Gnosall
Gnosall maps (2 available)
Map of Staffordshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
See this old map of Staffordshire
Personalised maps
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Gnosall books (7 available)
- 9 photos on Gnosall appear in 4 Frith books - View photos of Gnosall
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Gnosall and Staffordshire
Gnosall memories
Read and share memories of Gnosall and Staffordshire inspired by Frith photos
Norbury Junction!
This is Norbury Junction, not far from but, definitely not Gnosall.
The boys in the woodwork class at school (Gnosall) built a canoe as a project which was afterwards stored in the old Mill on the opposite side of the canal to the Navigation Inn. (The Mill was the first in the area to be steam powered, I think). The canoe could be hired out for 6d, and it was very popular with me amongst others! (in the summer months I virtually 'hogged it'.) I used to paddle up and down the canal, sometimes reaching Norbury junction.
Contributed by Penny Trueman
Mason''s Lawn
We moved from the hamlet of Moreton/Bromstead to Gnosall, where my Dad worked, (based at the council wharf) in 1958, and Mason's lawn wasn't built then! We used to have our bonfires on the site and, if 1963 was the year it snowed really heavily (and I believe it was) - we were still building snowmen and rolling massive snowballs there!
Contributed by Penny Trueman
The Boat
The Boat is the name of the Inn on the left of the picture. As children we used to walk across the top of bridge wall and, as a further dare, across the pipes which ran just below the parapet, above the water.
Once, when I was serenely paddling the canoe back from Cowley Tunnel, a loaded barge came up behind me 'out of no-where'. It was MUCH BIGGER than I would have thought a barge could be, even if I had expected one, which I hadn't. I don't know who was the more horrified: me or the bargee!!!!
Contributed by Penny Trueman
Staffordshire memories
The Boat
The Boat is the name of the Inn on the left of the picture. As children we used to walk across the top of bridge wall and, as a further dare, across the pipes which ran just below the parapet, above the water.
Once, when I was serenely paddling the canoe back from Cowley Tunnel, a loaded barge came up behind me 'out of no-where'. It was MUCH BIGGER than I would have thought a barge could be, even if I had expected one, which I hadn't. I don't know who was the more horrified: me or the bargee!!!!
A memory of Gnosall contributed by Penny Trueman
Extracts From Gnosall & Staffordshire books
In the distance is the tower of St Lawrence’s parish church. Probably built on the site of a Saxon predecessor, it displays some of the best 12th-century Norman carving in the county. Gnosall has a stone lock-up that was used for miscreants and drunks. Running close by is the Shropshire Union Canal, engineered by Thomas Telford and constructed between 1827 and 1835, linking Birmingham to the Mersey.
An extract from from"English Villages".
In the distance is the tower of the parish church, St Lawrence. Dating back to Norman times it was one of a number of collegiate churches established in the county; others included Penkridge, Tamworth and Wolverhampton. These churches enjoyed special status. They were founded on royal patronage and were exempt from the bishop’s authority. However, Gnosall never achieved full collegiate status.
An extract from from"Staffordshire Photographic Memories".
Work on the canal at Gnosall began in 1830. One of
the main problems facing the engineers was that they
would have to bore a 690yd tunnel at Cowley.
However, the rock they were boring kept crumbling
away, leaving the engineer in charge, William Povis,
little choice but to open it out and take the top off. In
the end, the tunnel, which can be seen in the distance,
was reduced in length to just over eighty yards.
An extract from from"Staffordshire Pocket Album".
Most villages supported several shops and pubs. Gnosall also had two canal-side pubs, the Boat Inn by Bridge No 34, and the Navigation Inn by Bridge No 35.
An extract from from"Staffordshire Photographic Memories".
Most villages supported several shops and pubs.
Gnosall also had two canal-side pubs, the Boat Inn
by Bridge No 34, and the Navigation Inn by
Bridge No 35.
An extract from from"Staffordshire Pocket Album".