Snake Pass, Peak District National Park May 23, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, Peak District, Royal Air Force, South Yorkshire.Tags: A57, Derbyshire, EGCC, Glossop, ICAO, Manchester Airport, National Park, Peak District National Park, Pennines, Sheffield, Snow, South Yorkshire, stream, UK, winter
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Snake Pass, A57 Glossop to Sheffield
I am from Derbyshire, and intensely proud of that fact. I am fortunate enough to be able to travel back fairly often, and visit friends and relations in the region. A few weeks ago, I landed at Manchester Airport (ICAO code, EGCC), the third-busiest airport in the UK and only a few miles from the boundary of the Peak District National Park. I have family in Sheffield on the other side of the Pennines.
I chose to travel the A57 road which runs from Glossop in Derbyshire to Sheffield in South Yorkshire. Part of this road forms the notorious Snake Pass, which winds it’s way through the National Park from west to east. Here you can see a typical piece of Peak District scenery on the A57, complete with pines and a rushing stream.
One thing the Snake Pass is notorious for is becoming blocked by snow, almost every winter, and its easy to see why!
Dry-stone walls, Derbyshire April 6, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, New England, Peak District, Prehistory.Tags: agriculture, architectural design, caravan, Carl Giles, cartoon, cartoonist, cattle, cattle pen, cultural link, Derbyshire, Dry Stone Walling Association, dry-stone wall, England, field boundaries, fields, flocks, foundation, France, frost, garden design, Germany, Giles family, Great Britain, harsh weather, herders, horizontal 'key', ice, key, livestock, maze, Middleton by Wirksworth, Millenium Wall, mobile studio, National Stone Center, Neolithic, New England, Peak District, Peak District National Park, predators, sheep, sheep folds, Sweden, thorn hedge, tour
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- Dry-stone walls, Derbyshire
Since Neolithic times, herders of sheep and cattle have sought to construct sheep folds and cattle pens to defend their livestock against predators. They also wished to define the limits of their own fields. Planting thorn hedges worked to an extent, but in harsh weather a dry-stone wall is best.
A short-lived company, but a long-lived Civilian April 2, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, London, Second World War, Wales, aircraft.Tags: 'push-rods', A.B.C. Hornet engine, Air Show, aircraft, airports, Armstrong Siddley, Armstrong Siddley Genet Major 1A, auctioneer, auctioneer's hammer, Aviation, Biggin Hill, Cardiff Airport, Carmarthen, Civilian Aircraft Company Ltd, Civilian Coupe 2, D H Mosquito, Derby, Derbyshire, England, Flight magazine, fuselage, G-ABNT, Glynn Rees, Great Depression, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, GVFWE, hangar, Hedon, Heston, historic aircraft, Hull, Hullavington, London, municipal airports, passenger seat, plywood, plywood panelling, port, propeller, radial engine, River Humber, Second World War, Secretary of State for Air, Shipping & Airlines Ltd, South Wales, Wales, wings, wire, Yorkshire
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- Civilian Aircraft Company Coupe 2
Throughout the 1930s many towns like Derby and the Yorkshire port of Hull joined the rush towards modern transport by establishing municipal airports. Hull’s was sited about 5 miles out of town at Hedon on the banks of the River Humber, and the civic authorities tried to attract aviation concerns to the new airfield. ‘Flight’ magazine in its March 27th, 1931 issue, mentioned that the Civilian Aircraft Company Ltd. had established a small manufacturing works on the southern edge of the site and was producing a two seat aircraft. Sadly, the first example of the ‘plane, which was first shown to the public at Heston in 1929, was powered by an A.B.C. Hornet radial engine, which vibrated rather badly. The Series 2 of the Civilian Coupe had solved the engine problems by fitting the Armstrong Siddley Genet Major 1A of 100hp. The aircraft’s fuselage was so narrow that the passenger seat had to be offset slightly behind and to one side of the pilot’s (rather like the much later D H Mosquito). There was some use of metal tubing in the fuselage, but the majority of structure, including the wings, was covered with stressed plywood panelling. Technically interesting, because it was one of the first aircraft to use ‘push-rods’ to connect the controls, rather than wire (leading to crisper responses), the Coupe was the right aircraft at the wrong time, as it appeared just as the civilian market was under immense pressure due to the Great Depression. A small series of aircraft was built, but it was already too late, and ‘Flight’ noted the demise of the company in its April 15th, 1932 issue.
One of the breed survived by sheer chance; Serial No. 03, a Civilian Coupe 2, was bought by Mr Glynn Rees of Carmarthen, South Wales and hangared at Cardiff Airport. Little flying took place (a total of 130 hours only), and he stored the aircraft before the outbreak of the Second World War. The aircraft’s registration was cancelled, by order of the Secretary of State for Air, on 1st December 1946.
After being stored for more than 40 years, G-ABNT went under the auctioneer’s hammer in Wales in February 1978. It was sold to Shipping & Airlines Ltd of London, along with a quantity of spares, including wings and a propeller. Careful restoration, and a move to a hangar on the historic Biggin Hill airfield, ensured that this highly significant aircraft is still with us today. Here she is in the historic aircraft park at GVFWE, Hullavington.
Cave Dale March 7, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, Great Britain, Peak District.Tags: Derbyshire, Peak District National Park, Castleton, Normans, Peveril Castle, Rochester, Peak District, caverns, Dove Valley, Staffordshire, Limestone Way, Derby Ram, Tissington, Matlock, Winster, Youlgrave, Miller's Dale, dale, Cave Dale, walkers, rock climbing, pitches, outcroppings, lead workings, limestone valley, ridge, bridle path
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Cave Dale, Castleton, Derbyshire
Here is a jewel of the Peak District National Park; Cave Dale is located immediately to the west of the ridge on which Peveril Castle stands. It is a steep sided limestone valley, or dale, in Derbyshire terms. Cave Dale’s steep sides are almost impossible for attackers to scale at this point, forming nearly sheer walls around 200 feet high, which is why the Normans (lead by William Peveril) chose this site for their castle. Underneath this dale, there are huge cave systems such as Peak Cavern, most of which can be accessed from Castleton. The dale is scattered with outcroppings of old lead workings, and some of these can be dangerous, so walkers need to be careful. Rock climbing enthusiasts enjoy the ‘pitches’ at the top end of the dale, as some of them are rated ‘Very Severe’.
If you look closely, you will see two walkers going down the dale, several hundred feet below you; they are on the Limestone Way, which goes from Castleton, all the way to Rochester in the Dove Valley in Staffordshire . The route is extremely interesting, affording many beautiful views of the Peak District, and includes such notable spots as Miller’s Dale, Youlgrave, Winster, Matlock, and Tissington (about 50 miles, in total). If you want to tread this pretty bridle path, then follow the small, green ‘Derby Ram’ signs!
Castleton – The George Hotel February 25, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Castles, Derbyshire, England, Great Britain, Peak District.Tags: Blue John, Castles, Castleton, caverns, Derbyshire, England, ghost, haunted, Hope Valley, hostelry, inn, King George II, licenced premises, malt whiskey, natal day, oak beams, Peak District National Park, Peveril Castle, pub grub, serving woman, single malt, steak and ale pie, The George Hotel, tourists, Visitor Center
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Castleton - The George Hotel
Since it is my natal day, I shall celebrate by re-visiting my beloved Derbyshire. Here is another shot of the small town (or large village) of Castleton in the Hope Valley. As you can see, Peveril Castle dominates the skyline from almost every angle, and, along with the caverns and Blue John jewellery, is the reason for the town’s economic existence. During the summer tourists easily outnumber the locals at weekends, and the recently constructed Visitor Centre is very busy.
The George Hotel is an excellent hostelry in the center of the town. The building dates from 1543, becoming licenced premises exactly 200 years later. The hotel sign depicts King George II, during whose reign the building was opened as an inn. It is, of course, haunted (the ghost of a young serving woman), and the lovely oak beams add a nice period touch to the atmosphere. I can recommend the food…especially the steak and ale pie. Oh, and don’t try and sample all their single malt whiskies at once – there are over 40 of them!
Codnor Park Reservoir….and ‘The Cut’ February 18, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Derbyshire, Prehistory, canals, railways, textiles.Tags: 'gob pit', 'the Cut', Ambergate, anticline, bargee, bell pit, bream, Butterley Reservoir, Butterley Tunnel, canal, canal tunnel, coal, coarse fishing, Codnor, Codnor Park, Codnor Park Reservoir, Cromford canal, Derbyshire, Derwent Valley, Erewash Canal, Erewash Valley, Esox lucius, Golden Valley, horses, Industrial Revolution, iron, iron works, Ironville, jack pike, Langley Mill, legger, Lower Coal Measures, Mediaeval, Middle Coal Measures, Midland Railway, narrow-boat, Newlands Inn, Nottinghamshire, opencast mining, perch, pike, Prehistoric times, railway companies, Riddings, roach, Second World War, steam train, steel, stone axe, textile mills, towpath
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Codnor Park Reservoir
The sky is blue, the clouds fluffy and people are fishing – a truly tranquil day. The location? Codnor Park Reservoir, just to the east of Golden Valley, Derbyshire. This was once an important part of the network of canals which facilitated the growth of the coal, iron and steel industries on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border, and helped forge the Industrial Revolution. Coal has been mined in this area from Mediaeval times; indeed, old ‘gob pits’ (a local name for the ‘bell pit’) make walking in the woods a dangerous occupation. There is fragmentary evidence to suggest that coal was mined in Prehistoric times (the presence of a stone axe in one of the shallow coal measures in this region, for example).
All this caused a rush to join the first textile mills of the Derwent Valley to the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill, via Ambergate and Butterley (with its ironworks). So the Cromford Canal was born. It ran into major difficulties (labour disputes and shareholder friction) and was only completed after some technical ‘wizardry’, including the then longest canal tunnel in Great Britain, Butterley Tunnel, which at the time of it’s building was 2,966 yards long. Although Butterley Reservoir fed the western end of the canal, the eastern end was fed by a small reservoir behind the former Newlands Inn at Golden Valley (locally called the ‘top reservoir’) and Codnor Park Reservoir. You can still find a way down to the old canal towpath, and view the blocked off eastern end of Butterley Tunnel. The canal (or ‘The Cut’ as it is called in Golden Valley) is heavily weeded, overhung by mature trees, and very shallow. Nothing at all like the later part of the 19th century, when full canal narrow-boats were propelled through the tunnel – not by horses, because there was no towpath inside the tunnel – but by ‘leggers’, men who laid on the top of the narrow-boats and propelled them along by ‘walking’ along the tunnel roof!
The canal is disused now; no cargoes of iron await shipment at the wharf, just over the Nottinghamshire border. No coal, from where the Riddings anticline brings both the Lower and Middle Coal Measures close to the surface and makes them easy to work, is available for loading (the last local pit is long gone, although opencast mining has been undertaken). The tunnel suffered a roof collapse and was closed in 1900. The eastern and western arms of the canal continued to carry cargo, but the Cromford Canal was closed totally in 1944, during the Second World War.
There is a scheme afoot to restore the canal, for leisure purposes. However, current financial circumstances might well scupper this excellent idea. Until then, the popularity of Codnor Park Reservoir will continue as a fine coarse fishing venue, with many fishing matches taking place during the season. Most anglers ‘weigh-in’ heavy hauls of roach, bream, and perch. There are, of course, local stories of a monster pike (Esox lucius) in ‘the Reser’, but the ones I caught as a boy were all fairly small ‘jack’ pike!
Sometimes you can hear the whistle of a preserved steam train as it travels down the branch line of the Midland Railway, on the opposite side of the reservoir, on its way to the end of the spur at Ironville. As well as a most delightful sight and sound, it also is a reminder of what killed the canals – the rise of the steam railway. In many cases, the new railway companies bought up canals, only to close them and force traffic onto the railways.
There is a close family connection here; not only was my mother born in Golden Valley, but one of my great-grandfathers was a ‘bargee’ (a captain of a canal barge), who had worked his way up from the humble position of ‘legger’ in the Butterley Tunnel.
Beautiful Blue John jewellery February 7, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, Great Britain, Museums, Peak District.Tags: aqueduct, Blue John, bride, bridesmaid, candelabra, Castleton, caverns, Christies, credit card, Cross Street, Derbyshire, dynamite, England, flourspar, Frogmore House, gemstone, George III, House of Windsor, jewellers, jewellery, lead, Mam Tor, matron-of-honour, Matthew Boulton, metal, mineral, mines, museum, New York, Peak District National Park, Peveril Castle, Pompeii, Romans, Royal collection, semi-precious, vase, Victorian, wedding, white marble, Winnat's Pass
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Blue John jewellery
This is what Castleton is all about…not the brooding Peveril Castle, the staggering Winnat’s Pass, the hulking Mam Tor, but the caverns where the world’s only supply of a certain form of flourspar, called Blue John, is found. This striking gemstone was prized by the Romans, who mined this area for lead – one of their most treasured metals, used in their aqueducts, roofing amd much more – and found this sparkling semi-precious gemstone. Two vases of Blue John were supposedly found in the ruins of Pompeii.
Unfortunately, the Victorians mined it using dynamite, and huge spoil heaps were caused, underground. The largest Blue John pieces, including vases and tables, date from this period; indeed, what gemstone is being utilised by the modern jewellery workshops in town is, in the main, extracted from the Victorian spoil heaps.
There are two private museums featuring the mineral in Castelton, as well as other examples in collections around the country - it is interesting to note that Blue John pieces can command staggering prices. A pair of George III white marble and Blue John candelabra by Matthew Boulton, and dating from 1771 (similar to a pair in the Royal collection at Frogmore House) were sold by Christies in New York for $385,000. It is known that other pieces are held by the House of Windsor.
Here you can see a typical display case inside one of the stores on Cross Street, Castleton, Derbyshire. Although there are some malachite pieces, the vast majority of jewellery features Blue John stones, with its delightful random patterns of purple, royal blue, white, violet and yellow bands. It is customary amongst many Derbyshire families to give Blue John to the bride, matron-of-honour and bridesmaids at a wedding.
Be warned gentlemen; don’t take your lady into one of these shops without being prepared to suffer ‘damage’ to your credit card! As night follows day, she will be entranced.
A Derbyshire ‘traitor’? February 4, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, England, London, Museums, New England, United States.Tags: 'Father of the American Industrial Revolution', apprentice, Belper, Blackstone River, Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor, carding, cotton, Cromford, Derbyshire, Derwent Mills World Heritage Site, factory system, indenture, Jedediah Strutt, London, Milford, Moses Brown, museum, New England, New York, Pawtucket, President Andrew Jackson, Quaker, Rhode Island, River Derwent, Samuel Slater, Sir Richard Arkwright, spinning, textiles, UNESCO, USA, water power, World Heritage Site
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- Slater Mill, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
When is a ‘traitor’ not a ‘traitor’? When he’s ‘The Father of the American Industrial Revolution’?
Setting a pit prop…… February 1, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, Derbyshire, Scotland, Wales.Tags: Blaeafon, coal, coalminer, Coleorton, colliery, dendrochronology, Derbyshire, England, First World War, France, geological problems, German Navy, Gwent, Lanarkshire, Leicestershire, Loscoe, Middle Ages, Nottingham University, oak, Ormonde Colliery, pit prop, prop setter, Pwll Mawr, Russia, Scottish coalfields, self-advancing roof supports, Sitka spruce, steel roof supports, Stirlingshire, Sweden, Wales
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Setting a pit prop, Pwll Mawr
The scene is deep underground in a Welsh coal mine, Pwll Mawr, Gwent. A miner is at the coalface, ’setting’ a wooden pit prop to hold up the roof, whilst he works to extract the coal. This is a temporary solution to hold back the millions of tons of rock above him. You can the the modern steel frames (with the spaces between them filled by wooden beams) further down the ‘roadway’.
Wood has been a vital part of mining since the Middle Ages. Indeed, a laboratory at Nottingham University used dendrochronology to establish that oak timbers found in a pit at Coleorton, Leicestershire dated from 1450.
During the First World War, the German Navy threatened the importation by sea from Sweden and Russia of the huge quantities of softwood pit props needed to keep the Scottish coalfields of Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire in production. Britain did not grow enough suitable wood of its own to keep the coal supply flowing. Indeed, in the 1960s UK forestry interests were still planting the rapid-growing Sitka spruce for use as pit-props, and large quantities of pit-props and pit-bars were being imported from France!
A wooden prop needs to be replaced after two or three years, as the rate of failure increases markedly after this time. The death-knell for the large scale use of the pip prop was the introduction of steel prop and roof arches from the 1920s, onwards. The modern ‘mechanised’ pit, with it’s self-advancing roof supports (as installed at Ormonde Colliery, Loscoe, Derbyshire, before it’s unfortunate closure due to geological problems) was the future.
Inside the Co-op at Beamish January 31, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in England, Museums.Tags: 1913, aluminosulphosilicate, Annfield Plain, ash, Beamish, bee sting, bicarbonate of soda, black lead, boiler, Brasso, bristle brushes, cast iron, Co-op, Co-operative Wholesale Society, Derbyshire, Durham, England, First World War, Golden Valley, Hudson's soap, kitchen grate, Museums, North of England Open Air Museum, Northumberland, optical whitener, Reckitt's Blue, wooden clothes pegs
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- The Co-op store, Beamish
Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum, was first opened to the public in 1972. The site is a reconstruction of a typical village in the Northumberland/Durham area. There are other periods represented, but the main street is firmly set in 1913. The former Co-operative Store from Annfield Plain has been careful re-assembled, stocked and even staffed with period re-enactors.
