Approximate Location
OS Grid Reference: SJ 8590 7730
Latitude: 53.17.33N Longitude: 2.12.46W
Sitting on the roadside of the Macclesfield Road on Alderley Edge is The Wizard – a former public house described by Alan Garner in Weirdstone, Chapter 2: The Edge:
“Its white walls and stone roof had nestled into the woods for centuries, isolated, with no other house in sight : a village inn, without a village… It was named The Wizard, and above the door was a fixed painted sign which held the children’s attention. The painting showed a man dressed like a monk, with long white hair and beard : behind him a figure in old-fashioned peasant garb struggled with the reins of a white horse which was rearing on its hind legs. In the background were trees.””
Garner, A., 1960 (1989 edition), The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. William Collins / Lions. London. p20.
A version of the pub sign now resides at Alan Garner’s home – Toad Hall at Blackden.
It was the name of the pub, and its curious sign, which first pricked up Coilin and Susan’s interest in The Legend of Alderley. Soon after seeing the pub, they encountered the carving at the Wizard’s Well and became determined to find out more from Gowther.
The pub has been owned by the National Trust since 1948 but closed for business in February 2020 when the last tenant retired. A conservation project on the building, and adjacent tearoom, took place in 2021-22 but it currently remains to be seen what the future of the structure will be.