January 6th – It felt good to be back on the bike. They afternoon was so pleasant, it felt like the storm was over both inside me and outside. The journey from Stonnall to just outside Lichfield via Hilton, Chesterfield and Wall was excellent.
The track is ‘Somewhere Nicer’ by Obi. It’s just how I felt. It’s great to be back.
November 15th – Another hidden history exists in the sleepy hamlet of Chesterfield, between Wall and Shenstone, south of Lichfield. The welcoming view of Chesterfield Lodge, now a high class, well maintained private residence would never belie it’s past as the parish workhouse. I think this is a gorgeous building, and it looks wonderful at night, the glow welcoming in a very dark, narrow lane.
July 28th – returning from shopping in Lichfield, I drifted back through Chesterfield. This charming, old hamlet sits just south of Wall, on the other side of the A5/M6 Toll. The architecture here is stunning – this massive farmhouse is remarkable. Imposing and solid in that way that only Staffordshire farmhouses can be, I’ve been fascinated by it’s gables and complex rooflines for years. A handsome building.
July 13th – one of the unexpected hazards of a warm summer day is the crop jet positioned close to a roadside hedge. This one at Chesterfield, near Shenstone is quite powerful and could drench you thoroughly in passing. On a hot summer day in shorts and tee shirt this would be a delight; returning from work in jeans and with a laptop on the back not so much. Timing the passage is oddly difficult, as the mechanism will randomly jump about 100 degrees for no apparent reason. I think they’re designed to do that specifically to drench the unwitting.
It certainly adds an unexpected terror to rural rides. Bet Cobbet never had this problem.
April 25th – Chesterfield Lodge, a handsome, victorian house just round the corner from Chesterfield itself, in Raikes Lane – is an intriguing place. Now a secluded, tree-shrouded oasis of calm complete with large lake and tennis court, it was once a workhouse. I’ve not been able to find out much about it, but it just goes to show that many buildings have intriguing histories that we may be unaware of…
April 25th – Chesterfield is a lovely little hamlet, just south of the A5 between Wall and Shentone. Standing on the junction of Ashcroft and Raikes lanes, it’s a small, rural idyll where cows still hold up traffic and fascinating houses from several periods give the place an air of permanence and tranquility.
If I have time on my hands, I always take this route back from Lichfield. It’s quiet and beautiful.
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