The stone plaque is a memorial for Trentham Hall. It is set into the wall of a flower bed located at the top end of the Italian Gardens at the Trentham Estate.
The large, engraved plaque gives the following information;
"THIS MEMORIAL STONE, ERECTED BY CROMARTIE, FOURTH DUKE OF SUTHERLAND, A.D.1913 MARKS THE SITE OF TRENTHAM HALL, AND OF THE FOLLOWING INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH THIS PLACE. IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY TRENTHAM FORMED PART OF THE DEMENSNE SURROUNDING THE RESIDENCE AT BURY BANK OF WULPHURE, KING OF MERCIA. DURING THE REIGN OF WULPHUR A.D.659-674 ONE OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCHES OF STAFFORDSHIRE WAS ERECTED HERE BY ST WERBERGH, THE
DAUGHTER OF THE KING ST WERBURGH ALSO ADDED A NUNNERY. AT THE CONQUEST IN A.D.1066 KING WILLIAM I RESUMED POSSESSION OF THE ROYAL DEMESNE OF WULPHURE, AND AFTERWARDS GRANTED PART OF IT AS A MANOR TO THE EARLS OF CHESTER WHO BEFORE A.D.1150 REPLACED THE EARLY CHURCH AND NUNNERY OF ST WERBURGH WITH A NEW CHURCH AND A PRIORY. AT THE REFORMATION KING HENRY VIII AGAIN EXCERCISED HIS RIGHT TO THE ANCIENT ROYAL MANOR, AND ALTHOUGH THE PRIORY WAS DISSOLVED THE CHURCH WAS PRESERVED AND IT REMAINED UNALTERED UNTIL RE-BUILT BY GEORGE GRANVILLE 2ND DUKE OF SUTHERLAND A.D. 1843 FROM A DESIGN BY SIR CHARLES BARRY R.A. THE ORIGINAL PILLARS OF THE NAVE OF THE NORMAN CHURCH WERE CAREFULLY PRESERVED AND RESTORED ON THEIR ANCIENT SITE. AFTER THE SUPRESSION OF THE PRIORY A.D.1538 THE KING SOLD THE PROPERTY IN 15 39 TO THE DUKE OF SUFFOLK AND IT WAS AFTERWARDS PURCHASED BY JAMES LEVERSON IN 1540 AND THE FIRST TRENTHAM HALL WAS EITHER FORMED OUT OF THE OLD PRIORY BUILDINGS OR BUILT ON THEIR SITE. ANANCIENT PLAN DATED 1599 SHOWS IT UNDERTHE NAME OF MANOR DE TRENTHAM, AND THIS WSA THE RESIDENCE OCCUPIED BY ADMIRAL SIR RICHARD LEVERSON FOR SOME YEARS BEFORE HIS DEATHIN1605. IN A.D. 1834 A NEW HALL IN THE ELIZABETHAN STYLE OF ARCHITECTURE WAS ERECTED ON THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT PRIORY BY SIR RICHARD LEVERSON.K.B. IN A.D. 1580 TE ELIZABETHAN HOUSE WAS REMOVED AND THE THIRD TRENTHAM HALL WAS BUILT BY SIR WILLIAM LEVERSON GOWER BARONET. THIS HALL WAS MUCH ALTERED AND ENLARGED BY THE FIRST MARQUIS OF STAFFORD AND THE FIRST DUKE OF SUTHERLAND UNTIL 1834, WHEN IT WAS RE-CONSTRUCTED BY THE 2ND DUKE OF SUTHERLAND IN THE ITALIAN STYLE FROM THE DESIGNS BY SIR CHARLES BARRY R.A. AFTER THE CLOSING OF TRENTHAM HALL AS A RESIDENCE IN 1905 IT WAS OFFERED FOR THE PURPOSES OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
1ST TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL OF STAFFORDSHIRE
2ND TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE FEDERATED BOROUGH OF STOKE-ON-TRENT BUT ACCEPTANCE FAILING, THE HOUSE WAS REMOVED."
"The hall was demolished in 1912-13 by its owner, the 4th Duke of Sutherland. The sculpture gallery, clock tower, and parish church, as well as other buildings, were not demolished.
During the 20th century, the estate was used for an amusement park and even for hosting the Lombard RAC Rally, which cut through the Italianate gardens.
The remains of Trentham Hall, namely the Grand Entrance and Orangery, were listed on 24 January 1967. Their listing was amended on 25 April 1980. They are currently Grade II* listed. Emergency repairs to stabilise the building were carried out. It is listed on the Heritage at Risk Register. The sculpture gallery (now covered in wisteria) and clock tower also remain.
The property was purchased by St. Modwen Properties in 1996, at which point the buildings and gardens were derelict and vandalised, and contracted the Land Use Consultants company to restore the historic landscape.
The surrounding Trentham Gardens were restored in 2003-04,
Trentham Gardens are formal Italianate gardens, part of an English landscape park. The gardens are set within a large area of woodland. Together these currently together cover some 300 acres (1.2 km2). The gardens were designed as a serpentine park by Capability Brown from 1758 onwards, overlying an earlier formal design attributed to Charles Bridgeman. Trentham Gardens are now principally known for the surviving formal gardens laid out in the 1840s by Sir Charles Barry, which have recently been restored. In 2012 the Trentham Estate was selected as the site of a Royal Diamond Jubilee wood, and a new woodland of 200,000 native oak trees will be planted on the estate. Successful garden designers Tom Stuart-Smith, Piet Oudolf and Nigel Dunnett have collaborated on the garden redesign.
Since 2000 Trentham Gardens has undergone a successful and major £120 million ($200 m) redevelopment by St. Modwen Properties as a leisure destination. The current regeneration project at Trentham includes restoration of the Italian gardens and adjacent woodlands, the creation of a garden centre and crafts centre, and various leisure attractions.
The Trentham Estate contains a shopping village, as well as gardens."
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