Red Lion

Another pub, this one is handy for the church!

Memorial

War memorial in the churchyard.

The Coachman

Pub in Hartford.

Sign of the times

Vintage signpost in Hartford.

Hartford

Hartford is a village in the centre of the county, south of Weaverham and Northwich.

Please drive slowly

Information
County:	Cheshire
Unitary authority:	Cheshire West & Chester
Population:	5515 (2011 census)

Hartford was listed in the Domesday Book as Herford part of the Barony of Kinderton, the manor being held by Gilbert de Venables. Hartford was the site of a battle in the Civil War in 1644, there was another skirmish in 1659. Hartford remained a small and sleepy place for centuries.

Hartford's parish church dedicated to St John the Baptist dates from 1875, built on the site of an earlier church which had grown too small for a growing population. One reason for that growth was the early arrival of the railways, Hartford station opening in 1837.

Hartford railway station

Houses in Hartford

St John the Baptist

Crown Anchor

Another pub in the town.

Stone railway station

The fine architecture of Stone station.

Cafe and bank

In Stone.

War memorial

In Stone.

Stone

Stone is a market town in Staffordshire in the centre of the county.

Trent and Mersey Canal in Stone

Information
County:	Staffordshire
District:	Stafford
Population:	16,385 (2011 census)

Stone's name has no esoteric origin, it is derived from the Old English stan meaning "stone"! The legend is that the name comes from a pile of stones erected for the Saxon princes Ruffin and Wulfad by their father King Wulfhere of Mercia in 665 though there is some doubt on the truth behind the legend.

There have been traces of settlement in the area since the Bronze Age. A church was said to have been built over the tombs of Ruffin and Wulfad. This was later replaced by an Augustinian Priory. The current parish church of St Michael and St Wulfad was built in 1758.

Stone was granted a market charter by King Henry III in 1251. Stone became an important centre for brewing. The shoe making industry was also an important trade in the town in the mid 19th century.

Stone's proximity to the river Trent helped it become an important transport stop, many stage coaches passed through the town. The Trent & Mersey Canal was built through Stone in 1772. The canal company's headquarters was in the town a time. Stone railway station was opened in 1848.

Talbot pub

St. Michael and St Wulfad, Stone

Forbury Chapel

Thirteenth century chapel in Leominster.

Chequers

Pub in Leominster.

This way to Worcester

Old sign for the A44.

Old bakery

Bakery shop with a pleasingly old shop sign.

Leominster

Leominster is a market town towards the north of Herefordshire between Hereford and Ludlow.

A Leominster street

Information
County:	Herefordshire
Parish:	Leominster
Population:	11,691 (2011 census)

Leominster takes it's name from the Celtic Leon or Lene and a community of clergy (minster). During the Saxon period Leominster was the home the saint Æthelmod who was probably buried at Leominster. Leominster was raided by the Vikings and later was the site of a battle in 1052 between the Welsh and Saxons, this being the battle of Llanllieni (the Welsh name for Leominster).

A priory was founded in Leominster in 1121 by Reading Abbey, who had been granted the land by Henry I (there was a Saxon priory earlier on established around 660). Part of the priory survives as the parish church of St Peter and St Paul.

As well as Christianity, Leominster is known for it's wool, Ryeland sheep historically came from Leominster and it's wool was much prized in the Middle Ages. In later years Leominster was the site of one of the earliest cotton mills in the world (from around 1748). Leominster railway station, now a stop on the Welsh Marches Line, was opened in 1853.

Semi-timbered building, now a barber shop

Brook Hall

St Peter & St Paul

Tiles

The floor inside St Mary Magdalene church.

Field

Field near the village.

The Bell

The Bell pub.

Church tower

Church tower of St Mary Magdalene.

Tanworth-in-Arden

The Warwickshire village of Tanworth-in-Arden is in the West of the county near to Danzey Green.

You are now entering Tanworth-in-Arden

Information
County:	Warwickshire
District:	Stratford-upon-Avon
Population:	3104 (2011 census)

The village has Anglo-Saxon origins and was known as Tanewotha or Thane's Worth. As the name denotes the village lay in the forest of Arden, though the Arden suffix was only added to the name in the 19th century. Tanworth was part of the manor of Brailes at the time of the Domesday Book. By the early 13th century it was a manor in it's own right held by the Earl of Warwick. Tanworth was a poor parish, being mostly woodland until fairly recently. The land around the village remains mostly agricultural.

The village church is dedicated to St Mary Magdalene and dates from the early 14th century. The pub, the Bell Inn, had as it's licensee for a long time, champion boxer Jack Hood.

The village has no railway station of it's own though sits between and within walking distance of Danzey and Wood End railway stations, the former was for a time known as Danzey for Tanworth.

Houses in Tanworth

Opposite the churchyard

St Mary Magdalene

Inside the church