Cheddleton Station is one of only three original Churnet Valley Stations to have survived demolition in the 1960s and 1970s (the other two being Rushton and Alton). Built in 1849, the station was reputedly designed by Pugin.
For more information on this popular destination please visit the entries for Churnet Valley Railway in our Attractions directory: http://churnet-valley.guide/attractions/churnet-valley-railway-cheddleton
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.
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.
We used this picture, shared with us by Mike Molloy, on our Facebook Friday photo challenge and Mark's comment sums it up nicely: "Caldon Canal between Willow Cottage and the junction with the River Churnet - it's a beautiful bit of our canal."
The Consall Valley is said to be one of the most beautiful stretches of canal in the country. The canal, the river Churnet and the heritage railway come together in this wooded valley. There are no roads, just the canal towpath and the odd steam train run by Churnet Valley Railways. The perfect place to enjoy a walk or cycle.
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.
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.
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.
