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Caldon Canal towpath

Consall Forge Kilns

Against the canalised River Churnet stands a bank of four large limekilns, dating from the early 19th Century.  They were linked to a plateway built between 1815 and 1819 that ran from the Caldon Canal to north of Caverswall. 

Coal was brought in on the plateway from a number of local collieries, whilst lime was carried to Weston Coyney and beyond. By 1840 the line was out of use, although it is unclear precisely when the kilns ceased operation.

Changeover Bridge 52

The Caldon Canal opened in 1778 between Froghall and Etruria where it joined the Trent & Mersey Canal. Limestone, coal and materials from the Potteries were carried in narrow boats towed by horses.

When the railway was constructed in the 1840s, in order to provide space for the trackbed in the very narrow section of the valley, it was necessary to divert some sections of the canal between Froghall and Consall Forge. A new canal channel was dug closer to the steep-sided wooded valley and the towpath was also relocated to the side away from the railway.

Consall Station

Set in a picturesque hamlet deep in the Churnet Valley, Consall is the railway's "jewel in the crown". Sharing the valley floor with both the Caldon Canal and the River Churnet, this sleepy rural station is full of Victorian charm having been carefully restored to how it original was on its opening in 1902.

Froghall Wharf

Now a sleepy end to the Caldon Canal, two centuries ago Froghall Wharf was a thriving industrial transport hub, equipped with lime kilns, warehousing and a meeting point for both the canal and railway networks. It is hard to imagine that the wharf was once the busy loading point for limestone brought down the tramways from the quarries at Cauldon Low.

Now the area is a growing leisure destination. 

Cherry Eye Bridge

The bridge is named after a condition of ironstone miners' eyes, from the redness caused by rubbing them with ore-stained hands. The Cherry Eye ironstone quarry site was near to this bridge.

The unusual shape of the bridge is thought to have been done for aesthetic reasons, to placate the local landowner when the canal was built.

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