We visited the charming former Staffordshire mining village where you're made to feel welcome whether you're a local or an outsider and there's a thriving business community
Take a turn off the roads heading towards the M6 near Cannock and you'll happen upon a large village with a close knit community feeling and a warm welcome to those coming in.
Cheslyn Hay is a former mining village set in the South Staffordshire countryside near to Cannock and the M6 Toll Road.
Leafy and green, the village is home to more than 7,000 people and packs a lot into its small size, full of nice homes and busy businesses and people out taking in the summer sunshine.
Documents show Cheslyn Hay may have derived its name from a pre-historic druid burial chamber or ‘cest’ at Middle Hill on the outskirts of the village and with Roman Watling Street running close to the boundary of Cheslyn Hay, historical finds suggest that druids encouraged the ancient Britons to attack the Romans during its construction.
It was in the 1800s that mining became the chief industry, laying the roots of the Cheslyn Hay community and several of the colliers’ cottages are now listed buildings and date from that time.
Along with mining came Methodism and several chapels were built, culminating in the famous Salem Methodist Church in 1854, to accommodate the growing congregation.
The church remains a focal point of the community, with a hall built on the side that acts as a centre for all ages and activities, from the Boys’ Brigade to senior table tennis.
Though mining may have finished, Cheslyn Hay still thrives as a business community with a lively industrial park leading from Hawkins Drive and Lodge Lane, as well as a popular leisure centre on Saredon Road, alongside the successful Cheslyn Hay Academy.
