Lud's Church

Lud's Church is a deep millstone grit chasm created by a massive landslip on the hillside above Gradbach, Staffordshire, England. It is located at gbmappingsmall|SJ987656 in a wood known as Back Forest, in the White Peak, towards the south-west fringe of the Peak District National Park about 4 km west of the A53 between Leek and Buxton. Over 100 m long and 18 m high, it is mossy and overgrown, wet and cool even on the hottest of days.

History and legend

The Lollards, who were followers of John Wycliffe, an early church reformer, are supposed to have used this as a secret place of worship during the early 15th century, when they were being persecuted for their religious beliefs. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/stoke_staffs/article_1.shtml BBC Legacies: The Lollards: Dawning star of the Reformation?] ] Lud's Church may have been named after Walter de Ludank or Walter de Lud-Auk who was captured here at one of their meetings. A wooden ship's figurehead from the ship "Swythamley" formerly stood in a high niche above the chasm, placed there by Philip Brocklehurst, then the landowner, around 1862. It was called 'Lady Lud' and was supposed to commemorate the death of the daughter of a Lollard preacher. [http://www.peaklandheritage.org.uk/index.asp?peakkey=00500921 Peakland Heritage: Lud's Church] ] [ [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22915 'Leek: Leekfrith', A History of the County of Staffordshire: Volume 7: Leek and the Moorlands (1996), pp. 191–202] ]

Ralph Elliott and others have identified Lud's Church as the Green Chapel of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'. [Elliott RWV, "Landscape and Geography" In: "A Companion to the Gawain-Poet" (Brewer D, Gibson J, eds) (DS Brewer; 1997), pp. 105–117]

Directions

To find Lud's Church use the car-park at Gradbach and walk down to the Gradbach Mill Youth Hostel and downstream to the footbridge. Cross the footbridge and take the footpath up the hill and turn right to follow a path to Swythamley. At the top rise turn left and follow the path to Lud's Church.

References