Consall Valley STAFFORDSHIRE
Mention Staffordshire and many people will immediately think of pottery and fine china - think Wedgwood, Aynsley and Spode - and in truth, this was the industry that by the late 18th century had established Stokeon-Trent and its Potteries in the north of the county as the largest producers of ceramics in Britain and catapulted the industry into world-leading predominance. The natural resources of clay, lead, salt and long-flame coal were ideal, not just for crafting fine china, but for fuelling the Industrial Revolution taking middle England by storm and latterly, the county became as famous for its foundries and blast furnaces that gave the Black Country its name, as for its china.
A network of inland waterways helped bring Staffordshire’s products south to London and east via the River Trent to northern Europe, making its industries major players in world markets. Originally encompassing the Black Country towns in the south, their absorption into what became the West Midlands left this landlocked county with two southern outposts straddling the Birmingham conurbation. Some 65 miles from north to south and 40 miles at its widest, the county offers a broad range of natural habitats.
If there is one thing that gives a really good shoot the edge it is when it is run by the family that owns and cares for it. The Consall estate is just such a one. It came into the ownership of the Pointon, Jennifer Patterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright. His love of the countryside, rural pursuits and indeed the estate has been passed to and is now shared by his sons, Martin and Carl, who run the business and the equally successful shoot that abuts it.
