Cannock Chase
THE name reveals the history of the smallest AONB of all, now a 26 square mile oasis between the powerhouses of Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham. It was William the Conqueror who first designated Cannock Forest for hunting and, in 1290, Edward I granted the sporting demesne of Cannock Chase, carved out of the forest, to the Bishop of Lichfield; deer are still considered an emblem of the area. The tradition continues, with two of the most prestigious packs of hounds in England, the Meynell and South Staffordshire in the west and the Quorn in the east, trail hunting across its rolling hills and thickly hedged farmland.
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