10 fascinating facts about Alstonefield and Milldale

1. In 1989, four bells from a church in Stoke-on-Trent, which was to be demolished, were removed.

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Together with the three original bells, not heard for 80 years, they were rehung. Now Alstonefield church has a peal of six bells - one of the original bells remaining “dead”. The single benches in the church were presumably for the poor people and contrast strikingly with the much more ornate Cotton family pew.

2. Judging by the massive chest inside St Peter's Church, which measures approximately 10ft long, the church had considerable wealth. The chest has three locks and requires the vicar and the two churchwardens to be present when opened.