Alderley edge is an area packed with fascinating features ranging from areas of Bronze Age mining to evidence of emulation of the Druids by Victorian enthusiasts. The edge itself consists of a wooded sandstone escarpment that rises above the the surrounding fields and villages and was made famous by Alan Garner in his books ‘The Weird Stone of Briginghamen’ and ‘The Moon of Gomrath’ which feature the area and it legends prominently.

The Wells

The edge is famous for the three ‘wells’ that can be found there. The wizards well is formed by a natural spring that emerges from the rock and collected in a stone trough below. The well derives its name from the carving above the well of the face of a wizard and an inscription which reads ‘Drink of this and take thy fill for the water falls of the wizards will.’The carving is believed to have been made by Alan Garners great grandfather sometime in the 19th century. The Holy Well also has links with Pagan times and consists of two stone basins that were probably erected in Saxon times. In times gone by it was the custom to drop pins in the well as one walked by, as well as the well’s water being used as a cure for barrenness. The third well, the Wishing Well collects its water in a circular basin formed in front of a probably older hollow in the cliff behind, likely to be a test shaft for early copper miners.

Mining

The Edge has had long been associated with mining and the area is riddled with disused mine shafts. Evidence has been found for mining being carried out in the Bronze Age through hammer stones found in the bottom of old workings and a wooden shovel, discovered in the 19th century only to find its way to a nearby school room where it lay unnoticed for years before being recognised by Alan Garner. The discovery in 1995 of a 4th century hoard of Roman coins suggests that Romans were in the area at the time, supported by radio carbon dating taking from shaft supports in some tunnels. The 19th century saw the heyday of mining on the edge which continued  until  the 1920s. Mining has left some of the better known landmarks in fabric of the edge such as the devils grave, a long thin channel carved in to the rock, reputed in legend to be resting place of the Devil himself.

Druid’s Circle

The rather hopefully named Druid’s Circle looks to all intents and purposes like a prehistoric stone circle related to those of Stonehenge or Avebury. It is in fact another relic of the Garner dynasty. It was Robert Garner, a local stone mason who created the circle with left over boulders he had acquired.