History
Huntington – A History of our Village
Huntington is a civil parish and former mining village in South Staffordshire District of the County of Staffordshire. It lies along the A34 road north of Cannock between Pottal Pool roundabout and just before the White Lion Public House to the south. Situated on the edge of Cannock Chase, apart from where it meets the edge of Cannock, it is virtually surrounded by woodland.
The most northerly point is close to Broadhurst Green crossroads on Cannock Chase. The boundary runs south on the east side of the Huntington Belt and around Cavans Wood before crossing the A34.
The southern edge turns along a track between Shoal Hill Common and a reclaimed quarry with a small lake. It crosses Cocksparrow Lane just north of the Shoal Hill car park, across fields and northwards up Mansty Lane to Pottal Pool Lane where it turns eastwards, crosses the A34 up to Broadhurst Green Road past Badgers Hills.
Early History
The name Huntington is possibly Anglo-Saxon in origin, “ton” meaning a hamlet grouped around a hunting lodge in a forest. There is no single source of the settlement’s history, but A History of the County of Stafford (1) does provide an important insight into the early period of the village.
Although only 4km from Watling Street, the only Roman evidence found in Huntington was a coin and some pottery found near Cavans Wood in 1950.
The Domesday record of 1086 shows the existence of Estendome but this may have been an error by the scribe as in 1198 the name is recorded as Huntendon and in 1262 as Huntingdon, meaning “hill of the huntsmen”.
Records show Richard Forester was responsible for the village and managed the royal hunting forest of Cannock Chase for King William the First. During the 12th and 13th century, the area was part of the land of Lord Pillaton. (2)
The Chase and its forest is now a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and deer still roam the area today.
St. Margaret Chapel
A medieval chapel, St Margaret-within-Cannock, was established around 1548 but the site now lies buried under the east slope of the former colliery spoil heap. There was possibly a medieval homestead and moat either in the north-west of the village or on the south side of Limepit Lane (originally Stonepit Lane). It was in this period that the name Huntington became more commonly used after many variations.
Another medieval feature is St Chad’s Ditch on the eastern edge of the parish along a line of the trees known as Huntington Belt. This ditch and bank possibly marked a boundary between who had hunting rights over different parts of the chase and that included the Bishops of Lichfield at St Mary and St Chads Cathedral.
In 1661 there were 46 households and even in 1801 the population was only 114. The 1841 Tithe map (3) shows Lord Hatherton of the Littleton family owned nearly all the land in the “Township of Huntington” and the 1851 Census recorded 121 residents and over 800 acres of land.
The Littletons originally lived at Pillaton Hall to the west of Huntington and then from 1742 until 1930 at Teddesley Hall (now demolished) just to the north. (4)
In 1870, John Marius Wilson’s Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (5) described Huntington as a township with 32 houses and a population of 161 from which “large quantities of white gravel have been sent hence to different parts of the kingdom for garden walks.” The gravel pit was also shown on the 1841 tithe map.
Huntington Farm
Huntington Farm, dating from the early 18th Century, is now part of “The Barns Hotel”, a grade 2 listed building in Cocksparrow Lane. Oaklands Farm (which apparently lent pigs to the BBC 1970’s “All Creatures Great and Small”) in Limepit Lane and Doggintree Farm also dated from the 18th Century but have been demolished for housing.
“The Cottage” (now a B&B and restaurant) on the corner of Pear Tree Close is one of the oldest remaining buildings dating back to the 1770s. Several buildings of Pear Tree Farm remain from an older farm as do a few cottages from the 19th century hamlet near to the church.
St. Thomas Church and village schools
A Wesleyan chapel opened in 1847 with a Methodist Chapel (now a private house) built in 1925 near what is now Naden House.
St Thomas Church towards the north was designed by Andrew Hayward and built in 1872. The Church was extended in 1879 and in 2016 a new stained glass window installed commemorating the mining history of the village.
The school originally used the church site with another building added on the opposite side of the road erected by Lord Hatherton in 1898. Further building provided both a secondary modern school and primary school. These old school sites are now areas of housing with the new primary school on Colliers Way..
Between the old school and what is now Oak Avenue stood the Kings Head Pub.
Running water became available after 1879 with the completion of a steam operated pumping station planned by Henry Naden. This removed water from the pit and into the South Staffordshire Waterworks system. It was demolished in the 1970s and was where Naden House now stands.
Huntington made headline news in 1951 after being left in the dark for several months. The contract for gas lights had expired and the Ministry for Local Government had failed to issue a licence for new electric street lighting.
Rich Coal Mining Heritage
Huntington has a rich coal-mining heritage (6) being on the Cannock Chase Coalfield, an extension of the South Staffordshire coalfield that clusters around the Chase. The colliery was close to the junction of Stafford Rd and Cocksparrow Lane.
The original Cannock and Huntington Colliery Company was set up in 1872 to work coal seams under Lord Hatherton’s land. The first shafts were sunk in 1877 with tramways linking to the canals at Otherton and Penkridge. (7)
However, the original shafts reaching 121m were lost through flooding in 1881. Work stopped and the company closed in 1885. In 1897 Lord Hatherton managed to get mining started again, leaving the original no.1 shaft full of water and with new shafts sunk between 1899 and 1902 reaching over 500m.
The steep gradients in the mine meant that accidents were common but there were few multiple fatalities. Unfortunately, 4 men were killed in 1937 by fire damp (methane) and another 2 in 1962 also by methane.
By 1906 there were 1100 men employed at the Littleton producing over 337,000 tons of coal. The site also included a foundry and fitting shops plus a row of workers houses known as Foundry View that existed until the 1950’s
Huntington Grows
With the development of the colliery by Edward Littleton the population grew to 300 by 1911 and to over 1600 by 1931. In 1903 the first row of miner’s houses were built at Littleton Terrace (on west of A34 opposite Oak Avenue).
Others were soon built with some of the original terraced colliery houses (now known as Monkey Row) still to be seen alongside the A34 just north of Cocksparrow Lane. This row of houses had a number of small shops that met the needs of the village and included a newsagent, greengrocers, clothing, sewing and knitting shops.
The houses had bay windows until 1964 when a runaway lorry destroyed several frontages and the remaining bays were later removed. It was only in 1990 that the A34 dual carriageway was reduced and a 30mph speed limit introduced.
A large number of semi-detached houses were built by the mining company during the 1920s along the Stafford Road by Cavans Wood and extending beyond the White Lion Public House southwards into Cannock.
The Two World Wars
After World War One, ex-army barrack huts were erected in several areas around Cannock Chase including just behind Littleton Colliery off Gravel Lane. A number of caravans at Dog in Tree Farm also provided temporary accommodation.
The “Huntington Hutments” (8) were occupied by families from 1920 until the mid-1960s. In 1922 there were 90 men, 76 women and 146 children living in 30 huts
which were divided into 2. They had gas and (eventually) sewers but electricity was never connected even to the few remaining huts in the 1960’s.
A 1950’s hand drawn map by Tony Briggs (9) who worked in the Littleton, shows some of these hutments (along with an explosives magazine!) and lists residents of houses along Gravel Lane and Foundry View (also called Brandy Row).
Ling Road estate was built between the two World Wars. Cavans Wood residential caravan park at the top of Ling Road was developed after use as a travellers site and then for workers involved in the construction of the M6 motorway in the 1960’s.
Large scale housing development took place after the Second World War including the Dog in tree Estate to the north adjoining the Chase. This had its own shops including hardware, toys, grocery, greengrocers and off licence, all now replaced by apartments.
Midland and Lowland Road housing areas between the Stafford Road and Shoal Hill were also added and by 1988 over 2000 residents were on the electoral role.
Littleton Colliery, the largest in The Midlands
During the First World War over 30% of Littleton’s workforce left to fight overseas. To keep up production, the number of working days were increased and around a 100 young boys, aged 14 to 16 plus a small number of women were employed.
The Second World War also saw large numbers of miners joining the armed forces, leaving a shortage in an industry vital to the war effort. Consequently, there was a major fall in production and 1 in 10 of men called up were allocated to work in mines. Many had never seen a colliery before and the story of Kenneth Wood, one of Littleton’s “Bevin Boys”, is told in the BBC WW2 Peoples War Archives. (10)
The original Memorials to those who died in the two World Wars are displayed in the Parish Meeting Room of the Huntington Community Centre.
These include a First World War plaque originally erected at the colliery and then on the site of the old pit baths near Teddesley Way before being stolen. It was sold for scrap but was recovered by police just before it was melted down.
A Second World War plaque was originally in the Progressive Club on Stafford Road and moved to the Community Centre when the club closed and was replaced with housing (Progress Grove).
Littleton Colliery became one of the largest in the Midlands. It was the deepest on the Chase coalfield reaching a depth of 980m. Despite workings extending some 3000m southwards little subsidence is recorded in Huntington itself.
The colliery eventually had 6 locomotives (11) and nearly 1800 wagons and had been linked to the main line at Penkridge in 1902 and to the canal at Otherton. The old railway cutting can be seen to the west of the school passing under Cocksparrow Lane and in many places towards Penkridge.
Modernised by The National Coal Board
Littleton was nationalized in 1948 and extensively modernised by the National Coal Board. It was the first to use diesel locos underground and by the end of 1951 horses were no longer being used. In 1982, 1,900 miners were employed, extracting nearly a million tonnes of coal.
The colliery covered an area below ground of about 13 square miles. Further working to the south and east were limited by neighbouring collieries but expansion was still possible westwards beyond the 1750m reached and further north beyond the 6000m achieved.
However, after the pit closure programme of the early 1990s and despite continuing modernization and working methods, the colliery closed on 13th December 1993. The Littleton was the last to close on the Cannock Chase Coalfield without fully exploiting the reserves to the north and west.
Colliery Site Reclaimed.
The colliery originally had two conical tipping mounds linked from the pit by a bridged tramway across Cocksparrow Lane. Following the Aberfan disaster in 1966 one of these had already been lowered and landscaped before the colliery was closed.
With the closure in 1993, efforts began to reclaim the remaining spoil heap. It wasn’t until 1998 that the land was finally purchased for £10 and over £75,000 in grants obtained to landscape and develop new paths for walkers in what is now Littleton Leisure Park.
Huntington Parish Council own this 26 acre park off Cocksparrow Lane with the flag of St George flying at the summit providing a distinctive feature of the village. Two of the colliery winding wheels were placed at the entrances to the park. There is a picnic area at one entrance and another part way up the hill to the summit where there are views across the village and the surrounding countryside.
The main colliery tipping area between Cocksparrows Lane and the old quarry access road has been extensively reclaimed and planted and there is little evidence now of its original use.
The sand and gravel quarry also finally closed in 2010 when permission to continue extraction was refused by the County Council. The quarry has been reclaimed, giving easy access to Shoal Hill and Huntington Common. Part of the quarry is flooded and although in Huntington is known as Cannock Lake. The area attracts an increasing variety of wildlife, including buzzards and deer.
A plan to use the former railway to create a cycle and walkway between Huntington and Penkridge never came to fruition and some of this land has now passed into private ownership.
In 2000 the parish council obtained Littleton Recreation ground from the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation and developed a football field with adjoining land added for a junior football pitch. A skate park was installed forming Huntington Sports Ground. (12)
Two small estates of industrial units were set up close to the old spoil heap providing some local employment but did not make up for the number of jobs lost with the closure of the colliery.
The former baths and medical centre built around 1939 were on the opposite side of the main road from the colliery but linked by a tunnel. These are now the site of small supermarkets, post office and restaurant.
The driveway at the side of the shops leads up to the former Colliery Sports and Welfare Centre which became a Youth Centre, bowling club and rugby ground.
The post office on 1960 maps just south of Naden House remains as a general store but the police office near the church on the same map has been closed.
Opposite the colliery site more terraced houses remain which also once included small shops. These, along with other small ‘front room’ shops (including a sweet shop by the old school!) that served the mining community for many years all gradually disappeared with the closure of the Colliery.
Littleton Green
In 2003 the parish council published the Huntington Local Plan envisaging changes to the structure of the village following the pit closure.
With the threat of the colliery site being developed into an industrial park, the parish council played a part in the layout of a housing estate and negotiated with the Coal Authority to obtain one and half acres of land for Huntington Village Green. (12)
Littleton Green has over 300 new homes built since 2006, a village green and a medical centre with a pharmacy that opened in 2010. A children’s’ play area opened in 2014 with a grant from the Staffordshire Fund and an outdoor gym added in 2017.
The Local Plan envisaged the Village Green would be the site for a new Community Centre when funding became available. This would be to replace the existing Parish Centre in the old St Thomas Church Hall purchased in 1978 from Lichfield Diocese. The wooden building has been extended and refurbished on several occasions but continues to be well used for a nursery, groups and social events despite its limitations.
One of the Colliery winding wheels was moved from the Leisure Park to the Village Green as a centrepiece for a Memorial Garden opened in June 2019. This provides a memorial to many local miners and service men and women from the village and also includes replicas of the original World War memorial plaques.
Information boards by the Memorial include details of the mining community and markers near the school entrance indicate the positions of the former colliery shafts.
Littleton Green Community School opened on November 9th, 2009, replacing the former school near the church which operated on two sites divided by the busy main road. The old school sites are now areas of housing (hence Scholars Close). Local social media sites contain photos and fond memories of the old school (13), scouts,
sports achievements and other activities.
Additional classrooms have already been added to the new school as the village continued to expand. The Medical centre, aptly named the Colliery Practice, has also been extended to give further facilities.
Another small area of housing was added in 2015 on a former overgrown and disused playground area, restoring part of Gravel Lane which ran along the rear of the colliery site. In 2022 some additional houses have been built between the Barns and the old railway sidings which were at the rear of Monkey Row.
The Littleton
In 2020 Huntington had an estimated population of 4,900 and the village is now mainly a commuter base for neighbouring towns and the West Midlands conurbation. The population will continue to rise as further housing on other small pockets of land in Huntington are likely to be used as part of South Staffordshire’s housing plans.
Although the old colliery site has been completely transformed, with the number of community facilities situated close to the village green, together with the shops, post office, restaurant, take away and the “Coggers” pub (14), once again “The Littleton” forms the heart of the village!
References & Acknowledgements:
We have tried to list sources where known but it is sometimes difficult to establish original publications – if we have missed anything or made mistakes, please accept our apologies and let us know so corrections can be made. Compiled by Cllr Mike Tym Feb 2022 from the following::
1959 A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 5, East Cuttlestone Hundred. (pp. 75-77). Originally published London by Victoria County History.
If interested in ‘bailwicks’, ‘common rights’, ‘virgates’ & detail of early land ownership go to: www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53399
Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Archives 1841 Tithe Map Huntington.
Maddocks, Robert The Littletons of Teddesley Hall (may be in local history libraries). Also on Youtube search “The Lords of Hatherton and Sir Hugh” - largely based on the above book.
Wilson, John 1870 Imperial Gazetter of England and Wales
CCMHS 2005 The Cannock Chase Coalfield and its Coal Mines published by the Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society
www.ccmhs.co.uk provides a link to the Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society
Dury, Mick The Hutment Communities published by the Cannock Chase Mining Historical Society tells the story of the people who lived in them.
Tony Briggs Hand drawn map of Gravel Lane 1950 www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk
BBC 2006 www.bbc.co.uk/histories/ww2peopleswar/stories ID A8839218 25/1/2006
If interested in the steam locomotives used at the colliery see www.chasewaterstuff.wordpress.com/ncb-west-midlands-division-area-2-locomotives/littleton-collieries-huntington-locomotives/
Ashley, Jeff Parish Council Chairman’s Blogs
Facebook Huntington Memories provides photos and memories of village life and old schools.
The nickname of the “Littleton Arms” - A cogger was a miner who built a cog – the stone support
for the waste area immediately behind the coal face
Other sources and map references for early Huntington can be found at: www.cannockchasehistory.org.uk/places/huntington.htm
Archaeological details can be found at: www.sstaffs.gov.uk/pdf/devplans/Appendix%203%20Great%20Wyrley%20and%20Huntington.pdf
The art work of Matt Sayers ‘provides an insight into the village and its mine
Visit Staffordshire Past Track and
Resource Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Hand drawn map of Littleton Colliery by Tony Briggs 1950 (Staffordshire Fast Track)
Liittleton Colliery & Monkey Row - Photograph believed to be from Tony Briggs (Creative Commons Licence)
Geoff Pick :: Geograph Britain and Ireland Littleton Arms (The Coggers) by Geoff Pick 2007 (Creative Commons Licence)
Geoff Pick :: Geograph Britain and Ireland St Thomas Church by Geoff Pick 2003 (Creative Commons Licence)
Chris Allen :: Geograph Britain and Ireland Littleton Colliery by Chris Allen 1994 (Creative Commons Licence)
Exhibition Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Tony Briggs 1975 Gravel Lane & Littleton Colliery (Staffordshire Fast Track)
Exhibition Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Water pumping station c.1960 designed by Henry Naden (Staffordshire Fast Track)
Exhibition Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Foundry View c. 1950 with Gravel Lane in background (Staffordshire Fast Track)
Resource Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Former Huntington post & telegraph office c.1900 from Arthur Lloyd Collection (Staffordshire Fast Track)
Resource Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Pear Tree Farm 1964 by J.E. Peters (Staffordshire Museum Collection)
Resource Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) At the bottom of Shaft no.3 1964 courtesy of Tony Briggs (Staffordshire Fast Track)
Resource Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Colliery heading team and machine c 1980 National Coal Board (Museum of Cannock Chase)
Resource Details - Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) Hand drawn map of Littleton Colliery by Tony Briggs 1950 (Staffordshire Fast Track)