Staffordshire: Historic Canals, Pottery and a ‘Swiss’ Village
Staffordshire is one of the many land-locked counties in the West Midlands, this one famed for its pottery history. With industrial roots, most canals these days are now for towpath walks, or pleasure cruising.
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe.
Read our post on how to protect England’s historic canals.
Peaceful Walks in Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase, a designated National Landscape (a more protected new name for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) covers rolling heathland and woodland.
Perfect for walks and wildlife spotting, the quiet forests are rich with bluebells each spring. Bring a picnic and slow down, breathing in the fresh pine air.
Ilam: A Swiss-Style Village
This village is well-known, due to resembling a Swiss village due to little cottages and lush valleys (you would think you were in Lucerne, minus the lake). The stately home that lived here was partly demolished in the 1930s. What remains is now a YHA youth hostel, owned by the National Trust.
Also in Staffordshire is Flash, the highest village in England. Very close to the Cheshire and Derbyshire borders, it had a pretty rough history of smuggling and counterfeiting money. But today it’s loved by locals and tourists, who visit from neighbouring Buxton, a few miles away.
The Peak District in the North
Staffordshire’s corner of the Peak District sits in the north, England’s oldest National Park mostly being in Derbyshire. This packs wild moorland and rugged peaks, and due to being so accessible from so many counties, is by far England’s most popular walking holiday destination.
The ‘winking man’ is a natural rock formation near the village of Leek, as it resembles a face. Protruding from a hillside, locals know him as ‘Winky!’
Tucked away in Staffordshire, Lichfield surprises many who visit. This small city stands out with its stunning three-spired cathedral, one of the most eye-catching in England, and its centuries-old streets that still hold stories from the past. What makes Lichfield special isn’t just its looks though. It’s a compact place packed with hidden museums, quirky shops, and green parks.
History buffs and lovers of culture are drawn here for good reason. The city’s ties to Samuel Johnson and Erasmus Darwin run deep. Visitors find plenty to explore, from medieval architecture to vibrant annual festivals. Lichfield always offers something new to discover, whether you return each year or stroll its lanes for the first time.
If walking in nature, always follow the Countryside Code, to keep dogs and barnyard friends safe.
Lichfield’s streets do more than set a pretty scene. Every corner holds stories from centuries past. To really understand what makes Lichfield different, you have to look at how faith, resilience, and community shaped the city through good times and tough ones. From ancient relics to grand stone walls, Lichfield’s most treasured sites tell the tale of a city shaped by history.
The Shrine of St Chad
St Chad arrived in Lichfield back in the seventh century. He became bishop and turned the city into the heart of early English Christianity. Locals remembered him as gentle, wise, and devout.
After St Chad died in 672, his tomb in Lichfield Cathedral became a spot where pilgrims travelled from all over England. People believed relics of St Chad worked miracles, making his shrine famous across the country.
For centuries, the shrine brought crowds and put Lichfield on the map. Pilgrims filled the streets, bringing business and prestige to local merchants. The cathedral stood as a symbol of hope and faith, weathering plagues, wars, and political change. It shaped community life, with its soaring spires seen from miles away.
Everything changed in the 1530s during the English Reformation. King Henry VIII split the Church of England from Rome and ordered religious shrines like St Chad’s to be destroyed.
Monks and loyal townsfolk tried to protect what they could, but much was lost. The shrine’s treasures vanished. All that survived from the original relics was a small portion, which was later rediscovered and is now displayed within the cathedral.
This sweeping change hit Lichfield hard. Overnight, the city lost its role as a major centre for pilgrims. The cathedral stayed central to local life, but its purpose shifted. Instead of housing relics, it stood as the heart of a changing English church. These dramatic events left their mark, making Lichfield both a place of memory and of adaptation.
If you wander a little farther, you’ll find Dr Milley’s Hospital. Despite its name, this isn’t a hospital in the modern sense. Founded around 1500 by Thomas Milley, a local doctor and churchman, it was set up to house poor women. The building stands to this day, with its timber frames and stone windows recalling simpler times.
The churchyard is the final resting place for Anna Seward, the 18th-century Romantic poet known as the “Swan of Lichfield”. Walking among the stones, you catch glimpses of Lichfield’s lesser-known stories. She was very religious and never married herself, a bit like England’s version of the Romantic poet Emily Dickinson.
Stoke-on-Trent: Home to the Potters!
Staffordshire (and in particular Stoke-on-Trent) is of course known for its pottery. Not to be a party pooper, but high-energy kiln and animal-based glazes have now had their day. These handmade clay wonky bowls are made by hand, with flecked exteriors.
Washing clay tools and wiping down benches can use buckets of fresh water every day. Collect rainwater in a child/pet-safe water butt to rinse hands, clean brushes and scrubbing tables. This little watering can is made from recycled plastic, and even has a little ‘frog ladder’ inside, to let small garden creatures escape, if they fall in.
Oxford Clay has a great e-book on 30 ways to make your pottery greener. It includes which ingredients to use and avoid, eco-friendly tools and recipes (including one without the use of oxides). The same author shows how to make glazes with fallen leaves.
Its own pottery is made with clay that’s fired with clean energy, and uses vegan tools and ingredients. This potter creates ‘green’ colours by recycling copper from broken electronics, and ‘blue colours’ by recycling broken glass and bottles from around the city of Oxford.
The Birthplace of Hard-Living Celebrities!
For some reason (a bit like Finns who play in heavy metal bands), Staffordshire seems to give birth to celebrities who enjoy a pint or two or more! Locals born here include Robbie Williams (whose parents ran a local pub) and Neil Morrisey (the son of Irish parents).
Motorhead’s Lemmy (the Ace of Spades) also hailed from here. Most other hard-living celebrities had nothing on him. After 15 years of taking drink and drugs, he asked for a blood transfusion. But doctors who ran tests said his body would go into shock with healthy blood, as he ‘didn’t have human blood in his system anymore’. He wrote that his body was so toxic, that fresh blood would have killed him.
Slash (guitarist with band Guns’n’Roses) spent his childhood here, before his family emigrated. He recalled that when touring in England, visiting relatives ‘downed every drop of cider in our dressing room. Our booze would have killed anyone but us!’
