Sheen

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Sheen is a one street village with a pub, church a handful of cottages and several working farms. It is a very rural little hamlet, sitting on a ridge just out of view from Hartington on the Staffordshire side of the River Dove surrounded by fields of rich pasture rolling down to the river Manifold.

Sheen Church is dedicated to St Luke and is a well known landmark having a weathered-green, copper covered short spire. The village is first known to have had a church as early as 1185. The oldest grave slab in Sheen churchyard dates back to 1200.

The original Sheen church was destroyed at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries but was rebuilt in 1552. Some of the fascinating but grotesque gargoyles date back to medieval times. However, the present church building was rebuilt yet again 1828-32 by Beresford Hope to a design of William Butterfield. In the grounds of Sheen church are supposedly 19 lime trees which have survived from 20 planted back in 1761. Within the church are internal features originally belonging to Margaret Street Chapel in London and an interesting reredos and font of alabaster and Dukes red marble which was extracted from a quarry at Matlock.

Next to Sheen church is a large house known as The Palace.

For many years Sheen has been renowned for its tug of war team. The Sheen Farmers is made up of a bunch of extremely strong men, reputedly the best tug of war club in Britain. They have taken on the might of the worlds strongest tug of war teams over the years and have featured on television. Unsurprisingly the local pub which dates back to 1666 is known as The Staffordshire Knot - any connection?

On the tiny village green at the bottom of Sheen is a tree with a plaque which reads 'this tree was planted March 10th 1883 by the incumbent and parishioners of Sheen in honour of the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra, Princess of Denmark'.

Sheen hill is an impressive sugarloaf mound which can be seen from miles around and rises to 1247 feet.