Exploring Keele
Originally published Jan 24, 2016.
After a few very busy days, I have finally settled into my new home for the coming months. This meant that we finally had some time to ourselves to go out and explore our new surroundings. And there sure was much to take in, even with a normal English grey winter’s day, we had no problem roaming around the green surrounds. Today we undertook a heritage tour of our new home for the next five months. The site is filled with a rich and interesting slice of English history. The land was originally owned by the Sneyd family from 1544 till the 1950’s when the land was eventually purchased to form the foundations of what the university is today. If you’re interested in further reading on the history of the land, have a look here.
We walked with no particular destination in mind, rather with the intent to just explore and take in the land we now live on. We even came across a makeshift Christmas tree that had been left in the scrub.
Keele Hall is the grandest of all the buildings on campus, being the original homestead of the Sneyd family. It overlooks miles of green paddocks and forest-laced hillsides. Inside, many of the original interiors are still in good condition and are often used for conferences. When the university was initially founded all of the classes were held there.
Given that the M6 runs just near the bottom of the paddock, many birds and animal life still freely roam the grounds. Even amongst the distant car sounds the peacefulness of the grounds are certainly still apparent.
Many of the creek systems surrounding the university run downstream from Keele Hall, into the areas seen here and you can walk right alongside them on many of the trails.
Although the area has had consistent rain during the last few days and even with the build up of mud, English forests and shrubbery have a certain charm. Many of the trees were twisted and gnarled, almost as if they had been lifted from the fairytales we read as children. You can literally feel the history that is littered within the land.
Everything is incredibly green here, and with a building like Keele Hall overlooking huge green paddocks, you can see the quintessential British countryside come to life. In all of it’s wintry charm, it pulls you in and it’s all too apparent how easily many of our famous literary heroes received their inspiration.
I had read that Keele had horses somewhere on campus and was determined to find them at some point. Much to our delight we came across them while on our way to the pub. They were hidden away in another expansive paddock. I’m very much looking forward to exploring the campus in the coming months, with around 650 acres to see there is absolutely no shortage of places to discover.
Kathleen Freeman is a graphic designer and freelance writer; she is currently undertaking a Media and Communications degree. In her spare time she continues the search to find the book/coffee shop combination store throughout the globe.
All images, unless otherwise stated, are copyright of Kathleen Freeman, and may not be reproduced without express written permission of the author.