Sandstone on the ridge
Hollington
A small Staffordshire village shaped by distinctive stone, a landmark Victorian church and footpaths towards a ruined abbey.
- Best for
- Sandstone heritage and quiet country walking
- Give it
- A half-day, with time for Greatgate
- Don't miss
- Croxden Abbey on foot from The Raddle Inn
The Fox verdict
A compact village with a long stone story
Hollington works best as a quiet walking and heritage stop, with a country inn, a richly detailed church and Croxden Abbey close by.
The village's distinctive sandstone links its quarry history to major buildings far beyond Staffordshire, while St John the Evangelist brings the work of George Edmund Street, Minton and William Morris into one small church. Pair those stories with the abbey ruins, the Greatgate whipping post and time at The Raddle Inn.
Your picks, your pace
Make Hollington yours
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Local signatures
3 placesThe Raddle Inn
An 18th-century inn set into a bank, with locally supplied food, daily specials, real ales and views towards Croxden Abbey and the Moorlands.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Quarry Bank, Hollington
- Access
- Dogs are welcome in the bar; the beer garden includes a children's play area.
St John the Evangelist
A Grade II Victorian Gothic Revival church by George Edmund Street, with his font and Minton tile pattern and a sedilia hanging designed by William Morris.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 30 minutes
- Locality
- Hollington village
Croxden Abbey
Substantial ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, reached by paths from The Raddle Inn and closely tied to Hollington's landscape.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 45 minutes
- Locality
- Croxden, near Hollington
- Access
- The ruins are free to walk around, with paths and information boards.
History & heritage
1 placeGreatgate Whipping Post
A stone whipping post with surviving iron manacle remnants, recalling the public punishments once carried out in the community.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 15 minutes
- Locality
- Greatgate, near Hollington
- Access
- The monument stands on the grass verge beside Sandy Lane.
Things to do
1 placeAlton Towers
A major theme park near Alton, about 3.1 miles from Hollington in a straight line.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 180 minutes
- Locality
- Alton Towers Resort, near Alton
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On the map
Hollington at a glance
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Three ways to explore Hollington
Signature outings
Food with an abbey view
Set into the bank, The Raddle Inn pairs locally supplied food and real ales with views towards Croxden Abbey and the Moorlands.
A stone post beside Sandy Lane
At Greatgate, a scheduled stone whipping post stands on the Sandy Lane verge, with remnants of its iron manacles still attached.
Continue to Alton Towers
Alton Towers is about 3.1 miles from Hollington in a straight line; the road journey is longer. The village’s stone was used at the resort.
The village story
Hollington Village Guide
Sandstone, a richly detailed Victorian church and an abbey walk give this small ridge-top village its character.
Hollington Stone and Getting There
Ground Hollow is the local name for the quarries at the edge of Hollington, and the pink-red sandstone that comes out of them — soft enough to cut, hardening once it meets the air — has gone into Coventry Cathedral, Warwick Castle, Trentham Hall and Alton Towers itself.
Uttoxeter, under five miles away, has the nearest railway station. The 411 bus links Hollington with Denstone and Uttoxeter, while service 32 connects Tean with Uttoxeter.
Food, Ale and Staying Over
The Raddle Inn is an 18th-century pub built into the bank at Quarry Bank, with views towards the abbey and the Moorlands. Its kitchen uses local suppliers, with a specials board alongside the main menu, and the bar serves real ales.
The beer garden has a pool table, bouncy castle and children's play area, and dogs are welcome in the bar. The pub earned Pub of the Season awards in 2017 and 2019. Six log cabins, including four with hot tubs, two cottages and a function room for up to 44 extend the visit.
The Lost Shop and St John's
There's no shop in the village — it closed in 1992 and nothing has taken its place.
St John the Evangelist was built between 1859 and 1861 to a design by George Edmund Street, architect of London's Royal Courts of Justice. Street also designed the font and the pattern of the Minton tiles. The east window curves into the apse and shows the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St John. A sedilia hanging designed by William Morris belongs to a set of altar frontals embroidered in 1861 by "Miss Hutchinson and friends" to Street's designs.
Abbey Paths and Quarry History
Croxden Abbey, a ruined 12th-century Cistercian abbey, is under a mile away and free to explore. Paths lead there from Quarry Bank, and information panels tell the story of the substantial ruins.
The quarry was reopened after years of dereliction by John Stevenson, who ran two workings — White Turn for the white stone, Red Quarry for the red — until his death in 1916, after which his widow Mary kept White Turn and his stepson George Stephenson kept Red Quarry. Thirty thousand tonnes of Hollington stone went into Coventry Cathedral alone, over the seven years it took to build it.
Ridge Views and Greatgate
Hollington sits on a ridge above valleys to the north, with views across the surrounding countryside.
At Greatgate, about a mile north of Hollington, a stone whipping post stands on the grass verge beside Sandy Lane. Its surviving iron manacles recall the public punishments once carried out here; the post is protected as a scheduled monument.
Stay around Alton Towers
Make a longer stay of it
Travel Fox holiday homes around Alton Towers, linked directly to their property pages.
Oakamoor
Christina's House
- Sleeps 4
- 2 bedrooms
Alton
Angel Cottage - 5 mins drive to Alton Towers!
- Sleeps 10
- 4 bedrooms
Alton
Smithy Bank Cottage - with free parking!
- Sleeps 8
- 3 bedrooms
Alton
The Old Post Office: Alton Towers
- Sleeps 8
- 3 bedrooms
Checkley
The Old Stables
- Sleeps 4
- 2 bedrooms
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A guide with a point of view
Written from research. Edited for real journeys.
Use the Official site links for live practical details, then use this guide for context, ideas and room to explore.
Sources
Every place on this page is checked against a published source. Each entry links the record we used and names who publishes it.
- The Raddle Inn — camra.org.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- St John the Evangelist — historicengland.org.uk statutory register or public authority record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access
- Croxden Abbey — english-heritage.org.uk national body or asset manager
- Greatgate Whipping Post — historicengland.org.uk statutory register or public authority
- Alton Towers — altontowers.com operator, sector body or destination organisation record not machine-readable; publisher restricts automated access