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The Lumsdale Valley is
an outstandingly beautiful area with a very interesting history. The
Bentley Brook ows through a
small wooded gorge, and within a relatively short distance you can
see the remains of six waterwheels and three ponds — perhaps the
most concentrated evidence of early water power in Britain. Nature
has reclaimed its hold on the whole valley, and where there was once
the noise and dirt of numerous industrial processes there is now a
pleasant atmosphere of romantic decay.
Lumsdale
Valley, hidden away and unknown even to many residents, has a charm
and magic recognised by all that see it. Although falling into disuse
in the 20th century, the Arkwright society has intervened to maintain
the mills in order to see the work places of the ancestors and their
capacity to work without the advantages of modern technology. Bentley
Brook, a narrow but fast flowing and powerful stream, starts up
behind Matlock Golf Club and flows down the valley until eventually
joining the river Derwent at Matlock Green. The harnessing of the
power of this stream has enabled successive generations to develop a
series of mills in the valley which have operated for several
centuries using ingenious systems of ponds and water courses to drive
a whole variety of water wheels. Which begs the question why are we
not doing it now?
Heading
down the valley from Highfields School, you can see the overgrown
remains of Bone Mill, probably built in the 16th century and finally
abandoned in the 1920's having been used to grind bones for
fertiliser. The wheel pit is quite easily seen as is the tail race
leading back into Bentley Brook. Following the path down, past a
couple of ponds and some cottages, is a dam wall below which stands a
second mill, built in the 1850's, whose most recent use was as a saw
mill at the beginning of the 20th century.
This
is the Lower Dam which was constructed in 1830. The floor of this
dam, unlike other dams, is stone lined. A drain in the centre of the
dam allows the dam to be emptied for cleaning. This was apparently
done in 1982 and 1995. The sluice at the far end determined the
height of water in the dam and regulated the flow of water to the
mill below. The large iron pipe in the dam wall fed the water to the
Saw Mill below.
Initially
it was a grinding mill and close to its tail race can be seen a large
mill stone imported from Massif Central in France. The footpath leads
on to the third mill in the series known as Paint Mill because of its
use in grinding barytes for the paint industry. This is one of the
oldest in the valley and in its long life it has been used as as a
lead smelting mill, to grind corn and as a bleaching mill. The
Arkwright Society has successfully halted the decline of this mill
and it is possible to find many clues as to its past - the wheel pit,
old bleeching vats, white barytes and the underground heating system
with chimneys to dry out the mineral. In its
time it has been used to grind lead and as a corn mill. It is built
against the rock eroded by the waterfall closeby. The wheel pit is
large and the main pipe which carried the water to the wheel is
clearly visible.
The
Arkwright Society have built a viewing platform here. The footpath
continues down to a fifth mill known as Upper Bleach Mill where one
can see the remains of bleaching vats. This mill was linked to the
last of the series, Garton Mill, by an ingenious train system which
carried loads of heavy cotton between the two and turning right as
the footpath reaches the road, it is still possible to see the
remains of the train lines which were cleared by Highfields School
volunteers some years back. Garton Mill is the largest and best
preserved in the series. It was built around 1785 by Watts Lowe and
Co as a cotton spinning mill. The whole water system of the valley
was altered to support this mill but it was not a commercial success
and in 1813 the company went bankrupt. The valley was then sold to
John Garton who converted the mill into bleach work functioned along
with other textile finishing until the early 20th century.
The
power of the Bentley Brook is immense and the beauty of the valley
that it has carved is fantastic. It is a fast flowing stream
that provides spectacular waterfalls. When we reached the road again
we continued up the hill and on the left is
Lumsdale House (which was the Mill owner's house) with gardens by
Paxton which are not open to the public. Higher up and on the same
side as the house where a bungalow now stands were the kitchen
gardens (known at the time as Cusworth's garden) belonging to
Lumsdale House. On the right, near the third bend is the stable yard
which used to have a cottage within it.
Going through the stile on the right, just past
the stable yard we ascended a rather steep slope. Near the top we
noticed a hole in the ground which showed the flu which runs from the
lower Bleach House to the chimney at the top of the hill. The chimney
was probably sited at the top of the hill to provide a good draught
for the furnaces.
On our walk through the valley we met a number of
walkers who were most helpful. One lady suggested that the most
spectacular time to visit is after a heavy downpour when the
waterfalls are quite something. Whilst two others were interested in
our work but didn't want Lumsdale valley broadcasting to the world
for fear of a mass invasion of tourists. Interesting reaction and not
the first time we have heard it.
Look at our panoramic
photographs to see for yourself.
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