'The Mottram Frog Stone
During the construction of
Mottram Deep Cutting (1814-1826), a
stonemason split a piece of stone and discovered
the outline of a frog or toad. It is believed that it
crawled into a cavity in the stone through a
small crack, then fed on insects until it was
too large to escape. Sucessive generations
have marked the stone to
keep the story alive.'
This plaque couldn't be a traditional red one (for history) because it's a part of folklore, an unfounded tale that nevertheless is part of the fabric of the area. The stone itself is said to be regularly repainted, although when I came along it wasn't too recognisable as a frog.
Posts
