~

~

~

* Sallet Hole Mine

This is the now-flooded entrance to Sallet Hole Mine No.1. It is classified as a mixed mine, having been worked for lead, barytes and fluorspar over the years. It was originally driven as a ‘sough’ (an underground channel for draining water out of a mine) to workings under Longstone Edge before being modified into a haulage level in the 1840s. A 32 feet diameter water wheel was also installed to power crushing rollers, although all traces of the wheel have been destroyed by later workings.

In the 20th century it was worked for fluorspar, initially between 1926 and 1930, and then again from 1965, under the ownership of Laporte Minerals. It was used to exploit the ore below open-cast workings (we pass later in the walk, as we climb onto Longstone Edge) along a strike of around two miles. It used the long-hole caving mining technique (also known as ‘stoping’) where haulage drives were made into the limestone, parallel to the vein. Up until 1984, a narrow-gauge rail system was used (see pic above) to move the ore out of the mine, until it was replaced by road haulage (ie dumper truck/tractor style vehicles).

The site looks VERY different to-day than it once did. The access road from the main road at SM would have been fit enough to support large vehicles. Near the mine was a large yard with many buildings … canteen, showers and fitting shop as well as diesel and oil tanks. Just to the left of the entrance was the powder mag and lamp room, and just to the right of the entrance was the electrician and welding shop.

In 1987, after persistent tunnelling, the mine finally linked up with the nearby Watersaw mine (Sallet Hole No.2) about 1.5 miles to the west. It was connected underneath the hillside via a 150 foot laddered shaft … a death defying task!

In the early 1990s, it was producing up to 73,000 tonnes of ore per year and employing 38 men. It finally closed in 1998 … water still flows from the adit entrance to this day!

The ore was transported up the dale (the track would have been at least twice the width it is to-day) on several (dependent on volume) dumper trucks. Its destination was a washing and processing plant at Cavendish Mill. Note the wires running up the fence line … they were for the telephone and alarm.

–

Here is a tribute link to the miners who worked (and sometimes played!) here …

https://www.google.com/search?q=sallet+hole+mine+on+youtube&sca_esv=a84d165212cbafbb&biw=1528&bih=738&sxsrf=ADLYWIKoWGYHIc8fwrAQxJgpWcsYwofFVA%3A1731012759974&ei=lygtZ7mVO6ykhbIP_vOxkQI&oq=sallet+hole+mine+on+you&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiF3NhbGxldCBob2xlIG1pbmUgb24geW91KgIIADIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSPQoUKIKWMkecAJ4AJABAJgBeaABwQWqAQMzLjS4AQHIAQD4AQGYAgmgAuwFwgIHECMYsAMYJ8ICCBAAGIAEGLADwgIOEAAYgAQYsAMYhgMYigXCAgsQABiABBiwAxiiBMICBBAjGCfCAgsQABiABBiRAhiKBcICBRAAGIAEwgIGEAAYFhgewgILEAAYgAQYhgMYigXCAggQABiABBiiBMICBxAhGKABGAqYAwCIBgGQBgmSBwM1LjSgB4cX&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#

~

~

* Highwayman’s Corner

We are now on the desolate moorland crossing from Stoney Middleton to Wardlow. It offered rich pickings to Black Harry, a ruthless 18th century highwayman who preyed on the travelers of that time.

Back in the 17th & 18th centuries, travelers took their lives into their own hands trying to navigate the perilous Derbyshire Peak … akin to the ‘Wild West’! Highwaymen ruled the highways … getting lost on the moors, especially during the winter months, or getting held up by a masked horseman were all too common a story. Maps weren’t available until 1760, and signposts simply didn’t exist. Stone markers were the only way to navigate the Derbyshire Peak, offering some guidance and reassurance for thousands of lost and lonely victims. Although most travelers were illiterate, they would be able to figure out local place names, although deciphering local dialect would be another challenge entirely!

Highwaymen were common on the Peak’s roads, the very name conjures up a romantic image of a bygone age where men like Dick Turpin held up stage coaches and robbed their rich passengers. The word “highwayman” came into the English language in 1617, although examples of highway robbers date back to Medieval and Elizabethan times. The origins of modern highwaymen did not become popular until after the English Civil War. Highwaymen had an average life expectancy of 28 … most died by hanging and their bodies were displayed in gibbets at crossroads as a warning to other lawbreakers.

Many of the routes in this area converge at the junction of Black Harry Gate. The old gate is still there although Black Harry Farm was demolished in the 1970s to make way for mining activities. Nearby is Black Harry Lane, one of a series of packhorse ways from the Middle Ages until the mid-19th century to transport goods across the Peak District … this one ran from Tideswell to Bakewell. The merchants whose goods were delivered by packhorse generally collected payment in person … making these men prized prey, riding home with their golden guineas along bridleways and through fields.

~

~

* Tailings Lagoon

To-day it has been abandoned and looks like a forbidding almost lifeless place. However, there is life in abundance! … the open water and bare mud is a magnet for birds … waders and roosting flocks of gulls. Where there are birds, there are ‘twitchers’ … their hide is on the south side hidden in the trees.

Black Harry Farm once stood here, but was demolished in the 1970s to make way for the lagoon.

~

* High Rake Quarry

This is one of the many limestone quarries in the National Park … some date back to the Medieval period. By 1750 most underground working had ceased and only heap working was carried out … eventually it transformed to open cast as seen to-day. Due to its positioning on top of the hillside, this deep and narrow gash is largely hidden from sight.

As well as being used for limestone quarrying, fluorspar has been extracted at High Rake and is nowadays a long-term site for infill purposes using waste tailings material from Cavendish Mill.

~

* Bleaklow Farm

The isolated farm dates back to the 17th century and the traditional buildings remain extant. The farmhouse and surroundings have a long history tied to agriculture and local families, having changed hands between several prominent local landowners. Nowadays, it has been reduced to serving as a 15-bedroom luxury holiday accommodation venue!

A Christmas Murder ... it was Christmas Eve 1866, Edward Wager had spent the morning in the pub at Hassop, arriving home at Bleaklow in a very aggressive mood. He was riled further to find a neighbour, Alice Hancock here with his newly wedded wife, Harriet. Used to feeling her husband’s fists, Harriet ran outside to get out of his way. Alice last saw him chasing Harriet across the fields screaming “Murder”! In desperation, Harriet jumped into a pond near Deep Rake lead mine … she drowned there. Edward was tried for her murder and sentenced to death. This was commuted to penal servitude for life … although his conduct drove his wife to “take her own life”, he did not actually force her into the water.

~

* Prisoner of War Camp

Stoney Middleton did not escape the profound effects of WWII. This was an industrial village centred on limestone quarrying, the stone was used directly for construction and road building … to repair and replace damaged infrastructure resulting from German bombings. Fluorspar, a mineral bi-product of limestone, was an essential material used by the steel mills of Sheffield.

The camp was originally established as a military encampment at the beginning of the war, manned by the Lancashire Fusiliers. The camp housed powerful searchlights and machine guns … placed to protect the production of the essential materials from the quarries, searching out and shooting down any attempted German bomb attack. The buildings that housed the troops were typical Nissan huts … nothing remains to-day.

Although German prisoners were interned here, the camp initially housed Italians. They were happy residents, having little desire to be fighting a war they didn’t want to be involved with in the first place, and were well-treated by the locals. The prisoners were put to work in the quarries. They had a good life and seemed to have enjoyed their time in the village, camp rules afforded them the freedom to come to and fro as they pleased … provided they got back in camp by 10 pm!

After the war had ended and the prisoners had returned home, the empty camp provided an interim home for displaced persons (in particular Latvians) who for various reasons were unable to return to their own countries. Naturally, their movements were unrestricted and they mixed freely with the local villagers. They were popular with the local girls and friendships resulted in three marriages … two staying on in the village for the rest of their lives.

~

~

INFORMATION:

DISTANCE: 7.3 miles

CLIMBING: 1187 feet

ORIENTATION: Circular/Anti-Clockwise

PARKING: Lay-by on main A623 road, next to Lime Kiln Cottages (limited spaces)

END OF WALK PUB: Moon Inn, SM

EATING PLACES: The Cupola, SM/Toll Bar Fish & Chips, SM

COMMENTS: Steep descents into Coombs Dale, walking pole/s recommended

DOGS: On lead at all times (pastoral land crossed). All facilities in SM are dog-friendly

PRODUCED AND NARRATED BY: Vinne Anderson

CAMERA WORK BY: Linda Christie

CANINE RESEARCH BY: ‘Henry’

~

SOURCES OF INFORMATION: Stoney Middleton Heritage Society

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Allen Hodgkinson / Colin & Alison Hall

This was ... "Stand and Deliver"