Consall
Encyclopedia
Consall is a small village
situated in the Staffordshire Moorlands
, Staffordshire
, England
. Home of Consall Forge Pottery
where a craftsman potter makes and sells hand-thrown domestic stoneware ceramics. 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.
Agriculture
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
around the Consall area is dairy farming
.
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 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
. 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
.
Consall Railway Station
is on the Churnet Valley Railway
network. The station was re-opened to passengers in July 1998 and it is possible to reach the villages of Froghall
and Cheddleton from the station. For a considerable part of the journey the railway runs alongside the Caldon Canal
, 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 kilns have recently been restored with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund
. These kilns date from the early 19th century and coal
and limestone
was bought along the canal to the kilns. The lime kilns ceased to be in use sometime in the mid to late 19th century.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
situated in the Staffordshire Moorlands
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 2001 census recorded the population as...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Home of Consall Forge Pottery
Consall Forge Pottery
The Consall Forge Pottery studio is located alongside the Caldon Canal at Consall Forge just past the village of Consall, Staffordshire. This studio pottery was established in 1983, and is in a rural area near the RSPB Coombes Valley Reserve....
where a craftsman potter makes and sells hand-thrown domestic stoneware ceramics. It is approximately 6 miles south of the market town of Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
and 8 miles east of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. According to the last Census taken in 2001, Consall had a population of 118.
Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
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
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
around the Consall area is dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
.
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
Consall railway station is a passenger railway station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.-History:Consall station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line of the North Staffordshire Railway, was opened to both passengers and goods on 3 March 1902...
, 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
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
. 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
.
Consall Railway Station
Consall railway station
Consall railway station is a passenger railway station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.-History:Consall station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line of the North Staffordshire Railway, was opened to both passengers and goods on 3 March 1902...
is on the Churnet Valley Railway
Churnet Valley Railway
The Churnet Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway to the east of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. The CVR has two main operational headquarters - Cheddleton station, where the motive power department is based and where the first trains ran, and Kingsley and Froghall station, where...
network. The station was re-opened to passengers in July 1998 and it is possible to reach the villages of Froghall
Kingsley and Froghall railway station
Kingsley and Froghall railway station is a passenger railway station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.-History:Kingsley and Froghall station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line of the North Staffordshire Railway, was opened to both passengers and goods on 1 September...
and Cheddleton from the station. For a considerable part of the journey the railway runs alongside the Caldon Canal
Caldon Canal
The Caldon Canal , opened in 1779, runs 18 miles from Etruria, in Stoke-on-Trent where it leaves the Trent and Mersey Canal at the summit level, to Froghall, Staffordshire...
, 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 kilns have recently been restored with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
. These kilns date from the early 19th century and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
was bought along the canal to the kilns. The lime kilns ceased to be in use sometime in the mid to late 19th century.