Warrington travellers' rest stones given Grade II listed status

Two rare travellers' rest stones in Warrington which were designed by a doctor 160 years ago have been given listed status protection.

The stones, created as seats for workers to rest while walking to work, have been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England.

The stones were installed around 1860 on busy routes from Liverpool through Warrington to Manchester, roughly spaced two miles apart.

Only around 12 are known to have survived, with many others having been moved and damaged.

The two newly listed travellers’ rest stones are located at Red Bank in Winwick and Stag Inn traffic island in Lower Walton.

The stones are more than five feet long and have a stepped shape and domed seat.

The four that were being relisted and their entries updated are located at Great Sankey, Swan Green at Winwick, Grappenhall and Lymm. 

They were designed by Warrington resident Dr James Kendrick (1809-1882), who was inspired by the donation of drinking fountains in Liverpool in 1859 by philanthropist Charles Melly.

The stones provided an easy resting position for adults leaning forward with their elbows resting on their knees with space for companions or baggage.

The lower steps were intended for children and as a footrest for mothers so they could comfortably breastfeed their babies.

Most of these stones are inscribed with ‘travellers’ rest’ and the date, while some have inspiring quotations such as ‘come unto me saith the saviour’ to help them along their journey.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England said: “These travellers’ rest stones were a thoughtful, well-designed and welcome place to rest for workers and their families, many from Ireland, who walked miles to find work harvesting crops.

“It is right that these journeys should be remembered by the listing of two new travellers’ rest stones in Cheshire.

“They illustrate the incredible diversity of our heritage and its capacity to shed light on different aspects of past lives.”

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