I visited a picturesque Staffordshire village where change is welcomed but a sense of community remains

Sitting almost exactly halfway between the towns of Newport and Stafford, Gnosall is a village and civil parish with a history traceable all the way back to the 1086 Domesday Book.

It was listed as having just 12 households at the time, a far cry from the 2,300 it has now according to the 2021 census, with a population of 5,040.

A vibrant parish with a rich history and a strong sense of community, it is home to several unique historical features, including the Grade I listed St. Lawrence Church which dates back to Norman times, the Grade II listed Gnosall village lock-up which is one of just three surviving examples in the county, Coton Mill where local rumours suggest self-raising flour was first invented, and several other listed buildings and bridges across the parish.

The village has been brought into the 21st century with a number of independent businesses popping up, including Greene's Coffee House which is situated on the high street and provides customers with high-quality refreshments made with ingredients sourced locally.

"It's a big village and we felt that it needed a coffee shop," Louise Whittick of Greene's Coffee House said. "Our coffee is from Chartley which is quite local and we get all our milk from Bradley which is our local dairy.

"We've had a really good reception from all the public, and locals from villages around here too.

"You'll see schoolchildren in here, all sorts of people which is great. We wanted it to become a community hub and we've really encouraged that.

"We have craft meetings here, we have book meetings, we've got the WI [Women's Institute] coming here soon. Mums come in with their babies after they've done the nursery pick-up, so we do feel like it's brought the village alive."

Another reason for Gnosall's popularity is its stunning scenery and popular countryside walks, two things that have kept lifelong residents Martin and Diane Thacker living in the village for six decades.

"We've lived here for 60 years and we love the fact that it's surrounded by countryside," Diane said. "There are lots of walks that you can do and everywhere you go there's a bit of greenery which is lovely."

"A few more local shops would be nice, we've only really got a Morrisons at the moment. We were told there would be some more coming a few years ago, but they're all supermarket-y."

Gnosall resident Nathaniel Mingaye, aged just nine, said his favourite thing about Gnosall is how 'everyone connects' with each other, highlighting the village's church as a hub of community spirit, while his sister Isabella said there was 'nothing' that she would change about her home.

And our final chat of the day came at Gnosall's library with Alec Willis, whose quick wit and enthusiasm to bring about even more community spirit in the village meant our afternoon in Gnosall ended in similar fashion to how it began - with locals telling us how proud they are of their home.

 "We've got five pubs, two dentists, a doctors, a garage - everything you'd want in a small village," Alec said. "I'd like to think [the library] is also [a key part of the village], but I'd also like the community to use it more. 

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them read," he joked. "A few things [in the village] have changed. We've lost our greengrocers and our butchers, but they've been replaced by other things so it's just been the inevitable changes, none for the worse."