Saltersford
OS grid ref:- SJ 983 766
The isolated hamlet of Saltersford lies on the eastern slopes of the Pennines on the edge of the Peak District National Park. It was so named for three ancient trackways that pass through it, known as "salters' ways" as they were used by packhorses carrying salt.
Saltersford Hall, built in 1593, occupies a remote tract of moorland below Cat Tor and Shining Tor.
The curious Jenkin Chapel (pictured left) stands at a junction of country lanes on the edge of the moors where the old Roman Road known as The Street drops down from Pym Chair after climbing steeply up from the Errwood Reservoir. The chapel, which is dedicated to St John the Evangelist, dates to 1733 and was built by John Slack of Saltersford Hall. The tower being added in 1755. The building ressembles a farmhouse with a chimney stack rather than a church. The unusual tower has an external staircase.
The gallery at the west end of the chapel bears the coat of arms of the Stopford family who lived at nearby Saltersford Hall. The chapel has retained its original box pews, other furniture includes an octagonal pulpit and a carved reading desk. There are two theories as to the Jenkin name, the first being that it was the name of a local family. But it is also reputed that the chapel was named after a fiery Welsh preacher who came to give services at the annual horse fair which was once held there.
Nearby places of interest
Three Shires Head, is a beauty spot where the three counties of Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire meet is a short walk from the Wildboarclough.
Macclesfield Forest, once the centre of a Royal Forest created by the Norman kings for the purpose of hunting game such as deer, wild boar and wolves. It once encompassed all the area from Disley to the River Dane. The forest is home to a herd of red deer, while the reservoirs contain a wide variety of wildfowl.
Shutlingsloe is the third highest peak in the Cheshire (Shining Tor being the highest and Whetstone Ridge the second ) with an elevation of 506 metres (1,660 feet), the summit offers excellent views. On a clear day the mountains of North Wales are visible from its summit.
Adlington Hall, set in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, the current building was begun in 1315, although late medieval and Tudor remodeling have since changed its appearance.