The unusual landmark, White Nancy (Photo: Visit Britain/NWDA)
Our latest Curiosity of the Week is an unusual landmark in Cheshire. White Nancy is a Grade II listed, (mostly) white bell-shaped structure, found on Kerridge Hill near Bollington.
White Nancy was built in 1817, by John Gaskell junior, allegedly to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. This unusual folly originally had a doorway which allowed access to a single room inside the structure.
But why is the landmark called White Nancy? Well, no one knows for sure. It may have been named after Gaskell’s daughter, the name of the horse that transported the materials up the hill to build the folly, or something else altogether.
We do know that White Nancy hasn’t always been white though. In fact it has only been painted since the 1920s, and has had several different paint jobs over the years. During the 1980s, at Christmas time, White Nancy would be given a seasonal paint-job. This saw the landmark turn into Father Christmas, and a plum pudding, amongst other things.
White Nancy stands on Kerridge Hill (Photo: Visit Britain/NWDA)
More recently White Nancy has been subject to being painted pink by vandals, as well as being painted more professionally to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, our sporting achievement at the Olympics, to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, and for the WWI Centenary.
Earlier this year, the folly was painted white once more. Today White Nancy is a popular local landmark, frequently visited by walkers on The Gritstone Trail.
If you have an idea for Curiosity of the Week then please do get in touch, we welcome suggestions from everyone. You can contact us by emailing info@contrarylife.com or send us a message via Facebook.
We are always on the lookout for interesting customs, hidden places, and unique buildings and landmarks, to share with our readers.