Touchstone Trail

The local community wanted a lasting memory of the Millennium, and in 1999 a local resident and artist, Jenny Mather, proposed the idea of a Bamford Touchstone Trail, reflecting memorable aspects of Bamford both old and new, as well as encouraging visitors to discover what Bamford has to offer. 

To begin with, countless clay models were created by local families.  The artist then sculpted each of them together to produce intricate touchstone designs. Rubber moulds were made of each touchstone to enable a resin and ground stone mixture to be poured in;  this process creates a very hard-wearing sculpture to withstand the weather conditions.  The touchstones resemble gritstone found in the surrounding Dark Peak area.  Sheffield University have made replicas of ancient artefacts using the same technique. 

The touchstones illustrate Air, Water, Earth and Fire.  The stones are situated on a five-mile walk around the edges of the village.  A central touchstone combines all four elements.  A celtic symbol is present on all the touchstones to signify the millennium. 

The creation of the Touchstone Trail and all its supporting material was a celebration of community spirit, thanks to all the adults and children of Bamford who modelled many of the animals, flowers and people on the touchstones, and all who helped get the project off the ground.

The project was made possible with the financial and physical help of: 

• The Local Heritage Initiative

• Nationwide Building Society

• High Peak Borough Council Community Arts

• The Peak District National Park Authority's Ranger Service and Sustainable Development Fund

• Hugh and Ruby Sykes Charitable Trust

• Severn Trent Water

• Bamford & District History Society

• The Duke of Devonshire Trust

We hope you enjoy the trail...