Alderley Edge, Cheshire, England

The old name for Alderley Edge village was Chorley, better known as the name of a town in Lancashire. In some ways, it might be better if it stayed that way even if it opened up the possibility for some confusion. After all, there's an Adlington in both Cheshire and Lancashire and all seem to get along just fine. Did the village get the name of the nearby sandstone escarpment because of the local railway company wanting to sell houses in the village as a way of securing the future of its train business? That is a question that I cannot answer off the top of my head, but there may be something in it.

The wooded area around the sandstone cliff itself is in the hands of the National Trust these days and a multitude of paths allow ample opportunities for peaceful personal explorations of what is a small area. It's hard to believe it now but this home to a mining enterprise and its paraphernalia can be found in place still. The mine itself is shut but the rails along which wagons were drawn remain in the ground. It goes to show that a genteel aspect like that in the photo can hide an industrial past. In this regard, Alderley Edge is but one of many such locations, but I cannot see mining getting restarted anytime soon. Well, there could be uproar as a result but the National Trust's custodianship will stymie any such ambitions anyway.