White Nancy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White Nancy |
|
|---|---|
White Nancy in 2005
|
|
| Location | Kerridge, Bollington, Cheshire, England |
| OS grid reference | SJ 939 771 |
| Elevation | 280.5 metres (920 ft) |
| Built | 1815 |
| Built for | Gaskell family |
|
Listed Building – Grade II
|
|
| Official name: White Nancy | |
| Designated | 17 March 1966 |
| Reference no. | 1138973 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
White Nancy is a special building located on top of Kerridge Hill. It looks over the town of Bollington in Cheshire, England. Since 1966, it has been officially recognized as a Grade II listed building. This means it's an important historical structure that needs to be protected. White Nancy's unique shape is even used as the logo for the town of Bollington.
Contents
The Story of White Nancy
Why Was White Nancy Built?
White Nancy was built in 1817 by a man named John Gaskell junior. He lived nearby at Ingersley Hall. He built it to celebrate a big victory in a famous battle called the Battle of Waterloo. This battle happened in 1815.
What Did White Nancy Look Like Inside?
When it was first built, White Nancy had an entrance that led to a single room. Inside, there were stone benches and a round stone table in the middle. People used it like a small, fancy garden house or a fun, decorative building. Today, the entrance is blocked, so you can't go inside anymore. Some local stories say it was named after a horse that helped carry building materials up the hill.
What Does White Nancy Look Like?
White Nancy is shaped like a sugar loaf, which means it's round at the bottom and gets narrower towards the top. On the very top, there's a round ball. It's made from sandstone rocks that have been covered with a smooth, painted surface. The structure is about 5.5 meters (18 feet) tall. Around its base, there's stone paving with the points of the compass carved into it. This helps visitors know which direction they are facing.
How White Nancy Gets Painted
Changing Colors Over the Years
For many years, until at least 1925, White Nancy was not painted. Since then, it has been painted many different colors, but it is most often white. In 2005, some people painted parts of it pink. In 2009, it was painted white again, with the ball on top painted black.
Special Occasion Paintings
White Nancy often gets special paintings for important events:
- In 2012, for the Queen's Jubilee, a crown and the dates 1952–2012 were added.
- For the Olympics, Olympic rings were painted on it. A green ring looked like a laurel wreath around a gold medal and the number 29, celebrating Team GB's 29 gold medals.
- It has also been painted with a large red remembrance poppy to honor soldiers.
- During the 1980s, it was often decorated for Christmas, looking like a Christmas pudding or even Father Christmas.
Recent Paintings
- In 2015, to mark 200 years since the Battle of Waterloo, White Nancy was painted with a special design. It showed silhouettes of soldiers from that time.
- In May 2016, it was painted back to its usual all-white look with a black top.
- In May 2017, after a sad event in Manchester, a bee symbol was painted on White Nancy. This showed support for the people of Manchester.
- In March 2018, the face of a musician named Mark E. Smith was painted on it, along with words from one of his band's songs.
Visiting White Nancy
White Nancy is a popular spot on Kerridge Hill. From there, you can see amazing views across the Cheshire Plain. You can see the mountains of North Wales to the west, the hills of Shropshire to the south, and the Pennines to the north and east.
White Nancy and the Kerridge ridge are part of a walking path called the Gritstone Trail. Another path, the Peak District Boundary Walk, also goes past this monument. White Nancy is considered one of Britain's best "follies" (decorative buildings) and has been featured in travel guides.
Images for kids
-
White Nancy painted with a poppy in 2014
