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?!

Postscripts from The Peak District (24) - Stoney Middleton, High Rake & Darlton Quarries

Catch-Up 7 - Wednesday 24th July!

School holidays, so that's why Kirstie is walking with us.... though we're still on the well-dressing trail, albeit after dipping into a little industrial archaeology!

The population of Stoney Middleton was decimated by the Black Death but, as near-neighbours to Eyam, were chief providers of food for that infamous plague village

Only a couple of miles from Baslow & Chatsworth so we popped in at the farm shop again to stock up with 'interesting' burgers!

Had been happily heading up Coombs Dale until we decided to head off past an old lead mine for the recently-re-opened High Rake Quarry

 

 

 

 

 

Coombs Dale, above Stoney Middleton, but at a slightly precipitous angle - Sore Knees!

 

 

 

Now that's better! Bit more sideways level (less painful!) but still more climbing to the top!

 

 

Wow!

There was once a lead mine here..... there have been countless battles to stop the quarrying on Longstone Edge but it appears that work has restarted

 

Apparently it's all about fluorspar - handy in the production of aluminium

What amazes me is that the quarries here were started by hand & probably before the world had heard of fluorspar!

 

Little Longstone & Monsal Head, where we were walking only a few days ago

Les was impressed how it all seems to come together!

 

 

On the way back down to Stoney Middleton & this is the disused Darlton Quarry, used for the extraction of limestone & the production of lime

Just like the Churnet Valley!

 

And this is what's left!

Wonder what the Churnet Valley would look like if you took away the trees

Miniature version of the Grand Canyon?

A tale as old as the hills... one wonders what caused her demise just a couple of years later!


















These cottages look old enough to have been around in Hannah Baddaley's time
Wonder if she landed on the Indian restaurant's roof?

Repaired to 'The Moon Inn' in Stoney Middleton before embarking on our tour of the village well-dressings


There's an old murder tale associated with this establishment.... but I'll save that for my next visit!


The cross, curiously, was erected to mark the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846







Main village well-dressing outside St Martin's church

Couldn't find an angle to photograph the unusual octagonal church building because of a huge marquee & various circles of chairs in the grounds - something else for next time!

Apparently, the original was built by Joan Eyre in thanksgiving for the safe return of her husband from the Battle of Agincourt








Stoney Middleton has its own Roman Bath &, as a spa, was preferred by some to Buxton


The spring gives rise to this stream, waterfall & pool - our favourite dressing here!















And, last of all, we spent an age looking at this wonderful collection of dressings dating back over 75 years!