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Home , Caldon Canal, Cheddleton, Churnet Valley line, Consall, Wetley Rocks

R&CHS North West and Group – – to Forge 25th September 2019

History: The Early Years (1778 – 1811) There had been proposals in the early 1770s to build a The Caldon Canal: Dates & Other Statistics canal from the Trent & Mersey Canal’s (T&M) summit level to Leek, including one using tub boats and inclined planes, Opened: 1778 (Etruria to ; 17 miles, 17 locks) but no Acts were obtained. The Act for the Caldon Canal Branches: Leek (1801; 3¼ miles) was obtained in May 1776, following contracts being agreed with the quarry owners at Cauldon Lowe. The Act (1811; 17 miles) allowed for construction of Rail Ways to link the canal and Foxley (1820; extended 1850; c800 yds.) local quarries. Norton Green (1778; c400 yds.) The Caldon Canal (or, more correctly, the Caldon Branch of Basin (1917; c200yds.) the Trent & Mersey Canal (T&M) opened in December 3 1778, running from a junction with the summit level of the Reservoirs: Stanley (1786; 22m ft ) T&M main line (opened in 1775) at Etruria top lock to Rudyard (1799; 122m ft3) Froghall (Old Wharf), where it was linked by a horse drawn Knypersley (1827; 41m ft3) “Rail Way” to the quarries at Cauldon Lowe. The distance by canal from Etruria to Froghall is 17 miles (in a straight Tunnels: Froghall Tunnel (1785; 76 yds) west – east line it is less than 10 miles). As built it required Leek Tunnel (1801;130yds) 17 locks (original proposal was for 15 locks). Its summit Summit Level: 484ft above sea level level (located at Stockton Brook) is 484 ft above sea level 76ft above T&M summit level and 76 ft above the summit level of the T&M Canal. 1½ miles of the canal followed the bed of the near Consall. A second Act published in 1783, allowed for a 530 yards extension and providing a new wharf at the Froghall end. This extension and new wharf opened in 1785 and included a tunnel, 76 yards long. In June 1797 a further Act authorized the extension of the Caldon by building a further branch canal to

Uttoxeter, the construction of which was delayed due to a disputes regarding its route, land ownership and later with the appointed contractor. As a result the Uttoxeter branch canal did not officially open until 3 rd September 1811. Another important branch, which opened in 1801, was the Leek Branch which was 3 miles and connected the Caldon Canal’s main line at Hazelhurst to the nearby market town of Leek. When built the Leek branch utilized the course of the feeder from Rudyard reservoir that the T&M Canal Co had built two years earlier to provide a water supply to the main canal. Other reservoirs were built at Knypersley and Stanley Moss. The main purpose for building the Caldon Canal was to transport limestone and hydrated lime in to the Potter y towns . Other important traffic was coal from the Cheadle coalfield and ironstone extracted from several iron ore mines located in the Churnet Valley and in the Kingsley area With the coming of the railways, the Trent and Mersey CompanySummit Level:and its 484ftbranches above were sea sold level to the North Railway (NSR), with the formal takeover occurring on 15 January 1845. The NSR w as keen to promote its canals and Rail Ways (tram roads) as 76ft mutual above feeders, T&M summit and so level maintained both. The exception was the Uttoxeter branch canal, which was closed by an Act of Parliament obtained in July 1847, in order that the NSR’s proposed route could be built along its course. The tramway from Froghall to Cauldon Quarries was replaced by a new cable-operated railway in 1849. It included inclined planes at Froghall, Oldridge and Cotton, and was built to a gauge of 3ft 6 in. Under railway ownership the T&M and Caldon Canals continued be used for commercial carrying and the cost of carriage remained competitive with the railway. However at the beginning of the 20thC a gradual decline began and in the case of the Caldon this decline was accelerated by the loss of the limestone trade due to the original quarries at Cauldon Low becoming worked out and in 1920 eventually closed and abandoned. At the same time new quarries were being opened in the Derbyshire and there rail and road haulage were the selected modes of transport used for this traffic.

Restoration Although the canal was never legally closed, traffic had declined so much that that by the 1960s the canal was almost unusable. A survey carried out in 1960 by the Inland Waterway Protection Society, which had been formed in 1958 in response to the Bowes Committee report, listed many canals which were considered to be no longer viable.

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These notes are intended for use by those joining the walk and for RCHS members at other times. They should not be copied or stored in any retrieval system, electronic or otherwise. With further threats of closure in 1961, the Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club organized a public meeting in Hanley and also a cruise along the canal to Froghall in September. This attracted press coverage and local council support. There was then a proposal by the Caldon Canal Committee for the National Trust to take over the waterway, and although this did not occur, the Committee became the Caldon Canal Society, and worked in partnership with the Board towards the eventual restoration and reopening of the Canal in 1974.

The Walk Commencing from Cheddleton Fllnt Mill (the finishing point of our May 2018 walk) and following the towpath of the Caldon Canal in a southerly direction to Consall. For most of the walk the canal runs near to the River Churnet and t Churnet Valley Railway track. The river valley is wide for the first 2 miles but then becomes narrower and a mile from Consall it enters a gorge. Along the route from Cheddleton there are four locks – Cheddleton top and bottom locks (Nos. 13 & 14) – Woods Lock (No. 15) near to Bridge 45 and Oakmeadowford Lock (No.16) near to Bridge 48. Bridge 47A at is a wooden draw bridge. At Consall, Bridge 50, adjacent to the Black Lion is a turn over bridge. Between Oakmeadowford and Consall Forge the canal’ merges into the Rive Churnet to provide a shared water course. The lunch break will be at Consall Forge where food is available at the Black Lion pub. For picnickers, seats and tables are available in the area at the front to Consall Station (¼ mile walk from the pub). Return journey to Cheddleton will be on the 14.21 train departing from Consall Station. From the Cheddleton Station a walk along the canal (1¼ miles) to Leek Road to board the D&G bus service to return to Hanley/Stoke Station for onward rail journeys.

The Lime Kilns at Consall Forge (Listed Building status Grade II) The bank of four preserved lime kilns at Consall Forge were built in the early years of the 18thC. The kilns are fitted within a retaining wall built into a stone faced sloping bank on the hillside. The retaining wall is faced with ashlar stones. The length of the complete structure is 45 yards and height is 30ft. The height was used to provide access from which to load the kilns, which were of the “continuous draw” type. Coal and limestone were loaded at the top of the kiln and as the coal burnt it roasted (reduced) the limestone to quick lime which was formed in the central part of the kiln. The quick lime was removed manually from a draw hole located at the base of the kiln. The Consall kilns used limestone quarried at Cauldon Low. It was transported from the quarry in trains of in wagons that travelled along a gravity tram road to Froghall Wharf, where the stone was transshipped on to narrow boats and then carried along the Caldon Canal to Consall Forge. The kilns went out of use in in the 1890s. More recently the four kilns have been repaired and restored.

The Consall Plateway Although the opening of the Caldon Branch canal provided a much superior mode of transport to the local roads it was not the perfect solution. The canal was often frozen in the winter and its water levels in the summer were too low. For the pottery manufactures south of Stoke, particularly in the Longton area, the journey by canal was a long way round. In 1815 a group of local landowners formed a partnership to provide and build an alternative route to transport the limestone avoiding all but a small length of the Caldon Canal. The proposal was to build a horse drawn tramway from the canal wharf at Consall Forge to Lane End in Longton to provide access to that town and also a link with the T&M Canal further south. A company named the North Railway Company was formed (Not to be confused with the later North Staffordshire Railway Company of 1845). An act of Parliament was not required as the full length of route of the proposed rail way ran across privately owned land, the owners of which had all agreed that their land could be used and legal permission was formalised by the negotiation and agreement of wayleaves. The rail way was built and the first section Consall Forge and Cresswell’s Piece Wood had been completed and was operating by 1817. It became known locally as the Consall Plateway. The type of rail adopted was typical of the early rail ways being built around that time. The rails (plates) were “L” shaped in cross- section, laid with the open side of the “L” facing outwards, which prevented the flat flangeless wagon wheels from running off the track. The rails were laid between stone sleepers each having a single hole through which an iron spike was driven to hold the rail in position. When the complete route was finished the plateway was approximately 7½ miles long and ran between the canal at Consall Forge and near to the village of . It had a relatively short existence. Part of the route was abandoned by the 1830s and closure of the remaining section followed within the next ten years. A few traces of the plateway’s alignment can still be seen in places near to Consall Forge and the tunnel that went under the to Cheadle Road is still extant but the entrances are blocked off.

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These notes are intended for use by those joining the walk and for RCHS members at other times. They should not be copied or stored in any retrieval system, electronic or otherwise Consall Railway Station

Built by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) on its , the station was opened to both passengers and goods on 3rd March 1902. It was quiet country station in a remote location that served the needs of the nearby village and also provided a commuter service for workers who were employed at the local forge and lime kilns. Similar to many stations in the 1960s, passenger numbers decreased and it was officially closed by BR on 4th January 1965. The staion is located in a small gorge on the floor of the Churnet Valley where available space is limited and the River Churnet, Caldon Canal and railway are all squeezed into a very small area. When the station was built the outer edge of the “up “platform and part of its waiting room were cantilevered out and overhung the canal. During the 1970s a railway preservation base was set up at Cheddleton station, which was later to become the base of the preserved Churnet Valley Railway. The CVR had been slowly progressing in preserving the line and by the late 1990s they had reached the site of Consall Station. The “down” platform was still in existence but without any platform edging stones. These were replaced and this platform re-opened for passengers on 11 July 1998. Construction later began on building replica station buildings which opened on 3 March 2002. The second track running through the station, which had served as a run-round loop, had been made redundant when the line was extended to Froghall. Work then began on signalling this loop to allow two-train operation on the line. This involved the addition of signals and a signal box at the station (the original line was double track throughout, so in NSR/BR ownership no box was ever located that Consall). The signal box that has now been imported and installed is an authentic N.S.R. example which was originally located at Clifton station, situated on the NSR’s branch line from to Ashbourne. To complete the restoration the wooden “up” platform was reconstructed so that the original 1902 shelter could be put back into use and passing trains now had a platform to call in the “up” direction. This platform was opened on 22 April 2005 and now the station is relatively complete and due to the new passing loop and signal box, Consall becomes the nerve centre of train operations on peak days.

Further Reading The Trent & Mersey Canal by Jean Lindsey, David & Charles- 1979. The Caldon Canal and Tramroads by Peter Lead, Oakwood Press, 1980. The Trade and Transport 1770 – 1970 by Tom Foxon, Black Dwarf Publications 2015

Gerald Leach September 2019

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These notes are intended for use by those joining the walk and for R&CHS members at other times. They should not be copied or stored in any retrieval system, electronic or otherwise.

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