Chase Heritage Trail
Two immersive experiences—Chase Tales Trail and Hear Our Heritage—capture the spirit of Cannock Chase through creative collaborations between Birmingham Rep, local schools, and community actors. Highlights include musical animations crafted by children with artist Ruth Allen and The Rep, as well as audio stories that uncover the hidden histories of local sites.
Funded by Cannock Chase Cultural Education Partnership and partners, the project celebrates the area’s rich heritage. Visitors can explore the trail using the Cannock Chase Can app, free on Google Play and the App Store.
Take a journey with Winnie, our narrator, as she travels through time and experiences stories from Cannock Chase.
Video
High Green
In 1864, Cannock's public water pumps were vital community hubs where women and children gathered. Dr. Byrche's Conduit Trust installed six pumps, greatly improving public health and giving Cannock one of the lowest mortality rates in the country. This scene highlights how clean water transformed daily life.
Cannock Town Centre
In 1910–1920 Cannock, eccentric Dr. Butter, a local GP, rode around in a zebra-drawn trap and kept exotic animals like giraffes and kangaroos. When he left for the Great War, the animals disappeared—sparking lasting local legends of wild sightings on Cannock Chas
St Luke's Church
This scene tells of a stained glass window at St Luke’s Church, commissioned by Mr. Loxton in memory of his son Edward, who died in the Great War. Unveiled in 1917, it honors Edward, his regiment, and the sacrifice of many families.
Mill Green and Hawks Green
This lively scene brings Cannock’s working mill to life, with giant stones grinding grain for bakers like Taylor’s. We meet Horace the horse and his cheeky driver, who’s always sneaking pub breaks, showing the daily rhythm of flour-making and a horse with a sharp memory.
East Cannock Road
This animated scene tells of Erskine, a Victorian Music Hall star known as The Lightning Cartoonist. From London to Cannock Chase during the Great War, he kept his passion for drawing alive. Living in the Red House, he helped bring stories to life through art—a celebration of creativity and local history.
In and Around Anglesey Street
This playful scene follows Winnie as she explores Hednesford’s Anglesey Street, meeting sweetmakers, visiting stables and skating rinks, and seeing the town’s pastimes change over time. Full of charm and nostalgia, it’s a joyful look at the high street’s history.
Hednesford Town Centre
This cheerful scene with Winnie strolls down Hednesford’s Market Street, celebrating family-run shops like Blagg’s and Tranter’s. It ends at Tribali’s café, where kids enjoy exotic gelato and Winnie savours rum and raisin—a joyful tribute to local life and community charm.
Hednesford Park
This lively scene captures the 1931 grand opening of Hednesford Park, where crowds cheer as Colonel Williamson unveils new tennis courts, bowling greens, and more—thanks to the Cannock Chase Miners' Welfare Committee.
Museum of Cannock Chase
In 1888 at Pool Pit Colliery, the harsh sounds of coal mining fill the air as generations of miners toil underground. This scene honors both the tough work and the strong women who cared for families and kept the community resilient before pit baths arrived in 1940.
Hednesford Hills
Sounds rise from peaceful nature to roaring engines and pounding hooves as crowds cheer thrilling horse and car races. The chant “Fast cars, fast hooves, fast times” echoes Hednesford’s excitement before calm returns.
Brindley Heath
Winnie recounts Brindley Village’s origins as a wartime hospital turned mining community, where families like Beryl and Ted found home and love.
But tragedy struck with a deadly pit explosion, and by 1950 the village was abandoned—now vanished, its memory fading back into the earth.
The Great War Hut
At Christmas 1915, Winnie visits the Great War Hut, where soldiers—including her father Frank—share songs and write postcards, holding onto hope amid war’s hardships. Their courage and the families waiting at home are remembered through heartfelt voices from the past.
Fair Oak Pools and Fair Oak Colliery
Mama Vole and Baby Vole explore the countryside, spotting wildlife and sharing jokes while recalling the failed Fair Oak Colliery and its dynamite blasts. Despite the mining chaos, they stay cheerful and remind us to notice nature’s signs amid history’s impact.
Cannock Chase Forest
Winnie invites everyone to explore the wild beauty and mystery of Cannock Chase — from adders and wild deer to tales of big cats and ghostly spooks.
Together they celebrate its magical flora, fauna, and ancient woodlands, reminding us to breathe in the extraordinary wonder all around.
Slitting Mill Village
In 1833, Winnie visits Stonehouse infant school, a rare free school founded by Sarah Hopkins to give local children a chance to learn when many worked instead of attending school.
Slitting Mill and Rising Brook
On a hot summer day at Rising Brook, locals enjoy Mary Sant’s tea and cakes by the waterfall. Though her cottage was lost in 1931, her warm spirit still fills the air.
Church Street Conservation Area
Sarah Hopkins, a wealthy philanthropist from Church Street, dedicates her fortune to helping others through schools and homes, choosing charity over traditional roles.
Sheep Fair
It’s 1800 market day with farmers selling sheep, lively bartering, bleating animals, and the squelch of boots in muck—luckily, there’s a boot scraper nearby!
Rugeley Town Centre
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Winnie visits Lea Hall Colliery on its final day in 1991 and witnesses the demolition of Rugeley Power Station by 2021, marking the end of an industrial era while honouring the community’s enduring spirit.
Working Life Around Market Square
Winnie visits Rugeley’s Market Square, where history meets today. She meets John Key, mail-order pioneer whose son invented the Donkey jacket. Their old building is now a coffee shop, blending past and present innovation.
St Augustine's Church
In a peaceful graveyard, Winnie talks with a robin who views the stones as a map of past lives. She invites listeners to imagine leaving a time capsule and shares a story of a real one buried in the church, as church bells ring nearby.
The Old Chancel
Winnie introduces the posh Hollinhurst sisters, Emma and Elizabeth, local legends buried in sacks by Cromwell for breaking burial laws. They banter playfully about their unusual resting place, ending with Winnie’s cheeky graveyard joke.
The Trent & Mersey Canal
In 1765, James Brindley built a canal to boost Rugeley’s trade. But in 1839, Christina Collins was found dead by the “Bloody Steps,” a mysterious local legend still remembered today
