Great Haywood between canals, bridges and Shugborough

Great Haywood combines canal scenery, historic buildings and extensive parkland in an unusually vivid way. At Great Haywood Junction, the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and the Trent & Mersey Canal meet. There are also waterside paths, bridges with a history of their own and the Shugborough Estate. Those who want to plan a trip combining culture, walks and nature observations will find various starting points here for planning their days.

Canals, paths and distinctive bridges

A notable starting point is Great Haywood Junction. The paved bridge there is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Another bridge in the Great Haywood and Shugborough Conservation Area offers a viewpoint over the Trent & Mersey Canal. The canal towpath is also part of the village character. Between Little Haywood and Great Haywood, a 1½-mile walk follows the towpath. This route can be taken into account when planning a relatively manageable walk.

The circular walk from Great Haywood brings together further characteristic impressions. It crosses a small aqueduct over the River Trent; herons and kingfishers can be spotted along the section of the path beside the river. Geese can also be seen on the circular walk. Those travelling with children can combine this kind of nature observation with the canals’ engineering structures without focusing the entire day exclusively on a single theme.

Essex Bridge connects Great Haywood with Shugborough Park. It is a 17th-century packhorse bridge with more than 14 segmental arches and cutwaters on both sides. The Iron Bridge also provides a connection between Great Haywood and the Shugborough Estate. Together, these offer different starting points for a trip between waterways and architectural history, without implying a particular route or walking time.

Shugborough Estate and the historic village character

The Shugborough Estate covers 900 acres of Grade I listed parkland with wildlife and monuments. The estate lies on the Staffordshire Way; walking routes connect it with the towpaths along the Trent & Mersey Canal and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. Other routes along the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal connect Great Haywood and Kinver and lead through the estate’s extensive parkland.

The historic ensemble includes Shugborough’s Georgian mansion with the former servants’ quarters and Patrick Lichfield’s apartments. The Walled Garden was originally laid out in 1805. The Great Haywood and Shugborough Conservation Area also contains 39 listed buildings and a Scheduled Monument. The area was designated on 22 November 1969 to preserve and enhance its special architectural and historic interest.

The churches, too, tell of different eras. The Church of St Stephen was built in 1840 by T. Trubshaw and largely rebuilt in 1858 by H. J. Stevens of Derby. Its style combines Gothic Revival with Perpendicular details. The church welcomes visitors to services and social events. In the churchyard, you can also see the remains of the Gothic window that once adorned the eastern end of the Church of St John the Baptist. This Roman Catholic church was built in 1827–29 as a family chapel at Tixall Hall and moved to its present location in 1845.

Great Haywood as a base for your trip

Great Haywood developed over the centuries as a linear settlement along Main Road. When choosing holiday accommodation or a holiday cottage, it is therefore worth focusing on how you want to structure your trip: would you mainly like to discover canals and bridges, take walks along the River Trent or combine historic sites and churches? There are car parks in Great Haywood. A Floating Market visits the village regularly and complements the destination’s waterside character.

Those who want to bring together different interests within their travel group can divide the days into varied activities: a section of the towpath, a visit to the historic buildings and time in the parkland of the Shugborough Estate. The footpath north of the Church of St Stephen connects Great Haywood with the Shugborough Estate. Which accommodation is best suited depends above all on which experiences you want to combine and how much room you want to leave for your own daily routines.

Further destinations for trip planning

As additional destinations, this page also features Madeley, Rolleston-on-Dove, Oakamoor, Longnor, Hanchurch, Endon, Flash and Meerbrook.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Staffordshire.