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13 November 2014

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You are in: Stoke & Staffordshire > Places > Places Features > Man-Made Wonders in Staffordshire

Stafford Castle

Man-Made Wonders in Staffordshire

Do you have a favourite man-made feature in Staffordshire? Loads of people nominated buildings and places for the BBC poll to find the best in the Midlands... but there was a shock for us!

To nominate your Staffordshire man-made wonder, use the messageboard-form halfway down this page.

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In 2004 the BBC asked you to come up with the country's seven Natural Wonders - when the beautiful Staffordshire Dovedale area was selected as one of the seven wonders in the Midlands.
Then in early 2006, they asked you to some up with the seven "man-made" wonders in the Midlands, including ones in Staffordshire.

Staffs man made wonders

There are so many fantastic man-made locations in Staffordshire - from the grandeur of Lichfield Cathedral to Brindley's marvellous canal-system which criss-crosses the whole county to castles such as that at Tamworth.

Train on Foxfield railway line

What about a small railway line even?

Industrial buildings surround us in the county - there's the cast-iron aqueduct which carries the Shropshire Union Canal over Watling Street (now the A5) near Stretton, which was designed by Thomas Telford and manufactured in 1832, and even the JCB Factory at Rocester - very modern and hugely impressive.

Not to mention the great little railway branch lines (now restored) or the West Coast Main Line itself - and the great collieries.

Staffordshire also has particularly beautiful stately homes - such as Shugborough and Himley Hall - and terrific man-made gardens such as those at Biddulph Grange. And remember the amazing cave-buildings on Kinver Rock? And the Nine Ladies stones?

Shock

But here's a shock.

In the programme which went out on BBC2 in mid-February 2006, not one Staffordshire nomination made it to the final Seven Wonders of the Midlands!

No Staffordshire site was better than these: Ironbridge in Shropshire; Dudley Caves; Foxton Locks in Leicestershire; Warwick Castle; Monsal Viaduct in Derbyshire; Hereford Cathedral; and Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Peel Monument could have been your choice...

It seems to us a bit, well, bizarre not to have chosen a Staffordshire landmark.

What about those particular landmarks that hold a special place in the heart, from the Peel Monument on the Sandon Hall estate, to Mow Cop Folly, to the Sutherland Monument at Trentham.

What about Ruins? The sad and solemn Croxden Abbey, Mow Cop Folly, or the few stones that mark what is left of the former castle at Newcastle are also favourites.

Many people loved the Victoria Ground, Stoke City's former stadium as that was first erected before 1900, where sadly, not even a plaque remains.

Hit back!

So use the messageboard below - and have your say. What are your nominations for the great man-made wonders in the county.
One day - the power-that-be will regret overlooking this county!

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For more information on these attractions, and more in Staffordshire and Cheshire - click on our Attractions A-Z page - using the link on the right of this page.

For those who live in our northern reaches, some consolation.
In nearby Cheshire, The Anderton Boat Lift was one of the final seven for the North-West. It's been described as an engineering marvel known as the 'cathedral of the canals'. The Anderton Boat Lift on the Trent and Mersey Canal was designed to lift narrow boats 50 feet to the canal above and a seven million pound restoration in 2002 put the lift back into service.

last updated: 04/01/2010 at 08:41
created: 22/08/2005

Have Your Say

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS. THIS BOARD IS NOW CLOSED.

Rod Brown
The canals through the Potteries are wonderfull - a real history lesson

edward
Mow Cop

g sothern
it is a nice interesting walk around it with pub nearby, fauld bomb hole, crater

terry
the victoria ground site. surely with stoke going up to the premiership, it would be fitting and appropriate to turn it into a green area for local residents- 'the stanley matthews memorial park'?

tom
i love northwood

Jack W. williams
To Harry Watling. I hope you've used the A38... Don't come back!

katie
i like trains

mehar
because taj mahal is the best man made monument in the whole worl wide because it feels us love when we enter into taj mahal

bethany brittain
i have got to agree with dan stoke ski centre i always look for it when my mum takes me on the a500 it is a smashing site

Bez Talke Pits
the two canal tunnel entrances at Kidsgrove, particularly the old legging tunnel. This epitomises the ingenuity of the engineers of the Industrial Revolution and the part played by canals in pre railway Britain's industrial success.

rob cotton
I worked and lived on the shugborough estate for nearly two years and i never got tired of walking around the grounds taking in the fantastic scenery. there is so much around the grounds inc. the awsome house.

Dan Botham
Stoke Ski Centre is my favourite man made feature in Staffordshire. It always amazes me when i see it from the A500. What a great idea skiing with out snow!

ALMA GREEN MONTGOMERY
I LIVE IN USA NOW BUT WAS BORN IN TUNSTALL AND I LOVED THE POT BANKS WITH THE CHIMMNEYS BUT YOUVE ALL FORGOTTEN WHAT YOU MADE A LIVING FROM

William Arnold
Mow Cop I believe to be a great folly added to the beautiful landscape of Staffordshire

Andy
i think that Unity house is the best ever man-made wonder as it shows that Stoke-on-trent can obtain skyscrapers as well as manhattan. i think that the demolition of UH is a complete disaster and should never have been started.

g scothern notts
R.A.F FAULD BOMB HOLE IS A WONDERUS SIGHT, SO CLOSE TO ME IN NOTTS. BUT I DID NOT KNOW OF IT TILL LAST YEAR
NICE PUB NEAR BY, FULL OF HISTORY. HISTORY WALKS, VIEWS AND EASY TO GET TO - A38 NEAR BY.

Rebecca Harrison
It has to be Lichfield Cathedral. I remember visiting it as a child with my Godparents and I looked at it in sheer wonder. I took one of my first ever photographs of it, which I still have. I never thought at the time I would ever live in Lichfield, and even today I have walked up there and stood in amazement at such a marvelous tribute to architecture and workmanship that would never be possible today.

sir stanley matthews statue
its a great rememberance of him by brittania stadium

Adrian Romano
My choice is Bethesda Chapel in Hanley, which I believe deserves our support following its being runner-up on the BBC "Restoration" series. I do hope a right and fitting use will be found for the Cathedral of the Potteries which will reflect its being built as a place of worship - it is a magnificent building, or will be once fully restored. As Unity House is coming down, it is fitting that the work is beginning on its renovation.

Gavin Plant
Mow Cop Castle stands out and is a shining beacon in the distance fron anywhre i the Stoke/Cheshire area when its a fine sunny day.

Steve Shingler
My choice is the statue of Odo from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. What's that you say you haven't seen it? It stands on a plinth in front Woolworths, Hanley.

steve chapman
croxden abbey, it as a sense of intrigue and solitude ,that only the time team could uncover it's true splendour

Donna Deaville
A lot to choose from between simple staues to great buildings, but don't forget to mention the Bottle Kilns. My choice would be Mow Cop Castle.


My favourite man-made creation in Staffordshire is Tamworth castle. Not only for the building itself but also its lovely surroundings.

Harry Watling
The A38 is undoubtedly Staffordshire's most endearing feature - it's the road out of it!

Nick Rutter
Lichfield Cathedral is my choice. There is a real sense of peace about the place and despite the ravages of the Civil War and the clumsy efforts of the Victorians, there remains a feeling that here the "Opus Dei" continues. God is present here if you are still enough to hear Him.

Jude Atcherley
I think the mosaic bench in St Peter's churchyard, Stoke should win it. It's a really unique monument that celebrates and incorporates a whole host of information and different memories about Stoke and Staffordshire.

Susie Walker
Lichfield Cathedral - there is no competition

DAVE
Alton Towers Castle is full of intrest and beauty the views are also second to none.

Charlotte Woodward
Mow Cop Castle It can be seen for miles around and is known and loved by everyone who lives in the local area.

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