Two Saints Way

Last updated May 18, 2019

The Two Saints Way is a recreated pilgrimage route of 92 miles between the cathedral cities of Chester in Cheshire and Lichfield in Staffordshire. The two saints referenced are St Werburgh and St Chad. The route partly follows the Heart of England Way and is around 95% waymarked.

Chester is a walled city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales. With a population of 118,200 in 2011, it is the most populous settlement of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 329,608 in 2011, and serves as the unitary authority's administrative headquarters. Chester is the second-largest settlement in Cheshire after Warrington.

Cheshire is a county in North West England, bordering Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south and Flintshire, Wales and Wrexham county borough to the west. Cheshire's county town is the City of Chester (118,200); the largest town is Warrington (209,700). Other major towns include Crewe (71,722), Ellesmere Port (55,715), Macclesfield (52,044), Northwich (75,000), Runcorn (61,789), Widnes (61,464) and Winsford (32,610)

Lichfield is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly 16 mi (26 km) north of Birmingham, 9 miles (14 km) from Walsall and 13 miles (21 km) from Burton Upon Trent. At the time of the 2011 Census the population was estimated at 32,219 and the wider Lichfield District at 100,700.

History

The inaugural pilgrimage took place in March 2012.

Route

Chester to Nantwich

Starting at Chester Cathedral and passing by the Roman amphitheatre and the pilgrim church of St John's, the route predominantly follows the Shropshire Union Canal with diversions to Christleton, Beeston Castle, Bunbury village and St Mary's Church in Acton, and is relatively flat. This section ends at St Mary's Church in the market town of Nantwich.

Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since 1541 it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester.

The Shropshire Union Canal, nicknamed the "Shroppie" is a navigable canal in England. The Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union (SU) system and lie partially in Wales.

Christleton is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Chester in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The 2001 Census recorded a population for the entire civil parish of 2,112. The Shropshire Union Canal passes through the village. There is also a large pond situated by the village widely known as "Christleton Pit" which attracts children from the village and surrounding areas due to the abundance of wildlife, swans, and ducks.

Nantwich to Stoke-on-Trent

Farmland predominates in this section and the route becomes hillier. The route passes the Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum of Primitive Methodism ^[1] and the village of Barthomley before reaching Stoke-on-Trent. The halfway point of the trail is Stoke Minster, which has a Saxon preaching cross.

Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum is in the village of Englesea-Brook, Cheshire, England. Built in 1828, the chapel was one of the earliest chapels of the Primitive Methodist movement, and the Sunday school was added in 1914. Since 1986 it has been a museum of Primitive Methodism. The building is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. In the chapel is a historic pipe organ. The museum contains artefacts relating to the movement, and arranges a changing programme of exhibitions and other events. In the graveyard near the museum is a monument to Hugh Bourne, founder of the movement.

Barthomley is a village and ancient parish, and is now a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 and the 2011 census' the parish had a population of 202. The village is situated near junction 16 of the M6 motorway and by the border with Staffordshire. It is about three miles south-west of Alsager.

Stoke-on-Trent is a city and unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of 36 square miles (93 km²). Together with the neighbouring boroughs of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire Moorlands, it is part of North Staffordshire. In 2016, the city had a population of 261,302.

Stoke-on-Trent to Stafford

The route follows the Trent Valley along sections of the Trent and Mersey Canal and remnants of the Staffordshire New Forest at Trentham and Tittensor Chase. It passes through the market town of Stone and the village of Burston to Salt, where it turns south west over Hopton Heath and Beacon Hill to reach St Chad's, the oldest church in the county town of Stafford.

The Trent and Mersey Canal is a 93.5-mile (150.5 km) canal in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and north-west of England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and west of Middlewich, it is a wide canal.

Trentham is a suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in North Staffordshire, England, south-west of the city centre and south of the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is separated from the main urban area by open space and by the Trent and Mersey Canal and the River Trent, giving it the feel of a village.

Stone is a market town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, 7 miles (11 km) north of Stafford and 7 miles (11 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent. It was an urban district council and a rural district council before becoming part of the Borough of Stafford in 1974.

Stafford to Lichfield

The route follows the River Sow out of Stafford and then joins the Heart of England Way at Milford to cross Cannock Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The route passes the Katyn Memorial, the Cannock Chase Visitor Centre and Castle Ring hill fort. The route then runs through farmland, passing the Cross in Hand Lane, to reach Lichfield and the pilgrim sites at the cathedral and St Chad's Well.

The River Sow is a tributary of the River Trent in Staffordshire, England, and is the river that flows through Stafford.

The Heart of England Way is a long distance walk of around 160 km (100 mi) through the Midlands of England. The walk starts from Milford Common on Cannock Chase and ends at Bourton on the Water in the Cotswolds passing through the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire.

Milford is a village in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies at the edge of Cannock Chase, on the A513 road between Stafford and Rugeley. Just to the north of the village is the River Sow.

Related Research Articles

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands of England. It borders with Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, West Midlands and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west.

Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district. It is a former Royal forest.

Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent, and is situated between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter. At the 2001 census the town's population was 22,724,. increasing to 24,033 at the 2011 Census. Rugeley is twinned with Western Springs, Illinois and in July 1962 the towns made telephone history on national television when the chairman of Rugeley Urban District Council made the first telephone call via the new Telstar satellite to the Mayor of Western Springs.

The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² (1,744 sq mi) of several counties: all of Staffordshire, northern Shropshire, a significant portion of the West Midlands, and very small portions of Warwickshire and Powys (Wales).

The Chase Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs from its southern terminus, Birmingham New Street, to Walsall, and then Rugeley in Staffordshire, where it joins the Trent Valley Line. The name of the line refers to Cannock Chase which it runs through at its northern end.

St Swithun's Way is a 34-mile (55 km) long-distance footpath in England from Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire to Farnham, Surrey. It is named after Swithun, a 9th-century Bishop of Winchester, and roughly follows the Winchester to Farnham stretch of the Pilgrims' Way. The route was opened in 2002 to mark the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

Great Wyrley is a civil parish and large village in the district of South Staffordshire, England, forming part of the Staffordshire border with the metropolitan borough of Walsall, West Midlands. It had a population of 11,060 at the 2011 census.

The Staffordshire Way is a long distance walk in Staffordshire, England. The path links with the Cheshire Gritstone Trail, the Heart of England Way and the North Worcestershire Path.

James Trubshaw was an English builder, architect and civil engineer. His civil engineering works include the construction of the Grosvenor Bridge in Chester, Cheshire, then the longest stone span. He also pioneered the technique of underexcavation with the straightening the leaning tower of St Chad's in Wybunbury, Cheshire.

Colwich is a civil parish and village in Staffordshire, England. It is situated off the A51 road, about 3 miles (5 km) north west of Rugeley, and 7 miles (11 km) south east of Stafford. It lies principally on the north east bank of the River Trent near Wolseley Bridge, just north of Cannock Chase. The parish comprises about 2,862 hectares (28.62 km²) of land in the villages and hamlets of Colwich, Great Haywood, Little Haywood, Moreton, Bishton, and Wolseley Bridge.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service responsible for fire protection, prevention, intervention and emergency rescue in the county of Staffordshire and unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent. The county has a population of 1,126,200 and covers a total area of 2,260 sq km. Staffordshire shares the majority of its border with Derbyshire, Cheshire, West Midlands (County) and Shropshire; although, in much shorter stretches, the county also butts up against Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

The Mercian Trail is the name given to a group of museums and historical sites in the West Midlands of England that will be used to display objects from the Staffordshire Hoard. The trail is organised by a partnership of Lichfield District, Tamworth Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Birmingham City Council, and features the following locations:

Kingstone is a village and civil parish within the English county of Staffordshire.

The county of Staffordshire is divided into nine districts. The districts of Staffordshire are Tamworth, Lichfield, Cannock Chase, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, and Stoke-on-Trent.

Chadsmoor is an urban settlement within Cannock Chase District in the County of Staffordshire, England and lies between the wards of Cannock and Hednesford in South Staffordshire.

References

↑ Methodist Heritage Committee Annual Report 2016, accessed 23 December 2016

External links

Two Saints Way

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[1] Methodist Heritage Committee Annual Report 2016, accessed 23 December 2016