Our village is situated in the Churnet Valley in the Staffordshire Moorlands and has a history of industrial activity dating back to the Norman Conquest; we are, however, now a rural community.

The Heritage Trail established around the village gives the visitor a taste of the activities that have taken place here during the last 300 years.

The area of land adjacent to the river Churnet has been used for centuries for industrial activities. The present River Bridge was erected in 1710 and widened for turnpike traffic in 1778.  It is still in regular use today .

The weir and sluice gates were built in the 18th century to power strip mills owned by Thomas Patten. At its peak, around 1860, four water mills were operating in the factory. The largest, overshot, wheel was 20 ft in diameter.

The Frogall to Uttoxeter canal passed through this area and was constructed by John Rennie opened in 1811. The arch of Rennie’s road bridge can still be seen in the garden wall of the Cricketers’ Arms.

The canal closed in 1843 to make way for the railway which opened in June 1847, the station opened in 1849 .

The Churnet Valley line succumbed to Dr Beeching’s axe in 1963 followed quickly by the demolition of Bolton’s Copper Works later that year.

There has been a mill at Oakamoor since medieval times and there is a record it being owned by the Foley family in 1683, in 1761 George Kendal was the ironmaster and in 1790 Thomas Patten began serious production.

This continued until 1851 when Thomas Bolton bought the site.

In 1857 the first Transatlantic Telegraph Cable was manufactured at the site.

Production continued until 1962 when the factory was closed and all production switched to Froghall.