Stone

I had a wander into Stone, there’s an information plaque just behind my mooring which gives an account of ‘The Story of the Canal’

In brief, the idea was to link the merchants in Liverpool with the potters in Staffordshire. After the necessary Act of parliament was passed on 14^th May 1766 the first committee meeting of the ‘Grand Trunk Canal Company’ was held at The Crown Inn, Stone on 10^th June 1766 where James Brindley was appointed surveyor and Josiah Wedgwood treasurer. Locals greeted the plan with enthusiasm which was reinforced when the canal company decided to locate its headquarters in Stone. Work began on the Stone section in 1771 and required the construction of the four locks, the opening ceremony was a little too enthusiastic with a newspaper report declaring that ‘the arrival of the boats up the canal at Stone ended with great damage  by the repeated firing of the cannon. One of the locks and a bridge fell in and much damaged another by which damage the boats were unable to return. 

Damages were estimated at £1000.00, they knew how to party J

However despite that start the Market town of Stone thrived and today it is still important in canal culture. My walk around found a pleasant town with a great number of Churches, I counted six at least and here’s a couple of the more substantial ones.

St Michaels and St Wulfads

Christ Church

and another

A walk up the High Street

Lead me to The Crown and Anchor, I don’t think this is the one previously mentioned, there were as any pubs as churches, but this was the prettiest in my opinion.

A fairly large pleasant town, not overly large but lively although the market wasn’t operating today, there is a Morrison’s and a Co-Op which allowed me to top up.