A to Z HIGHLIGHTS OF EAST STAFFORDSHIRE - PART 5
MAYFIELD
Mayfield is a large ancient village comprising the hamlets of Upper Mayfield, Middle Mayfield, Church Mayfield and Mayfield. It dates back to the Saxon era. There has been a church in Mayfield for well over a thousand years. The wooden Saxon church was replaced in about 1125 by a Norman stone building. It has been extended several times since then. There has been a mill in the village since at least 1291 when most of Mayfield was in the ownership of Tutbury Priory. There have been several owners of the site since then and it has been used for various purposes. For almost 200 years textile production took place at the mill. In 1934, the William Tatton Company started to process silk from the site. Further changes in ownership have taken place in recent years.
The oldest house in this ancient settlement dates from 1440. Also, there is a long list of listed buildings. These add to the enjoyment of those people who come to explore this fascinating village. Visitors can enjoy a guided walk by obtaining a leaflet or downloading one from the Mayfield Heritage Group website. Information boards are placed strategically around the village.
In the churchyard, there is a war memorial to six men from RAF Wymeswold who lost their lives when their Wellington Bomber crashed nearby in a thunderstorm on 13 June 1944.
Mayfield was the home of the Irish poet Thomas Moore – a close friend of Lord Byron, who visited regularly. One of Byron’s young daughters is buried in the churchyard as she died while on a visit to the village. Mayfield Well Dressings was restarted in 1995. The first having taken place in 1896. It is one of a small handful of well-dressings outside Derbyshire.
MAYFIELD – HANGING BRIDGE
Mayfield Bridge over the River Dove that divides Staffordshire and Derbyshire was originally a narrow packhorse bridge. It is often referred to as the ‘Hanging Bridge.’ Because of the actions of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s soldiers who were returning north after the plan to march to London and overthrow the monarchy had been controversially abandoned. No doubt frustrated; the soldiers terrorised the residents of Mayfield who barricaded themselves in the church. They were fired on by the soldiers and the church door still bears the scars made by the musket balls. Two of the villagers were killed, but those responsible were caught and hanged from gallows over the side of the bridge. It is often claimed that the bridge got its name following the hanging of the Scottish soldiers, but this does not seem to be the case. According to the Mayfield Heritage Group, it had been known as the ‘Hanging Bridge’ for at least 200 years previously.
NEEDWOOD
There used to be an 18th-century coaching inn at the small settlement of Needwood. The inn once provided refreshments and accommodation for travellers passing through Needwood Forest. Records show an inn on this site from around 1760 when it was known as the Moseley Arms. Following the retirement of the licensees in 2014, several unsuccessful attempts were made to sell it as a going concern. It was eventually sold to a developer for residential purposes. On the opposite side of the road, the Needwood Service Station acts as a convenience store and petrol station.
NEWBOROUGH
Newborough is a pleasant little village that stands in a narrow dale on the eastern edge of East Staffordshire. The River Swarbourn flows through the centre on its way southwards to a meeting with the River Trent. Newborough was listed in the Domesday Book, but it was not until 1263 that it got its present name and it was 1866 before it became a civil parish. It had previously been part of the Hanbury Parish District.
Situated in the middle of the village is All Saints’ Church, next to Needwood Primary School and opposite the Red Lion public house and the Old Baker’s Cottage coffee shop. Originally there were three public houses in the village. All Saints’ Church was built on the site of The White Hart. The Buffalo is now a residential home and only the Red Lion survives.
In 1977, the village was designated as a Conservation Area. The appraisal placed great importance on ‘the green,’ in the centre of the village, which was once the historical ‘marketplace’. Today, Newborough is largely made up of commuters, people who work from home and retirees. One business that still survives is the Piano Workshop on Yoxall Road.
The new church with its octagonal tower is Grade II listed as is the Old Thatch on Yoxall Road which is the only remaining thatched cottage within the village and also the oldest building. Newborough Hall Farm on Hollybush Road is also Grade II listed and includes a nearby Scheduled Ancient Monument (a moated farmstead).
Newborough is also famous for its well dressings often the earliest in the year in the well-dressing season. There is a piano workshop on the edge of the village.
NEWCHURCH
For many years the settlement of Newchurch had a church, Christ Church, which serviced a few farms and houses. It was declared redundant and closed in 1998. The church is now a private house, but the graveyard is consecrated and remains open.
NEWTON
The attractive hamlet of Newton is set in the heart of the countryside just to the north of Blithfield Reservoir. Composed of picturesque old cottages and farms.
OKEOVER
Okeover Bridge a low single-arched bridge that crosses the Dove divides Staffordshire and Derbyshire. On the Staffordshire side of the river is the former Okeover Corn Mill, some distance behind, on the opposite side of the road stands Okeover Hall. The hall dates from the 18th century, a pleasing mainly Georgian building of red brick around three sides of a courtyard, with a more recent extension. It has a church only a few yards away, built as a private chapel.
There is a public road across Okeover Park, once the province of deer, but sheep now hold sway. Motorists confronted in towns and cities with road calming measures undertaken to reduce speed often have to drive over manmade humps in the road or sleeping policemen as they are sometimes called. Another form of road calming is in operation at Okeover Park, particularly when the sun is out and the tarmac is warm. This takes the form of sleeping sheep lying on the hot road that only moves with great reluctance to let passing motorists through, having been slowed almost to a standstill. As a last resort drivers have to sound their horns to make any further progress.
OUTWOODS
Outwoods Parish is situated within the Borough of East Staffordshire approximately one mile from Burton town-centre. It is semi-rural and split between the areas of Upper Outwoods to the north and Lower Outwoods to the south. The housing stock is mainly located along the main roads that run through the area. There are only two Grade II listed buildings. It is unusual if not unique for a parish with only two listed buildings, for them both to be milestones. One at Beam Hill Cross Roads and the other on Forest Road, both are cast iron. The parish also lies almost entirely within the National Forest. The parish formerly had a racecourse, with the ‘King’s Plate’ as the principal race. Cock-fighting was another regular attraction.
PRESTWOOD
Prestwood is an isolated hamlet reached along a narrow lane with hedges on both sides. The River Churnet is to the south and the Weaver Hills, towering up to over 1,200 feet, to the north. Prestwood’s existence was recorded as early as 1197. It only consists of a handful of farms and cottages line Quixhill Lane. The views in the area are outstanding and several footpaths lead to the Churnet Valley and Alton.
QUIXHILL
First-time visitors leaving Denstone heading north along the B5032, who look left after crossing Grade II listed Quixhill Bridge, along a narrow lane are in for a surprise. They will see two lodges, both listed as Grade II*, also a Triumphal arch, gates and railings Grade II* listed. The answer is that Quixhill Lane was once one of the entrances to Alton Towers. The hamlet itself consists of a handful of cottages and farms surrounded by beautiful countryside.
RAMSHORN
It is often said that more sheep than people live at Ramshorn. Little remains of the old village apart from a few farms and cottages set in attractive upland countryside in the shadow of the Weaver Hills. Ramsor (Methodist spelling) has played a significant part in the history of the Primitive Methodist Movement. Camp meetings were held there and William Clowes was ‘expelled’ from Wesleyan Methodism for attending a Camp meeting in the village. The chapel was built in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, and replaced an earlier building that existed nearby on the grounds of Chapel Farm.
Wootton Lodge in Ramshorn parish was built in the 17th century by Sir Richard Fleetwood and is a fine example of domestic architecture of that period. It is a Grade II listed building. Wootton Lodge in Ramshorn parish was built in the 17th century by Sir Richard Fleetwood and is a fine example of domestic architecture of that period. It is a Grade II listed.
