Consall is a small village situated in the
Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The ...
,
Staffordshire, England. It is approximately 6 miles south of the market town of
Leek and 8 miles east of
Stoke-on-Trent. According to the last Census taken in 2001, Consall had a population of 118, increasing to 150 at the 2011 census.
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
still plays a large part in the village, but the number of farms and workers has decreased over the years. The main area of
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
around the Consall area is
dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history th ...
.
Consall has a relatively large number of visitor attractions considering the size of the village. Whilst in Consall you can visit
Consall railway station
Consall railway station is a former passenger railway station of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and is now a preserved station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.
History
Consall station, situated on the Churnet ...
, Consall Nature Park and also the recently opened Consall Hall Landscape Gardens.
Consall Nature Park is situated in the
Churnet Valley and has its own visitor centre along with a number of
nature trails
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. T ...
. During the summer the visitor centre is open every day and the trails range in length and difficulty for those who wish to simply have a leisurely stroll and also for those who wish for a more invigorating walk.
Consall Hall Landscape Gardens are open to the public from April until October and are the result of over 50 years of design and planning by the current owner Mr William Podmore OBE. The gardens have a Tea room that is available during normal opening hours and the Gardens are also available for
Civil Wedding ceremonies.
Also in the Churnet Valley is
Consall Forge Pottery where a craftsman potter makes and sells hand-thrown domestic stoneware ceramics.
Consall Railway Station
Consall railway station is a former passenger railway station of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and is now a preserved station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.
History
Consall station, situated on the Churnet ...
is on the
Churnet Valley Railway
The Churnet Valley Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway in the Staffordshire Moorlands of Staffordshire, England. It operates on part of the former Churnet Valley Line.which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway. ...
network. The station was re-opened to passengers in July 1998 and it is possible to reach the villages of
Froghall
Froghall is a village situated approximately ten miles to the east of Stoke-on-Trent and two miles north of Cheadle in Staffordshire, England. Population details as taken at the 2011 Census can be found under Kingsley. Froghall sits in the C ...
and
Cheddleton from the station. For a considerable part of the journey the railway runs alongside the
Caldon Canal
Caldon Canal is a branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal which opened in 1779. It runs from Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, to Froghall, Staffordshire. The canal has 17 locks and the Froghall Tunnel.
History
The first plans by the proprietors of the ...
, and about 1/2 mile further down the rough vehicle track past the Railway Station you will come to a mooring area for canal barges and also the Black Lion public house which you reach by crossing the bridge from the pub car park.
Continuing past the Black Lion car park will bring you to Consall Lime Kilns. These
lime kiln
A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone ( calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is
: CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2
This reaction can take p ...
s have recently been restored with assistance from the
Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
. These kilns date from the early 19th century and
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
and
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
was bought along the canal to the kilns. The lime kilns ceased to be in use sometime in the mid to late 19th century.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Consall
References
External links
Consall Nature ParkConsall Forge PotteryConsall Hall Landscape GardensConsall Railway StationChurnet Valley RailwayConsall Scout Camp
Villages in Staffordshire
Staffordshire Moorlands
Lime kilns in the United Kingdom
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