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!
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