Postscripts from The Peak District (28) - Winster & Bonsall

Catch-Up 11 - Thursday 1st August!

A new month - must be making progress with these catch-ups... even though, I note, we have slipped into December in the real world!

Back on the well-dressing trail, we met up with Kirstie in Winster for a wander across the old lead-mining moorland to Bonsall - two villages high to the west of Matlock

Another lovely warm day, initially bedevilled by unreasonable mist &, later, by unseasonably-closed pubs!

Winster Market House

 

When this was built, at the beginning of the 18th century, Winster was one of the biggest towns in Derbyshire

 

Granted a Market Charter in 1711, its prosperity was based on the lead-mining boom

 

A ruin by the end of the 19th century, it became the first NT property in the Peak District

Love this relic from Winster's past! Looks like Henry Tomkins had fingers in a lot of pies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'House of Lead', the Market House, & Morris mosaic, created by Bobbie Harvey, local artist, & Winster school-children

Wensley Dale (No, not that one!) which leads down to Wensley & Darley Dale, just north of Matlock on the A6

Those are old lead-mining spoil heaps in the foreground

After bemoaning the lack of 'Limestone Way' markers (Postscript 8 & before we moved here!), this was our first indication that it is a way-marked trail... albeit only partially!

Wesleyan Chapel well-dressing in Bonsall, based on their Flower Festival themes

 

Curiously this was the only village dressing we saw that was secured behind locked gates & this right at the top of the Dale & on the edge of the moor

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps this is the cause of their concerns! Who knows what kind of wretched rogues & ruffians might descend on this peaceful community... drinking & gambling!?

 

 

 

 

Apparently this is the Official World Championship & has been held at 'The Barley Mow' on the 1st Saturday in August for nearly 25 years!

 

It's based on a tradition of moorland hen-racing between Derbyshire villages going back over 100 years!

 

And, yes! They do have entries from all over the world!

 

I've read, elsewhere' that 'The Barley Mow' is, also, probably the best pub in the world.... but it wasn't open today!

 

 

Fountain dedicated to the memory of Henry Ford (No, not that one!).... of Manchester

 

 

 

We ended up sitting outside The Fountain Tea Rooms (in the background here) - ice cream & cold lemonade! 'The King's Head' was closed, too!

Bonsall's Nether Green well-dressing, one of eight in the village

 

Created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of 'The Flying Scotsman's' retirement - one of several on this theme that we visited

 

 

 

 

Church of St James

 

Built, originally, on the hill at the top of the village about 1230, it was extensively updated by the Victorians

 

Market Place Dressing

 

Our Lady, Star of the Sea

An ancient title for the Virgin Mary & a translation of Stella Maris

 

Caught my eye as we've come across quite a few sailors' Missions with this name on our coastal journeyings.... & here we are, just about as far away from the sea as you can get in Britain!

Bonsall's Market Cross

 

This has been here for over 300 years but, unlike neighbour Winster, Bonsall's application for a Market Charter was declined!

 

The steps show the steepness of the main street towards the top of the village

 

John Wesley preached from here... but, in these parts, that's not unusual!

 

 

Bonsall's 'New Well'

 

Again, we've seen several WWF dressings - just liked the simple design & presentation of this one!

On our way back now & just look at that lovely blue sky!

This Wyn's Tor, which probably didn't give its name to the village!

Most intriguingly there's a disused lead mine up there which was called 'Beans & Bacon Mine'!

Lead Ore House, Winster

Best-preserved example in the Peak District

This was the lead miners' nightsafe! Their ore was locked up here to keep it safe until the next day - they were worried about rogues & ruffians then, too!

At last! An open pub!

And open all day, probably on account of the campsite nestled away behind it!

They declared themselves not in the least surprised that we'd failed to find a pub doing business in Bonsall!

 

 

 

Built as a farmhouse in 1653, this became an inn about a hundred years later

 

 

Named after the lead miners' measuring dish - a rectangular vessel holding about 15 pints of ore: 9 dishes made one load!

 

 

Perversely, we sat around the corner in the shade.... all that sun & so little refreshment!

Postscripts from The Peak District (27) - Hulme End, Manifold Valley, Wettonmill & Ecton Hill

Catch-Up 10 - Monday 29th July!

Another day on my own & another bit of industrial exploration!

Intrigued by Thomas Bolton's copper works in the Churnet Valley & aware of the complex network of old rail tracks & inclined planes I thought I'd go see where all this copper came from.... Ecton Mines!

Managed to involve a flirtation with the Manifold Light Railway & a close encounter with the summer's first hail/sleet storm!

Ecton Hill.... but I was planning on a circuitous route to reach the summit!

A decision which, subsequently, led to a soaking!

 

Taken from the hard cycle-track surface of the Manifold Trail (Postscript 2)

When I came down from Ecton this small lake had expanded to cover much of the field & cows were standing ankle-deep in water, looking a little perplexed... if cows have ankles & do perplexed!

 

If you look at Postscript 2 you'll read of the confusion caused as visitors, including Les, searched for the River Manifold

No confusion today! Though we had had a fair amount of rain!

Swainsley Tunnel

Built by Sir Thomas Wardle who, though a shareholder in the railway, didn't want to see it cross his land!

During World War II, after the line's closure, the tunnel was used by the RAF for munitions storage!

Entrance to the disused Swainsley Copper Mine

 

Wouldn't want to go much closer... though you can!

 

 

Wettonmill

 

The Manifold is fortified here by Hoo Brook so there's more likely to be water about

 

See Postscript 19 for the level on our last visit!

The buildings which once made up the corn-grinding water mill from the start of the climb towards Wetton village (Postscript 2)

Now these house an incredibly popular tearoom!

That's Nan Tor on the right... more on another walk!

My route up to the Back of Ecton, between a hill called Sugarloaf & Wetton Hill

 

 

Looks easy but just around that corner it becomes very steep!

 

 

 

 

Minerals have been worked here on Ecton Hill since the Bronze Age

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serious 'modern' mining began in the 16th century & it is believed that the industry earned the Duke of Devonshire at least £350,000... enough to build the imposing Crescent in Buxton!

 

Here comes Summer... & the summit of Ecton in shorts & tee-shirt was not the most sensible place to be! Fortunately my water-proof was in the back-pack though it wasn't going to be a lot of use!

Sat on a rock in the lee of the hill with my back to the storm & this is the view across towards Sheen, Hartington & the northern end of Dovedale

 - just where that black cloud was going when it had finished with me!

 

 

Couldn't believe I was the only one sitting outdoors at 'The Manifold Inn'!

 

OK, so I had have to dry the seat a bit first!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A former coaching inn which was originally called 'The Waggon & Horses', this became the oddly-named 'Light Railway Hotel' with the arrival of the Leek & Manifold Line - guess there's more mileage these days in a picture of Thor's Cave! (Postscripts 2 & 19)

 

 

 

And so, back to the start & time for a quick look at the Old Station... now a Visitors Centre, & closed, on a Monday in the School Holidays!

 

 

 

 

 

This was the terminus & if you did want to go to Sheen or Hartington it was 3-4 miles along some tortuous lanes!

 

 

Ironically, this line wasn't opened until after the heyday of the Ecton mines & it never profited from the transportation of ore - the Devonshires had had their transport systems in place for centuries!

The main trade was milk! There was a large dairy & creamery near Ecton station which was renowned for its Stilton cheese - they shipped hundreds of thousands of gallons of milk down the line & between 1919 & 1926 special 'Milk Trains' ran directly from Waterhouses to London

In 1932 Express Dairies opened a newer & bigger creamery at Rowsley (Postscript 12).... & for the railway, that was that!

 

Postscripts from The Peak District (26) - Bagnall & Stanley

Catch-Up 9 - Sunday 28th July!

Having explored Hazlehurst Junction a couple of days ago I thought I'd head along the Caldon Canal a couple of miles to the west & closer to Stoke... have to walk all the way to the Potteries at some point!

Warm & pleasant but there had been overnight rain & more was forecast for the afternoon so opted for a shorter jaunt today... at Les' suggestion!

Parked close to the canal & headed past the golf course & uphill across Stanley Moor towards Bagnall

 

 

I have to admit that the village of Bagnall only sneaked into this walk because I wanted to approach Stanley Pool from above.... but it's actually quite an interesting place!

Lee Pearson won silver & bronze in addition to his Team Gold &, though he lives in the village, he comes from Cheddleton (Postscripts 5 & 20) wonder how they decide where to do the painting?!

 

 

 

The seat is, I think, a memorial to local tractor driver Russell Grindon who died after an accident in an Aberdeen nightclub

 

 

 

 

Not sure how Elvis came to be sitting in someone's garden in Bagnall but they do seem to like their scarecrow festivals around here... though he was the only one & he doesn't look home-made!

Stanley Pool - this is what I'd come to see!

The boundary stream between Bagnall & Stanley was dammed in 1783 & the Pool, another feeder reservoir for the Caldon Canal, was completed in 1786

Good to see it in use as a water-sports centre, though it did look a bit breezy out on the waves!

 'Travellers Rest', Stanley

 

Part of a row of mill-workers' cottages built in the 1860s, the pub has retained its original name despite the surrounding 'cottages' looking a bit more upmarket now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoyed a pint of 'Endeavour Single Hop' here - 4% & very good!

Complicated outflow from Stanley Pool - that water is on its way to the Caldon Canal & 'our' River Churnet!

... and this is the stream that was originally dammed to create the Pool, not far below the outflow

Very attractive but, if some of the low-lying waterlogged land is anything to go by, not quite as well-controlled as it probably once was!

One more fascinating bit of industrial archaeology I wasn't expecting!

This is the former site of Victoria Mill at Stanley Moss, ceramic colours & glaze manufacturer, which supplied the Potteries & closed in 1969

This was one of the rail lines serving the mill while the 'traffic island' in the middle of the canal once supported a swing bridge which connected the mill railway with the main Stoke line.... now it's all just a really interesting picnic area!

Postscripts from The Peak District (25) - Deep Hayes Country Park, Leek Canal, Ladderedge Country Park, Longsdon, Hazlehurst & Denford

Catch-Up 8 - Friday 26th July!

Out on my own today & set out to explore the Leek branch of the Caldon Canal which once linked the town to the Potteries & gave its industries access to the Trent & Mersey &, thus, European & World Markets

Had wanted to park in Ladderedge Country Park where Leek Canal Basin used to be (it's under an industrial estate & a supermarket now) but I was in the van & there's a height restriction on parking!

Ended up at Deep Hayes (Postscript 5) where I knew the van would be fine.... & that meant I'd be finishing very close to the fine 'Hollybush Inn' at Denford! (also Postscript 5!)

Fine place to live! Overlooking the Churnet Valley, garden sloping to (almost!) your very own waterway & a couple of speed boats moored for your personal use!

Caldon Canal at Deep Hayes - between Cheddleton & Longsdon

 

Those are the outskirts of Leek at the top of the hill

In the foreground is what I take to be an old holding-area for boats wishing to pass through the single-carriageway Leek Tunnel!

And here is the southern portal of Leek Tunnel

 

Completed in 1798, it was never actually closed to navigation, it just fell into disuse & became impassable!

 

Re-opened in April 1985

Holding & winding area from above the tunnel

 Followed the canal as far as I could, almost to a dead end but not quite, there's a feeder canal which runs through Ladderedge Country Park from Rudyard Reservoir, or Lake as you will soon see it poetically called!

 

Crossed the main road & found a second, tiny car-park with no height restriction.... could have been useful!

 

Frightening maze of footpaths to explore, unsurprisingly they all leave the car-park in the same direction!

Knew where I was going - uphill & through the woods to Longsdon!

 

The 'Wheel Inn' on the main road at Longsdon was opened c.1850 as the 'Waterworks Inn' - hardly surprising with all the canal, reservoir, feeder & river activities!

A pint of 'Take Courage' Best Bitter here - good!

Was aiming for this odd 3-pronged stone monument on the hill in front of Stonelowe Hall

It appears on OS maps but I can find no reference to it anywhere

Hoping for some kind of plaque.... but there were only sheep!

 

 

Finally reached 'the point' of this whole walk!

 

Hazlehurst Junction!

 

This is where the Leek branch takes off from the Caldon Canal

 

 

 

How old is this sign?

The canal beyond Froghall, through Oakamoor to Uttoxeter, was filled-in at the end of the 1840s!

(Postscript 15)

 

Hazlehurst Junction - fascinating spot!

Perversely, the Leek branch shoots off to the right here even though Leek is situated to the left of the valley & the canal... but that gave the canal-builders an opportunity to construct an aqueduct a little further along to get their Leek-bound vessels going, geographically, in the right direction!

 

And here is that aqueduct, built in 1841 - very impressive it is, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the aqueduct from its upper level!

 

 

Self-indulgent?

Actually, no! It enabled the main Caldon branch to continue through to its end with only a couple more locks while retaining the height of the Leek branch meant that tunnel only had to be 130 yards long - clever stuff!

And so... 'The Hollybush Inn' at Denford: had this really been the whole point all along?!