Turnhurst

Turnhurst Hall was a substantial house which stood in an area of what is now Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, between Great Chell and the hamlet of Newchapel in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The earliest record known is from the 1539 General Muster Roll of Henry VIII which lists a William Rowley of Turnhurste indicating that there was a residence at the site before the Hall was built.

[24] Such an option effectively sub-divided the residence and it was the half of the Hall which Mary Alsager reserved that James Brindley occupied.

[25] Brindley married his young bride, Ann Henshall, in 1765 and together they moved into Turnhurst Hall where he was to live until his death in 1772.

[26] Brindley mixed with some of the finest minds in England during this time as his friend Josiah Wedgwood introduced him to the eminent physician and polymath Erasmus Darwin and other illustrious members of the Lunar Circle.

[27] Erasmus Darwin attended Brindley at Turnhurst towards the end of his life and diagnosed his advanced diabetes mellitus.

The Turnhurst estate overlay a rich geology and the rural country seat gave way to the commercial demands for its mineral bounty.

The sale catalogue included geological sections through the estate and listed 16 mines producing coal and iron ore, as well as deposits of clay, marl and sand.

[36] Examination of the find led to the conclusion that it was most likely a water feature contemporary with the Hall and pre-dated Brindley's residence.

[37] However it was possible that modifications had been made in the late 18th century, including the addition of the sluice, and the feature may have served as a water holding tank for canal experiments.