Leek town centre

Leek is a market town in north Staffordshire and is the administrative centre for Staffordshire Moorlands District which includes a part of the Peak District.

The town has held Wednesday markets since being granted a charter in 1207 and has an annual agricultural show which takes place every July.
Leek is on the River Churnet and is often referred to as the Gateway to the Peak District or the Queen of the Moorlands.
Nearby tourist attractions include Rudyard Lake, a reservoir where a steam railway runs along it's shore and Alton Towers, one of two major theme parks in Staffordshire, the other being Drayton Manor Park near Tamworth in the south of the county.
Another steam railway is the Churnet Valley Railway, a standard guage line which runs for 10.5 miles (17km) from Froghall to Ipstones. One of the stops on the railway is Cheddleton where an interesting flint mill can be visited.

Nicholson War Memorial

One of the nearby hills is The Cloud where on the Summer Solstice the sun sets behind the hill to partially reappear in the hollow to the hill's steep northern side before disappearing below the horizon. This "double sunset" appears on the town's coat of arms.

Leek was the home to James Brindley, the 18th century canal engineer who built the Duke of Bridgewater's canal near Manchester, the first of the many canals which now cross the English countryside. Brindley Mill in Leek is a watermill built by James Brindley and is now preserved as a museum. The nearby Caldon and Trent & Mersey Canals were built by James Brindley. A branch from the Caldon Canal runs into the town passing through a short tunnel.
The local football club is the non-League side, Leek Town F.C.

Leek Tunnel

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