My Heart is in Biddulph

There is a little town in England who has captured my heart forever.BIDDULPH, Stoke-on-Trent. It brings back memories of love, peace, tranquility, the true spirit of being human and dreams. The citizens are beautiful, not only in looks but their nature is one of a kind. They do not hesitate to help, always willing to do and give kind advice. The most memorable time for me was my wedding in 1989, venturing late at night into the quiet streets of Biddulph, going to Mowcop Castle and of course, riding in the Red Bus, on our way to London. Oh, and the great time I had travelling to Wales...a beautiful, beautiful place.

To start off on my journey, I would like to introduce you to MowCop Castle.  

THE HISTORY OF MOWCOP CASTLE

Mow Cop (pronunciation: rhymes with cow, not with cutting the grass), considered to be the site of an open-air religious gathering on 31 May 1807 that is considered to be the start of Primitive Methodism. It remained a popular location for revivalist meetings. 

This is a photo of the folly (more to come over the next day or two), built in 1754. Access is now fairly restricted due to a sucide that took place a few years ago off the cliff face. The structure is protected with various bits of metal and fencing, but you can easily walk around its base.

The castle was built in 1754 by local stone masons John and Ralph Harding, for Randle Wilbraham of Rode Hall. The ruined curtain wall was never more than a picturesque folly to add effect to the eastern skyline as seen from Rode Hall 3 miles away. The tower was a summerhouse, originally two storeys high with a cone shaped roof which could be used as a beacon.

"I can remember when the floor was there, the windows in and glassed, 
when the door was locked by an inside lock and key...." 

" We were accustomed to boil our kettle and have tea in it (tower) on calm days..."

It was built exactly on the county boundary and used by two families, the Wilbrahams and the Sneyd family of Keele who owned the Staffordshire side. The idea of the structure possibly perpetuated the custom of building a tower as part of the ancient celebrations held at Lammastide (1st August). These festivities became formalised as Mow Wake, an event which survived to the 19th century. Quarrying of the hard-wearing rock known as millstone grit probably began on Mow Cop during the iron age. The first product was querns, the hand mills used for grinding corn. By early medieval times these were replaced by flat circular millstones. Below the tower on the eastern side may still be seen a half-hewn millstone. The stone was also used for buildings, sinks, troughs and othe domestic or agricultural items. This outcrop of rock is the western limit of the folded Carboniferous rocks which form the Pennine chain. On the eastern side of the summit coal was mined, and limestone was quarried on the western slope. Further west are the low-lying softer rocks of the Cheshire Plain. The OLD MAN OF MOW stands as a rock pinnacle isolated by quarrying. Its top is the highest piece of solid ground on the hill, 356 metres (1170 ft) above sea level.

Local historians suggest that it marks the original position of a cairn, which may have been a burial chamber of the type seen 6 miles to the north at Bridestones. This would have contributed to the spiritual significance of the hill-top and might explain why the quarrymen left it.

Photos of MowCop with thanks to: 

First two photo's with thanks to:

History of MowCop