Alderley Edge has been a sacred site for many thousands of years and has many legends attached to it. King Arthur and his men are said to sleep somewhere beneath the sandstone cliffs.
A local story tells of a farmer who was on his way to Macclesfield Market to sell a fine white mare. Along the way he met a Wizard who offered to buy the mare for a good price. The farmer refused hoping that he could get a better price for such a fine animal at the market. Once at the bustling market it seemed as though he had been bewitched, not a single offer was made for his mare although lesser animals where sold quickly for good prices. Dejected the farmer returned home and came across the same wizard who again offered to buy the horse. The farmer agreed and the wizard led him through a woodland to a steep sandstone cliff face. The wizard touched the rock with his staff and the rock parted with a thunderous sound to reveal a huge cavern. Inside the cavern rows and rows of warriors lay in deathly sleep.
Every warrior bar one had a horse standing next to him. The wizard proffered the farmer a bag of golden coins for his horse and the farmer fled out of the cavern through the wood and home. He never saw the cavern or the wizard again.
A natural spring is situated in the wood below the sandstone cliff which is carved with a bearded face and the following words:
“Drink of this and take thy fill,
for the water falls by the wizards will.”The date of the carving and the text are unknown but the spring has been known as a wishing well for many years.
