All Saints Church, Church Lane, SANDON ST18 0DB SATURDAY 14 September 10am – 4pm Grade 1 Listed Church open for a unique behind the scenes history tour of the building, the graveyard and bell tower. Family activities inside and outside. Find out about our NLHF grant to restore rare heritage features. Drinks & cakes available for a donation.
All Saints History Group Outing On Friday 17th May, we visited St. Peter’s Church, Alstonefield. St. Peters was built / founded by Hugh Malbanc 2nd Baron of Wich Malbanc (Nantwich) - as was our Church of All Saints - circa 1133. He also founded Combermere Abbey in around 1135 and up until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII and Combermere was the Patron of All Saints Sandon and St Peters Alstonefield. We were made most welcome by Carrie Osborne and her husband Jon who gave us a very interesting talk on the history of St Peters Church followed by a tour of the church and the churchyard both of which contain a number of Saxon artefacts. This was followed by refreshments including delicious cakes. It was a lovely sunny day and we all thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this delightful area of the Staffordshire Peak District.
Dudley Ryder School Sandon, photograph taken August 1981 one month following the closure of the school. Founded in 1824 & opened 1825 the school originally had individual classrooms for the girls & boys with the headmaster's dwelling in-between the two classrooms. Building's left to right: boy's toilets, headmaster's toilet, school pigsty used during the early days of the school for the children to raise their annual pig. Main building, single story school canteen added 1895, boy's classroom later juniors, headmaster's dwelling later caretaker's dwelling, girl's classroom later infants. Extreme right: girl's toilets, headmistress toilet, tool store & chicken coop used during the early days of the school. During the early days of the school the garden was for the headmaster, the children's garden was situated where the Sandon police station was built next to the parish room and was very ornate with flower beds & vegetable patches. It was lined with mature trees along what is now the A51. Simon Shelley
Wednesday 21st August at 7.30pm The Joy of Flowers with Joy Ashford.We will also have a cake stall supporting Sandon Village Fete on Saturday 17th August where delicious home-made cakes will be on sale - so please do come along and say “hello”. If you are new to the area or an established resident looking to meet people in an inclusive, happy and friendly environment, please visit any of our meetings. We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, in Sandon Parish Room, at 7-30pm.Contact Dawn Beswick, Secretary, on 07970 980088, or email sandonwisecretary@gmail.com to find out more.The speaker in May was Mike Taylor who explained how he had followed a successful career in the Steel Industry then had taken a completely new direction. Mike now Coppices and makes a living from a Woodland which had been neglected for many years. A few years before, he and his wife Julie had bought an Ancient Coppice Woodland in Shropshire, to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary. Coppicing and subtle management of the wood now results in the beginning of ground cover in areas that had been bare for many years. Coppicing also means that the existing trees will refresh, regrow and can be used again and again over many years also improving carbon sequestration, which helps the environment.Mike and his wife are passionate about nature and the woodland is now a safe haven for flora and fauna. It is the home to many species of fungi, flowers and butterflies. Resident wildlife also include deer, hare, badgers, foxes and a diverse bird population.Some of the wood product is sold for thatching, preventing bank errosion, stakes and also creating beautiful and practical products for the home. These are all produced solely by hand tools employing traditional methods as much as possible and using green wood. The wider use of the Woodland by youth groups, health groups and university students is encouraged. Mike gave a fascinating talk and his love for coppicing was obvious. Kathy Bradley, Press Secretary. 07970 980088
