It was my turn this week and there were only 3 of us to travel into Staffordshire again. Geoff had already been to Croxden Abbey but its somewhere i hadn't visited. It only took about 45 minutes to get there and we parked right outside the main gate at about 06:45 ish. Unfortunately since the boys had been previously the place is now locked up and opening time was 10:00 am. We had a wander around took a few pics then decided to have a look around Rocester village and walk around the JCB lake.
First call was to Croxden Abbey.
Croxden Abbey was a Cistercian abbey at Croxden, Staffordshire,
England. In 1179, Bertram de Verdun, the lord of the manor of
Croxden, endowed a site for a new abbey, and 12 monks arrived from Normandy to
build the new abbey over the next 50 years. It was known as the "Abbey of the
Vale of St. Mary at Croxden. The monks made a living from breeding sheep. The
Abbey was consecrated in 1253. The abbey lasted for 350 years until the Dissolution
of the Monasteries. In September 1538, the abbot and the twelve remaining monks
surrendered the abbey.
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| The ruins of Croxden Abbey |
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| We passed this view on the way to Rocester, wall to wall JCB's |
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| There were a huge variety of ducks & geese on the JCB Lake |
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| This is a nice name for the end of row cottage "Wits End" brilliant. |
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| The centre of Rocester village |
In 1781 Richard Arkwright bought an old corn mill on the River Dove
and converted it to a water-powered cotton mill. This introduced industry to a
predominantly agricultural community. With industry came the canal and railway
networks, and Rocester became an important trading point. The mill was a great
driving force in the expansion of the village; its owners were responsible for
much building in the village. The mill has now been converted into the JCB Academy. The mill remained the primary employer until the
1950s, and finally closed in 1985. By this time another major employer had
arrived in the village, JCB. The present factory, on the site of the
original 1950s factory, was opened in 1970 and is the world headquarters for
the company.
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| The caption over the door says The Turbury Mill Company. |
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| A fleet of old tractors came by as we were walking down the road |
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| At the bottom right hand 0of the pic is an archimedes screw which generates power from the flow of water. |
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| The JCB Academy - Formerly the Tutbury Cotton Mill |
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| Bridge over the river Dove |
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| Dandelions as far as the eye can see |
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| Dandelions and the river Dove bridge |
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| The river Dove in front of the JCB Academy |
St Michael's,Church, Rocester was constructed in the 13th century.
However, it was mostly rebuilt in 1873 although the tower is the original
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| St. Michaels Church Rocester |
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| West View |
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| St. Michaels Church and the remains of an ancient cross |
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| This is the old Rocester Mill and weir on the river Churnet |
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| Rob |
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| Heron over the JCB lake |
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| One of the sculptures dotted around the lake. |
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| Pathway to heaven |
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| A load of fish scrapping for a bit of ginger biscuit i chucked into water |
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| More ducks |
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| Oyster catcher on its nest |
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| Even a pair of black swans |
There's more ducks on this lake than you can shake a stick at!!
This was another great little walk with a lot to take in from ancient monuments, old mills and JCB's.
See you next week.
