Discover Seisdon

Seisdon combines historic buildings with a village landscape shaped by waterways and meadows. When planning your trip, you can therefore focus either on its architecture or on its local and landscape history. Seisdon Hall and Old Manor House have different building histories; at Smestow Brook, the mill leat and water meadows tell the story of how the landscape developed. Walkers also have a specific route to follow: in Seisdon, the Staffordshire Way passes Seisdon House and reaches Post Office Road. Along Post Office Road, you can enjoy several contrasting views between Ebstree Road to the east and the bridge over Smestow Brook to the west. If you plan to include the Staffordshire Way, check current route conditions before setting out.

Building history: two different dates

Seisdon Hall is a Grade II listed house. It dates predominantly from around 1840 to 1850 and contains features dating from the 17th century. Old Manor House is also Grade II listed and dates from 1684. The comparison shows two different ways of dating: a specific year is given for Old Manor House, while Seisdon Hall is dated predominantly to a period and also contains older features. This makes a difference when considering the village’s architecture: a date marks a single point in time, whereas Seisdon Hall brings together several building phases.

Local history and its landmarks in time

The village’s history encompasses more than its two listed houses. Seisdon is recorded in the Domesday Book; by the early 13th century at the latest, there was a mill in the village. In 1545, a field off Church Lane was called Chapel Field. The Seven Stars Inn at the western end of Seisdon was in existence by 1714 at the latest. In 1725, three almshouses were established in an existing building in Budbrook Field. A meeting house for Protestant Nonconformists was registered in Seisdon in 1813. The field name “Ploustowmere” also refers to a former place for sport and games. The dates should be read in different ways: a specific year is given for Chapel Field and the almshouses, while the mill and inn are each known to have existed by a latest stated date.

The mill leat and the landscape

A mill leat was built north of Smestow Brook, between Seisdon and Trysull, by the 14th century, creating extensive meadows. Water meadows on both sides of the brook form a topographical link between Seisdon Mill and Trysull Mill. The date “by the 14th century” describes when the leat was created; the location of the water meadows adds a spatial connection. This lets you consider the landscape both in terms of its development and of the connections between the two mills.

Discover more destinations: Branston, Wetley Rocks, Newcastle Under Lyme, Stone, Kinver, Rolleston-on-Dove, Gayton, Uttoxeter

For the broader travel overview: Staffordshire.