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Fancy a Staffordshire Staycation?
house that seemingly defies gravity, strange goings on in an area of outstanding natural beauty and a beautiful Gothic church tucked away in the Moorlands are just some of the different reasons to enjoy a Staffordshire ‘staycation’ this year.
Almost 25 million people visited the county last year for its major attractions such as the Alton Towers Resort, Drayton Manor Park, Lichfield Cathedral and Shugborough Hall, but the county also contains lesserknown, fascinating attractions. Amongst Staffordshire’s top quirky and curious attractions is The Crooked House in Himley, South Staffordshire: This 18th Century building was originally a farmhouse. Now a pub and restaurant, its distinctive appearance is the result of subsidence caused by mining in the 19th Century, meaning one side of the building is now approximately four feet lower than the other. The Ancient High House in Stafford was built in 1595, the Ancient High House is the tallest timber framed town house in England and one of England’s finest Tudor buildings. Fancy cracking an ancient code? Shepherds monument, in the grounds of the
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Shugborough Estate, is home to a 250-yearold un-cracked code that (supposedly) points the way to the legendary Holy Grail. King Arthur never found the Holy Grail and neither did the expert code breakers from the National Code Centre at Bletchley Park who failed to solve this mystery. Shugborough also has the Cat’s Monument, built in 1749 to commemorate the pet cat of Admiral Anson who accompanied him on a voyage around the world. Well worth a visit are the Kinver Rock Houses – home to the cave dwellers of Staffordshire. The Kinver Rock Houses were carved out of a sandstone ridge in South Staffordshire and were still occupied up until the 1950s. They are now owned by National Trust and open to the public daily. St Giles’ Catholic Church, Cheadle, completed in 1846, is considered to be one of the finest of all churches by A W N Pugin. Beautiful gothic revival interiors and intricate carvings make this church one of the best examples of the gothic revival style. Not to be missed is Cannock Chase. Well known as an area of outstanding natural beauty, Cannock Chase has also developed a reputation as being a hotspot for supernatural activity. Whether you are looking for the feared ‘black-eyed child,’ the Pigman or on
the trail of the many ghosts and ghouls supposedly said to haunt the area, Cannock Chase is certainly full of surprises. For those who like wildlife, how about some Wallaby spotting? Red-necked Tasmanian wallabies escaped from a private zoo into the wild at the Roaches in the Peak District National Park during the Second World War. They were believed to have all died by 2009, but a possible sighting was reported in 2014. Whether the wallabies still roam the park is a mystery. Flash is the highest village in England. This village in the Staffordshire Peak District is the highest village in England at 1514 ft above sea level. It is frequently snowbound in the winter and has its own pub. History fans will enjoy the historic court room, Shire Hall, Stafford: Completed in 1798, Stafford's Shire Hall was home to the County Assizes, or criminal courts until 1991. The Courtroom, Foyer Exhibition and Holding Cell are open daily until 4pm. Among those tried at the Shire Hall were the forger William Booth, who was convicted and hung here. William Palmer, the Rugeley Poisoner was also detained in the cells here, before being tried at the Old Bailey in 1856.