Arthur Freeling

“ The town is situated on a rising ground, in the centre of a district abounding with rich mines of coal, firestone, clay; with numerous steam-engines, forges, furnaces, &c., which give it the appearance of a vast forge by day, and a perfect pandemonium by night. With such a basis for its trade, the reader will not wonder at the population. Its extensive water carriage affords every facility of transport, which advantage the enterprising proprietors of the various works avail themselves of to the utmost extent. ”

“ Lichfield is a city and county of itself, with separate jurisdiction, but within the northern division of the hundred of Offlow, county Stafford, pleasantly situated in the midst of a fertile valley, and surrounded by gently swelling hills, on the banks of a stream which falls into the Trent. Pop. 6,499. It is principally dependent on its local trade. Its neighbourhood, however, produces abundance of vegetables, with which it supplies the populous district which surrounds it. Its breed of cattle is also of a very superior kind, and is in great demand. ”

“ There is nothing that can excite the inquiry of the traveller until we arrive at
341⁄4 63
the 63rd mile post, when the river Sow is again seen approaching the railroad, and, by its quiet, silvery, slow meandering, contrasted with the rapidity of the carriages, forcibly reminds us of the singular change which a few years have made in our powers of migration. In the landscape, however, a railroad is not so pleasing an object as the stream ”

“ The Vale Royal Embankment, which is about 150 yards long and 60 feet high, here meets the Viaduct midway in the valley. This bridge bas 5 arches, each 63 feet span, and carries the Railroad across Vale Royal, at an elevation of near 70 feet from the water in the river Weaver, which flows beneath. The village of Moilton may be distinguished to the left, by the spire of its church; and to the westward may be seen the chimnies of Vale Royal Abbey, the seat of Lord Delamere. There is nothing remarkable in the appearance of the present mansion ”

“ The wall, which surrounds the city, is not the least remarkable object; it forms a pleasant promenade, and from it may be seen Rowton Moor, the site of that disastrous battle which Charles the First witnessed from one of the towers. ”

“ It extends 10 miles in length and a mile and a half in breadth, and comprises the borough and market-town of Stoke-upon-Trent, and the several town- ships and villages of Hanley, Shelton, Etruria, Burslem with Long-port and Brown-hills, Lane- end with Longton, Tunstal, Lane Delph, Fenton, Cobridge, and their neighbourhoods. The country abounds with coal and clay, which, with its canal intercourse, extending to all parts of the country, make it the most eligible and most prosperous seat of the manufactures for which it has so long been distinguished. ”

“ The Wyrley and Essington Canal passes near the city. Markets, Tuesday and Friday. Fairs, Jan. 10, Shrove Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday, for iron, cheese, bacon, and cattle; May 12, for sheep and cattle; first Tuesday in November, for geese and cheese. Some have derived its name from the term Lichfield, signifying the field of the dead, upwards of a thousand Christians having perished here in the Dioclesian persecution: others maintain that the name is descriptive of its situation, which was formerly in a marshy ground, and assert it is derived from the word lich, signifying a morass. ”

“ The railroad has now an ascent of 1 in 330; the road is here a considerable height above the valley; it crosses one bridge, and a little further arrives at an excavation of about a mile in length, which is crossed by three bridges. The country is open, the view being bounded by hills at a great distance, and the line is perfectly level for about a mile, within which distance we arrive at the
Acton is a small township in the parish of Weaverham; its population is 335. ”

“ From the castle is an extensive prospect, in which the remains of a monastery, formerly occupied by Cluniac monks, and erected in the year 1161, by the aforesaid Gervase Paganell, and the spire of St. Thomas's Church, form interesting objects. A handsome building, in the immediate neighbourhood of the monastic ruins, is called the Priory. It is the residence of the Earl of Dudley's mining agent. In this district are extensive collieries, and iron and limestone mines. The country around is very beautiful ”

“ Giffard, Wolverhampton is indebted for the flourishing state of its races, and the consequent advantages to the town. To the left is Apsley Hall, now a farm house, occupied by Mr. Lovatt. From this high embankment an extensive view of the country is obtained. To the eastward the view is bounded, at several miles distant, by the high lands of Staffordshire; the intermediate country is like a vast garden, and presents the most happy combinations of wood and verdure. On the right, or westward, the prospect is equally striking, though more con- fined. ”

“ The Lunatic Asylum is a building on a large scale, and, with the grounds, gardens, &c., covers 30 acres, and Almshouses for 12 aged persons. The County Hall is the finest piece of architecture in the town; in it is an armoury, containing 1,000 stand of arms for the Staffordshire militia. The County Goal is also a fine building ”

“ On a level with the streets are low shops, apparently wholesale warehouses, and above them are balustraded gallaries, which have a most singular appearance to strangers, who with difficulty can persuade themselves they are not up one pair of stairs in the house ”

“ The Hall is not however much occupied by its noble owner, as the walks, overrun with the rank luxuriance of the woods and gardens, amply testify; the reason whereof, popular tradition has not failed to ally with the marvellous. ”

“ It is to be regretted that the public are not now admitted to view these delightful grounds, which bear so many recollections of the beautiful spirit of their former proprietor, though we fear the cause is to be found in the accursed spirit which generally pervades Englishmen, inducing them to record their visits ”

“ The stone of which the viaduct was built did come from the Hill Cliff quarry; hence the good villagios are now filled with expectancy, while the nobleman who is the subject of their alarm thinks no more of Nixon or his prophecies, than the fox he follows with so much zeal, or the grouse that he is probably at this moment (12th August) shooting. ”