Description:A plateway is a horse-drawn railway. The Consall plateway was begun in 1815 when a group of local landowners formed a partnership to build an iron railway between Consall Forge and Weston Coyney. The purpose of the 7 1/2 mile long plateway was to provide an alternative means of transporting limestone from the quarries at Cauldon Low to Lane End (today's Longton), particularly when the canal system was frozen and unusable during winter.
This small stretch of plateway is in the gardens of Consall Hall. The wider gauge railway in the foreground dates from 1816, when the first stretch to Consall was completed. The narrower gauge section beyond dates from 1852. Note the stone sleepers and iron rails.