinks behind The Cloud the planet continues to rotate, allowing the sun to become briefly visible again.’

Apologies for the length of the quote, but it explains what I mean clearly.

Please note I’ve now been advised: due to earth movement and buildings it can no longer be seen in St Edwards churchyard but can be viewed from Lowe hill near Leek. My Dad is Doug Pickford who has written books about local legends (info from a friend)

Mill wheel

Posted on January 26, 2020January 26, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on water colour paper, Canal, Design, Leaflet, Leek, Mill, Staffordshire moorlands, Trent and mersey canal, Water wheelLeave a comment

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From a couple of years ago, acrylic on water colour paper. A mill in Leek, Staffordshire moorlands. Done for a leaflet about the Trent and Mersey canal. Another one of those Facebook memories that crop up that you’ve forgotten about until they pop up on your time line….

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Leek