Kinver to Caunsall (Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal)

Rock Houses

Rock Houses

We are off to the Holy Austin Rock houses this morning at Kinver Edge.  It is a National Trust Property.  Kinver’s distinctive red sandstone was formed in the desert conditions from layers of wind blown sand about 280-250 million years ago.  Hard, overlying pebble beds have protected the soft stone

from subsequent erosion.  Although an Iron Age hillfort dominated the northern end of the ridge some 2,200 years ago, later inhabitants lived in these rather than on the Edge.  From the 1600s onwards, homes were carved from the easily workable rock.  The last family left these houses in the late 1950s.   

My new home!

It was believed these houses were called Holly Austin after a hermit in the 16^th Century.  Occupied by 1774, the Rock contained seven homes in 1831, and ten in 1851.  In its heyday, eleven families shared the sandstone knoll on three levels.  A warren of whitewashed rooms, passages and stairs, with cupboards, chimneys, windows and doors were hollowed from the rock.  Life in the rock houses was self-sufficient, quiet and comfortable; warm in winter, cool in the summer, and well supplied by abundant gardens. 

Pantry

Passage from one room to another

Rock houses made good homes, spacious and healthy.  As families were raised so the dwellings were passed down and extended to accommodate the growing numbers.  

The rural clam was shattered in 1901 with the opening of the Kinver Light Railway.  Electric ‘trams’ brought Black Country crowds to ‘The Switzerland of the Midlands’ on day trips, scout camps, and Sunday School outings.  One bank holiday more than 17,000 visitors descended on Kinver and its famous rock houses.  Undeterred, the inhabitants happily charged them ‘one and six’ for tea and cakes, and a penny to use the toilet.  The tearoom was in the lower caves but this closed in 1962.

Privvy

The National Trust then bought the whole site and rebuilt the stone-fronted upper rock houses to match the original design.  They have  recreated the lower rock houses to as they would have been back in the 1900s and 1930s.  There is a café in the upper rock house.

It is about a mile walk from the canal and when we got there we had a good look around.  The guides there were very knowledgeable and told us about the rock houses.  It was really interesting and the rooms inside were much bigger than we thought they would be.  They also had the range lit in a couple of them so it was nice and cosy.

Pathway to Iron Age Fort

Site of Iron Age Hillfort

View from the top

We walked up to the top rock house where there is a café and had a cup of tea and admiring the lovely views.  We then went for a walk up to the Iron Age Hill fort, past the old Lookout post which was used by the Kinver Home Guard during the Second World War and along through the woods with marvellous views of the surrounding countryside and eventually back down to the road.  It was a lovely walk. 

Another fine view

Lookout post

Farm Shop

When we came out it was near Kinver Edge Farm shop, we had seen the signs for it before but thought it was too far away to walk to, so we went in and had a look.  It is basically a pick your own farm and they also sell vegetables and there is a café.  We saw they were selling Rhubarb so we asked the girl in the café and she said it was going over now but we could go down to where it was growing and pick our own, so we did and we got a good few sticks which were still okay, she charged us £1 so that was good.  We have picked other fruit in our time but this is the first time we have ever picked our own Rhubarb!

In Whittington Lock

We then walked down the lane which goes past the church, we will save looking around there for next time and downhill we went and back to Kinver and the canal.  It was a really good circular walk including visiting the rock houses, about 4 miles in total, one we will certainly do again.

We got back to the boat and chugged off as we wanted to get to Caunsall which is less than 2 miles away.  We went on along the canal and soon came to Whittington lock and through there we went.

Going from Staffs into Worcs

We chugged on, past the Staffordshire and Worcestershire border which is marked by a post, and into Worcestershire we went.

We moored up just past Bridge 26.  There were a few fisherman near the moorings but we had room to get in between them.

We are off to the Anchor pub tonight, it opens at 7pm.  It is a very old pub and has been in the same family for over 70 years, a real ale and cider pub and they only serve cobs (rolls), but they are the best you will taste.  People come from miles around to have a cob and a pint.  It doesn’t matter which day of the week you go lunch time or in the evening, it is always packed out, we have never seen anything like it and you have to see it to believe it.  They even do cob takeaways and you see people going out of the pub with bags of cobs taking them home.

Our lovely cobs

Inside the Anchor

We walked down to the pub just before 7pm as that is the time it usually opens and it was almost full by the time we got there, most of the tables were already taken but we managed to find one in the corner and got our cobs and some cider.  We had a ham cob and it was delicious as usual with lovely fresh salad and enormous pieces of onion.  We shared a table with three other people, the older lady lives right nearby Netherton Tunnel which is one we haven’t done yet but is on our to do list.  We had a nice chat to them and we had another cob each, I had cheese this time and Kev had ham again and some more cider.  It is such a great place and is the same every time we go there and the first time we went there was over eight years ago and the cobs have only gone up 20p or 30p in all that time, what a great find.

We walked back to the boat in the dark but luckily this time we remembered to take a torch.  We are off to Stourport tomorrow so won’t be too late in chugging off in the morning.