Cobbles display at Knutsford Heritage Centre, supported by the Horrocks Fund

Members who have done my geology trail around Knutsford will recall the wide variety of cobbles in the George Yard behind the historic Royal George Hotel. Since mid 2004 this area has become a major construction site for a new shopping precinct, to be named Regent Street, with an underground car park, due for completion this year. As a result the cobbles have been ‘lost’ forever. That is with the exception of eleven, which I saved in 2003, with the permission of the developer, for their geological and coaching-era heritage interest. Since then I have been working with the Knutsford Heritage Centre to erect a permanent, outdoor display to show the remarkably clear geological features on their polished surfaces.

I am delighted to say that the MGA Council agreed to support from the Horrocks Fund the full budget cost of £750 for mounting the display (the final cost will be within this!). The project came to fruition on Thursday last week, 16 March, when Fred Broadhurst unveiled them to an audience of invited guests, including our President John Price. I formally handed them over to Mrs Joan Leach MBE representing the Heritage Centre Trustees. A Knutsford Guardian reporter, a young fellow, was gobsmacked by cobbles being made such a fuss of! He couldn't believe how interesting they were! I can't wait to read what he comes up with in the article he writes on the event, which, I hope, will give some free publicity to the Association. Maybe: 'just a load of old cobbles!'?


The Three Freds


The cobbles and the poster outside the Heritage Centre

The cobbles are set in glacial outwash sand from the WBB Minerals Dingle Bank Quarry, Chelford, which is used by Pilkington’s at St Helens for making their glass. A colourful poster explains the features of each cobble and how they were formed.

The artwork for the poster was done at the University Media Centre through my contact with Alison Scott. The cobbles are set broadly in sequence from north to south of the Borrowdale Volcanics Group, granite and granophyre and Carboniferous limestone and sandstone.

For me it was important to set them at a height where they could be easily seen and touched by both children and adults. It is amazing that the first thing everyone does is to stroke them! My hope is that they will raise the interest of visitors to the stones around them in buildings and underfoot. The Heritage Centre will be publicising the MGA in its shop so I hope to enrol more new members!

Why not visit the Heritage Centre spend an interesting afternoon in Knutsford?

I am doing my Knutsford geowalk at 2.00 pm, starting from the Sessions House car park in Toft Road (the A50) on Sundays 28 May and 30 July as part of the local publicity. Everyone is welcome.

Fred Owen

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