Downs Banks WWII Memorial - Oulton Heath, Stone, Staffordshire, England, UK. - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com

The World War II memorial is a stone monument located on the side of the track at Downs Banks car park, off Wash Dale Lane in Oulton Heath.
It records the day when Downs Banks was presented to the National Trust and its significance as a war memorial.

The stone is inscribed as follows;

'THESE DOWNS WERE PURCHASED
BY JOHN JOULE & SONS LTD
ENDOWED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION
AND PRESENTED
TO THE NATIONAL TRUST
ON THE 22ND DAY OF JULY 1950
AS A THANK OFFERING FOR VICTORY
IN THE WAR OF 1939-1945
AND AS A MEMORIAL
TO THOSE WHO FELL IN THE WAR'

Downs Banks is an area of open countryside, that is owned and managed by the National Trust. The area is located two miles (3 km) north of the town of Stone in Staffordshire, and four miles (6 km) south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The property is also known as 'Barlaston Downs'.
Downs Banks covers an area of about 166 acres (67 ha), and consists of woodland, heath, and a glaciated valley with a stream, the Downs Banks Brook, that runs the length of the property from North to South.

The site is 'open access' on foot to all and is a popular site with dog walkers. As well as footpaths there is also a waymarked bridleway which may be used with care by horse riders and cyclists.
The site is sometimes used by the Potteries Orienteering Club, and before them was used by the Walton Chasers since the 1950s.
An all-ability trail, that is suitable for rugged wheelchairs and pushchairs, is a 1½ mile route on well-surfaced paths that take you alongside Downs Banks stream. Benches are available at regular intervals on many of the longer and steeper paths.
A map located at the car park shows pathways that cross the area and it is mounted on a board that also gives some information about the location.

'In the 18th century Bluebarn farm on Downs Bank grew hops for Joule's Brewery. In 1946 Joule's purchased the land from Viscount Sidmouth. The area was subject to purchase with the help of a public subscription and it was given to the National Trust by John Joule in 1950, as "an offering for victory in the 1939-45 War, and as a memorial to those who died" - apparently on the grounds that it had originally been common land, and should thus be open again to local people.' Source: (visit link) (visit link) (visit link)

Date of Dedication: 07/22/1950 Property Permission: Public Website for Waymark: [Web Link] Location of waymark: Wash Dale Lane, Oulton Heath,Staffordshire, England, UK. ST15 8UU Commemoration: Victory in the 1939-45 War, and as a memorial to those who died Access instructions: Not listed Access times: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Include a photo containing, at minimum, the monument and your GPSr. We'd prefer a photo containing YOU at the monument, but we understand that some people are camera-shy.
Also include a bit about your visit here.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/13/2021 Alancache visited it