Dismount - and re-mount

You know you're in horse-riding territory when you see four mounting blocks within a few yards of each other on a road.  
Yes, we are near Whittington, in open countryside; but this part of the road also goes up and over the rail line, where I guess the horses might spook if an express came through.

No waggons, carts & cattle

There's a lot of the past in Staffordshire - perhaps too much.  Whether it's the industrial-past or the historic-past, it sometimes sticks around too long.

For example, the notice you see in this photo hangs prominently in Lichfield in the Cathedral Close, which leads up to the cathedral itself (you can see one of its spires in the background).
It says: "The road through the Close, not being a public thoroughfare, no waggons carts & cattle are allowed to pass through.  By order of the Dean & Chapter".

Now, is that a charming relic of a bygone age, or the dead hand of the past forcing itself upon the present?

Lichfield's German twin

The fad for twinning with other European cities seems to be fading away (though it's true that many twinning associations still exist). In the same way, you don't see many signs now for towns announcing their 'nuclear-free' status either.

However, even to this day, Lichfield twins with Limburg an der Lahn, an historic town in the Rhine Valley.
It's still a good idea for nations to speak unto nations, so I like the suggested idealism at least of such projects.

Tower crane immortalised

Tower Crane Drive, which you will find just outside Cheadle, is a new-ish road, on which an industrial estate is based.
This particular street-name strikes me as odd.

I wondered about the name of the road, but, rounding the bend on it, what should I see but – a tower crane! See photo, right.


Now I know streets are often named after the landmarks that stand out on them – but isn’t a crane-fixture too temporary to be considered enough of a 'landmark' for such a semi-permanent feature as a street-name?

I guess ACB must have sponsored the name of the road as well as the sign.

It's possible.

Watling Street goes on (and on)

One of the great things about just wandering-where-you-will is that you often come face to face with things you never expect.

Here, in the middle of countryside near Lichfield, I just came up against a modern street sign. There is nothing unusual in that, except that “Watling Street” is a route that is at least two thousand years old, and I'd read about it in history books. This ancient trackway across England (from Dover to Shropshire, cutting through south Staffordshire) was named Wæcelinga Stræt by the Anglo-Saxons; and then the Romans developed it, since when we know it as Watling Street.  Basically, the A5 follows the same route.

It’s weird suddenly realising that you are on a piece of earth that has been tramped for millennia, and is probably full of ghosts. It’s even weirder seeing a modern street-sign … as though history had never happened.

Confusing the tourist - by turning signs

This signpost in the town of Stone, with its directional signs, looks innocent enough - except that every single sign is pointing in the wrong direction.
Clearly some mischief-makers thought it would be fun to confuse the poor visitor by turning them all the wrong way.

Strangely enough, it's relatively easy to do this, as the collars on most posts like this are not locked into place, and once loosened, can be rotated.

I wonder if town authorities shouldn't consider something more sturdy.
The reason I say this is that I have now realised (after many mistaken, er, misdirections), is that this type of mischief-maker lives everywhere. So much so that I gave up following signs on Staffordshire's rural lanes, and had to buy a sat-nav in the end, as I was continually getting 'lost'!

Misspelling

Does anyone care about misspelling?  I guess I do. 

Maybe it’s just me.

Cat loving nation

The English are an animal loving nation, so they say. This sign on a back-road in Alrewas seems to prove the point!

Incidentally, and sadly, the amount of badgers which get knocked down on Staffordshire's rural roads is phenomenal. Such road-kill is a common sight.
Is it because badgers are too lumbering and slow for traffic to avoid them? Or is it because farmers (most of whom hate badgers) gun for them as soon as they see them?