White Nancy
title: "White Nancy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bollington", "buildings-and-structures-in-cheshire", "grade-ii-listed-buildings-in-cheshire", "tourist-attractions-in-cheshire", "folly-buildings-in-england", "buildings-and-structures-completed-in-1817", "hills-of-cheshire"] topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Nancy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox historic site"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | White Nancy |
| image | White_Nancy.jpg |
| image_size | 200 |
| caption | White Nancy in 2005 |
| locmapin | Cheshire |
| map_width | 250 |
| map_caption | Location in Cheshire |
| coordinates | |
| location | Kerridge, Bollington, Cheshire, England |
| gbgridref | SJ 939 771 |
| elevation | 280.5 m |
| built | 1815 |
| built_for | Gaskell family |
| designation1 | Grade II |
| designation1_offname | White Nancy |
| designation1_date | 17 March 1966 |
| designation1_number | 1138973 |
| :: |
| name = White Nancy | image = White_Nancy.jpg | image_size = 200 | caption = White Nancy in 2005 | locmapin = Cheshire | map_width = 250 | map_caption = Location in Cheshire | coordinates = | location = Kerridge, Bollington, Cheshire, England | gbgridref = SJ 939 771 | area = | elevation = 280.5 m | formed = | founded = | built = 1815 | built_for = Gaskell family | demolished = | rebuilt = | restored = | restored_by = | architect = | architecture = | visitation_num = | visitation_year = | governing_body = | designation1 = Grade II | designation1_offname = White Nancy | designation1_type = | designation1_criteria = | designation1_date = 17 March 1966 | delisted1_date = | designation1_parent = | designation1_number = 1138973 White Nancy is a structure at the top of Kerridge Hill, overlooking Bollington, Cheshire, England. Since 1966 it has been recorded in the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) as a designated Grade II listed building. Its profile forms the logo for the town of Bollington.
History
White Nancy was built in 1817 by John Gaskell junior of North End Farm to commemorate the victory at the Battle of Waterloo. John Gaskell was a member of the Gaskell family who lived nearby at Ingersley Hall. It originally had an entrance to a single room which was furnished with stone benches and a central round stone table, but the entrance is now blocked. It has been described as a summer house or a folly. Locals supposedly told 1940s Army signallers working on Kerridge Hill that the landmark was named after the lead horse that had transported all materials for the building of White Nancy.{{Citation | title=Oral history, serving soldier 1947–49}}
Description
The structure is circular in plan with its shape described as that of a sugar loaf, and is surmounted with a ball finial. It is built in sandstone rubble which has been rendered and painted. It is about 18 ft high. Stone paving has been laid around its base which is inscribed with the points of the compass.
Painting and vandalism
Until at least 1925 the structure was unpainted. It has been painted in a number of different colours over the years, most commonly in white. In March 2009, it was repainted in white with the ball finial in black. and during the 1980s it was commonly painted at Christmas, decorated as a Christmas pudding or Father Christmas.
In 2015, in recognition of the reason for its construction, the structure was painted with a '200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo' motif, and the silhouettes of soldiers in traditional military uniform from the time. In May 2016, it was returned to its traditional all white with a black finial.
In May 2017, by request of the mayor of Bollington, the worker bee symbol was painted onto the monument to express solidarity with the people of Manchester after the Manchester Arena bombing that month.
In March 2018, the face of Mark E. Smith of post-punk band the Fall was painted on White Nancy, together with the text "This Nation's Saving Grace". This was considered vandalism, and a Facebook group claimed responsibility.
During two separate incidents in May and June 2020, White Nancy was vandalised by conspiracy theorists, protesting against COVID-19 and 5G cellular network technology. The second incident was branded "racist" as it included a reference to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
In June 2024, White Nancy was wrapped in black plastic by local landfill closure protesters. In December 2024, it was vandalised again, the consequences lasting into 2025 despite cleanup efforts by volunteers at the time.
Bollington Town Council, which oversees the area, has claimed that a special kind of masonry paint is required every time that the White Nancy is vandalised.
Visitor attraction
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/White_Nancy_in_Poppy_Livery.jpg" caption="White Nancy painted with a poppy in 2014"] ::
White Nancy provides a focus on the ridge of Kerridge Hill and from it there are extensive views across the Cheshire Plain towards the mountains of North Wales to the west, the hills of Shropshire to the south and the Pennines to the north and east. White Nancy and the Kerridge Ridge are part of the 35-mile (56 km) Gritstone Trail, a long-distance footpath. The Peak District Boundary Walk also runs past the monument.
White Nancy has been acclaimed and has featured in countdowns of the best British follies identified by The Telegraph and by gardener, author and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh.
References
References
- {{NHLE
- "Council Grants". Bollington Town Council.
- "Bollington: Guide to Organisations". Bollington Town Council.
- "Pastscape: White Nancy". [[Historic England]].
- Boddington, Tim. "White Nancy".
- "White Nancy". The Kerridge Ridge and Ingersley Vale Countryside and Heritage Project.
- Hird, Gavin. (7 September 2005). "Nancy’s in the pink!". M.E.N. Media.
- Britton, Karen. (7 May 2015). "Landmark gets latest makeover to mark 200th anniversary of Battle of Waterloo". Macclesfield Express.
- Greer, Stuart. (29 May 2017). "Macclesfield stands in solidarity with Manchester in wake of horrific attack". Macclesfield Express.
- Smithers, Dominic. (7 March 2018). "An image of Mark E Smith has been painted on the side of White Nancy – and some locals aren't happy". [[Manchester Evening News]].
- Eede, Christian. (7 March 2018). "Macclesfield Monument Defaced With Face Of Mark E Smith".
- Wise, Lauren. (10 May 2020). "Grade II listed landmark White Nancy vandalised with 5G conspiracy graffiti".
- Sherlock, Gemma. (18 June 2020). "White Nancy landmark vandalised again - this time with racist graffiti".
- Greensmith, Alex. (28 June 2024). "White Nancy 'joins campaign' to 'save Bollington Tip'".
- Blackburn, Jonathan. (27 June 2024). "Cheshire landmark White Nancy wrapped in black plastic by tip closure protesters".
- Hancock-Bruce, Matthew. (30 December 2024). "Samaritan steps up to restore local landmark struck by vandals".
- "The Gritstone Trail: Disley to Tegg's Nose Country Park". [[Cheshire West and Chester]] Council.
- McCloy, Andrew. (2017). "Peak District Boundary Walk: 190 Miles Around the Edge of the National Park". [[Friends of the Peak District]].
- Bloxham, Andy. (27 December 2011). "Britain's follies: a list of some of the best". [[The Daily Telegraph.
- "Britain's best architectural follies: White Nancy". The Telegraph.
- Titchmarsh, Alan. "Alan Titchmarsh's top British follies: White Nancy". The Telegraph.
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