When Alderley Edge was heathland the Edge provided uninterrupted views of the surrounding countryside. Looking north from the highest point on the Edge one could see across the Cheshire plain to the Derbyshire Hills and Blackstone Edge in Yorkshire. Towards the south the mountains of Wales could be clearly seen and also important landmarks such as Mow Cop, Beeston Castle and the Peckforton Hills. A beacon was built on the highest point of the Edge to take advantage of these magnificent views for strategic reasons. It is not known when the Beacon was built but it dates back to at least the late 16th century because it is noted on Saxton's map of the area which is dated 1577 [4].
Thomas Ridgeway described the Beacon as originally being "a hollow square roo
m,
with a door, and that an iron pot was kept in it for the purpose of holding
pitch and tar". In 1779 a pointed roof was added by Lord Stanley and in its most
recent form the Beacon was constructed out of brick and stone [6].
The Beacon was almost certainly used in 1588 together with those at Frodsham and Helsby to warn
that the Spanish Armada had been sighted [5]. The Duke of Gloucester
visited the building in 1804 to ascertain whether it was still usable. Orders
were given to gather heaps of gorse for use as kindling in case of invasion.
However, the orders were withdrawn when it became apparent that the kindling
could be wantonly set on fire and cause a false alarm [7].
Unfortunately the Beacon was neglected and collapsed in a gale on Christmas Eve, 1931 [5]. A small monument now marks the site which sits on an artificial mound. The rocks that litter the ground around the monument are the stones of the original building. It is said that the mound is that of an Iron Age burial site although there is no evidence to support this. There are however authentic burial mounds nearby but the location of these are kept from the public.
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A little way to the south of the Beacon, nestled on the edge of the wood, is Beacon Lodge which was built in 1837 by the first Lord and Lady Stanley. Alan Garner based Gowther Mossock on Joshua Rowbotham Birtles who I believe used to live at Beacon Lodge.