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Beet Lane Chinley

Eldon Hole

Eldon Hole is a vertical chasm on the side of Eldon Hill near Sparrowpit. The hole is around sixty meters deep, then leads on to a further cavern.

It was once considered to be 'bottomless'.  Local legend had it that a goose once fell into the hole, and emerged from a cave in Castleton, with its feathers scorched!  The first serious decent was in1780, by a Mr Lloyd, who was lowered to the bottom on the end of a rope.

It is still, with modern equipment, a dangerous descent. A number of videos, taken by cavers, can be viewed on YouTube. 

Milepost

This milepost, showing 4 miles to Chapel-en-le-Frith, is to be found on Rushup Edge.

The post was erected on the Manchester to Sheffield turnpike near to the now abandoned section of the road. It dates from late 18^th or early 19^th Century. The turnpike trusts, which were responsible for the country's roads, were compelled by law to erect mileposts, many thousands of which, survive to this day.

Fernilee Reservoir

Last week Fernilee reservoir was completely full.

Water can be seen running over into the spillway

 

 

 

 

 

The Magpie Mine..

The Magpie mine near Sheldon was the last working lead mine in the Peak District, closing in 1958 following many years of poor results.  Lead had been mined in the Peak District at least since the time of the Romans. There's evidence of much earlier extraction dating back to the Bronze Age. Mining for lead on the Magpie site goes back about three hundred years. 

Some of the remaining buildings at the Magpie mine, which is a scheduled monument, are undergoing repairs. The site is managed by the Peak District Mines Historical Society

There is an open day at the mine on Sunday 11^th September 2016 from 11.00 until 16.00; no booking required. Further details from the Mining Museum's web site.

Magpie Mine

The Plague at Eyam

The Plague arrived in the village of Eyam in September 1665, in a bundle of cloth from London. It was carried by fleas living amongst the cloth bundles. George Vicars, assistant to the tailor who took delivery of the cloth was dead within a week, and others in his family began dying soon after.
The villagers looked to the church officials for leadership. They introduced some measures to prevent the spread of the disease, for example, families had to bury their own dead, and for church services to be held outside.

The most drastic measure taken was to quarantine the whole village to prevent the spread of the disease to surrounding communities. Accounts vary as to the number of Eyam residents who died of plague. There are 273 deaths recorded in Eyam church during the fourteen months the Plague ran its course.

Survival of those affected appears to have been random, as some who survived had been in close contact with others who died. For example, the grave digger, Marshall Howe survived despite handling infected bodies. Elizabeth Hancock was not infected even though she buried her husband and six children in just over a week.

The Hancock family graves on the outskirts of Eyam

 

Visit the museum in Eyam

For the full story of the village and The Plague

Railway Navvies buried alive...

In December 1864, during the construction of the Midland Railway's line from Derby to Manchester, a huge landslip occurred at the mouth of the tunnel at Bugsworth. The slip, consisting of an estimated 200,000 tons of earth, killed one man, and trapped eleven others who were working inside the tunnel. A rescue operation was begun, but it was many hours before the slip could be cleared, and the trapped men reached. 

To the surprise of the rescue party they found the men alive and well. Furthermore, rather than attempt to dig themselves out, the men had decided to carry on with the work of constructing the tunnel. They reasoned that a rescue would be attempted by their colleagues outside, so they might as well keep working (and presumably continue to be paid).

Original Times report

Robert Anstruther, MP, in a letter to the Times, praised the conduct of the men. He said they were, "The sinew and backbone of the nation", and said that, "their heroism and devotion to duty" should be rewarded. He was willing to start the collection by donating £5. History doesn't record whether the navvies received their reward.

Demolition of Bugsworth tunnel 1902

The tunnel was removed in 1902, and replaced with a wide cutting to allow the quadrupling of the tracks.