A Short History Of Furness Vale

This video was presented to the meeting of Furness Vale History Society in December 2021. This is the story  of Furness Vale from the earliest recorded times up to the present day.

Hidden Beneath Eccles Pike !

 

The Royal Observer Corps constructed more than 1500 monitoring posts between 1955 and 1968. They were manned by a crew of four volunteers whose role was to monitor and pinpoint by triangulation, any nuclear explosions during the cold war period. Built to a standard design, they included a toilet/store and a monitoring room. Access was through a hatch and down a 14 foot deep shaft. Half were closed in 1968, the remainder surviving until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The post on Eccles Pike was north of Eccles Road. on a flat area a little to the east of the high point where there is a disturbed depression with some metal sticking out of the ground.

Chinley R O C opened in 1960 and closed in 1968.

Buxton Road in 1985

 These pictures of buses on Buxton Road were taken in 1985 by an unknown photographer. 

The first photograph shows the Post Office which at thattime was owned by Betty Williams and her daughters Maxine and Vivienne.

In the second picture we can see Geoff Hill's newsagents shop. 

A Trent Leyland National PRR459R passes the Post Office in 1985

Trent Leyland Leopard BRC136T passes Geoff Hill's Newsagents

Memories of Bridgemont

 

 Our latest publication tells of recollections from our neighbouring village.

Bridgemont is a small village midway between Whaley Bridge and Furness Vale in Derbyshire.  Sheila Harling born in 1931 and Les Jones born in 1944 relate their memories of growing up and living in the village. Their stories are supplimented with many photographs and other information from the archives of Furness Vale History Society.  The 44 pages include many illustrations.

Copies are available from the History Society, the Community shop and from our online shop:  https://etsy.me/3ztcplz

An ebook version is now on sale from Amazon Kindle:  https://amzn.to/3yz1hm8

 

 

Number Please

 Here is an extract listing all local subscribers from the 1911 directory of the National Telephone Company.  The company was formed in 1881 and through the last years of the century amalgamated with many regional service providers until they held a national monopoly. The Telephone Transfer Act of 1911 nationalised the company and it was absorbed into the GPO in 1912. 

An impression of the Garage

 We have created a 3D computer model of the garage on Buxton Road as it appeared in the 1960s. The model includes the adjoining row of cottages. 

 We don't know the age of this building. It does appear on the 1909 Ordnance Survey map but is probably much older. There was a motor garage here as early as 1927, advertised by McCabe and Jacklin.  It is believed that the premises were originally the stables for the Beard and Bugsworth Colliery (Lady Pit) which was at the start of Dolly Lane. The mine closed in 1903.  It is known that an office was maintained in the row of cottages adjacent to the garage and this was sometimes known as “Office Row” The cottage at the far end had a small window looking out on to Yeardsley Lane and here, employees would collect their wages of a Friday evening.

The garage was advertised for sale in 1930 and the next owner appears to have been Cyril W. Milk. In 1941 Johnson and Hockmeyer were trading as Furness Garage Ltd and its final owners were the Start Motor Company.  

1927 advertisement

In 1984 Simon Naden, trading as Timbercraft  moved from Bridgemont and converted the building to a furniture workshop and showroom. He appears to have stayed until 1992 when there were planning applications to rebuild the site as a garage workshop with offices above.  A further application in 2004 proposed building 5 flats on the site.  None of these plans came to fruition and in 2009 Derbyshire Green Energy took over the premises from where they traded until 2012 when it was advertised for sale. 

 The next occupants were “The Cake Nest”  a bakery business which had been established at the owner’s home in Buxworth. Much of their trade was by internet and in October 2015 they moved to Calico Lane.

North West Motor Cycles took over the premises in September 2016 additionally they sold used cars. A small grocery shop “Violets Emporium” opened selling essentials, sweets, hot and cold drinks and snacks. Another part of the shop sold second hand goods.  Short lived, the shop closed on 7th April 2017. The title North West Motor Cycles disappeared shortly after opening. The next brief occupant was "Verdebris", an antique dealer and restorer. Used cars continued to be sold on the forecourt by Tony Hanson.

Now looking abandoned and uncared for, the premises is on the market. 

Andrea Barlow's reminiscences

Andrea Barlow, updated May 2021

Photographed on Marsh Lane where her aunt lived, Andrea is the young girl at the front of the cart.  Also in the picture are an old aunt, Millie from Rochdale who was brilliant at

monologues,  her Dad,  and behind , Bertha, Aunt Millie's friend,who her parents did not want as a child. They wanted her back when she worked , Aunt put a Stop to that, so she became much loved to our family.

 When I lived in Furness Vale from 1953, it was great. We played out without fear, there were very few who had cars.
I can remember the big old house down Station Road. Two ladies lived in the back bit, I think, maybe sisters. A friend of mine years ago,  said how elegent it was before they had it,an actress had it and she said there was stunning wallpaper with pansies on and and l know it had a beautiful staircase.  The ladies caught us in there but it was OK. There were hundreds of letters with lovely stamps on. They gave us lots, but not the letters. I saw my first kingfisher there, where there was a tunnel.
I had a pony and Trap when l was 10 in 1956, it was lovely, he didn't like the bit where J. J. Jackson's butchers was, he backed up and nobody could get out the shop.
A couple of weeks ago, there were pictures from over by St. John's Church. My mother in law lived in one of the council houses, then Bank End Farm. Fletcher's family, then Charlie Hall the vet bought it. There was the Bank End cottages and above that a huge house, lovely place, can't for the life of me recall its name,  could have been ....knowel???  My mum went to Brownies with her sister, that would be about 1932. I think sisters lived there, they were quite well to do ladies.
There was a really nice cafe where Ernest Davis had a beautiful bread shop. l can smell it now. Mum waited on for spending money about age 13, so that would be about 1935. It was a nice cafe that travellers would stop and sit in. A favourite was a big ham salad and fancy cakes, very popular. I believe it could be the antique shop now.

Mum having her hairdressers at 264 Buxton had a lot of customers she went to Furness Vale School with, and l grew up knowing those special village people and their families that  .followed. lt wasnt just to get hair done, it was a place to share personal things and was something that lasted so many years.l think  Mum knew al ot of the locals private lives, that she kept locked up in her heart. Some were Mother's of her school friends and a few had a free hair do as they were so hard up, having husband's who liked the pub a little too much, it was the mum's had to go without. A tin of salmon was absolute luxury, l know mum would put a tin in one ladies bag for a treat, or a quarter of tea. Life for a lot was hard in Furness Vale, but people always tried to help where they could.
We played in front of Ernie Davis bread shop.The fun of going to Mr Dick Scofield's shop,  Mr Bert Heap at the iron mongers, Miss Wild and Mrs Alexander at the wool shop. A great post office; the paper shop, John Smalley and was and Amy his wife. The Co-op was great, you got to weigh what you wanted; you could even get hen corn. Then Harry and Amy Moorcroft came as butchers ,they were pure gold , he was at school with Mum.

264 and 266 Buxton Road and the hairdresser's shop between. A computer generated reconstruction

The antique shop at 95 Buxton Road, formerly Ernie Davis's "Cafe" and bakers shop

Andrea Barlow

I lived in Furness Vale and was Christened at At Johns Church in1946. I lived in Whaley Bridge,then Newtown .l was in Furness Vale from 7 years old and left to go to a village just out side Matlock in1970 ..My Mother and my husband both went to Furness Vale school and my Daughter was there for a couple of years.l went to New town school as we had live there,l stayed there until it was time to go to secondary school. Furness Vale was full of village charecters.of which there couldn't possibly be the like of them today.

The COOP was great a real hive of activities ,l had chickens you could go and get corn in there,as you just bought what you wanted. There was the chippy at the back of the green grocers Mr the Soldier Dick pub

Across the RD was Mr J Jacksons butchers then it changed to very special friends of mine,Mr arms Harry Moorcroft.Mr Heap iron mongers etc Mr Scocroft,m then John Smalley's news agents Mrs Hills toffee shop all the kids could get CIGs in odd ones,The post office. Then going towards New town Ernie Davis bread and cakes,it was beautiful bread.it is now as far as l know Antiques ,my aAuntie lived next door and next was the Bank inthe house next door.It only opened Tues and Friday if l remember right. Oh and lve forgotten before the news agents The Two sister Miss wild and Mrs Ale xandra at the Wool shop, and.lt was fun then ,so much atmosphere ..

Every one knew each other.

I think it was Late 80 s when l was last there and it all seemed strange as all l knew had gone.Like every thing things move on not always for the better but that's life.

I have now lived in Cornwall 15 years,,its like Derbyshire but with the sea,a slow pace of life.My Birthplace was Buxton and l still have memories ,it's beautiful.

. IT always will, I'm enjoying the Furness vale and Whaley Bridge sites Thank you

 

 

l lived at 264 Buxton road my mum Jean had a hair dressers at a little shop at the side of the house.Thats gone now it was pulled down.years before mum had the shop it was a millinery shop two sisters. My Dad Fred,was manager at New mills Co,op shoe dept and Chapel en le Frith. Our Surname was COLLIER. My Auntie ADA VASS lived in the house in the middle of Ernie's bread shop and the Bank. lwent to Newtown school then a school at Great moor Stockport then Chapel school. You may have known Ken Barlow l married him in 1972 ,he had another Tom and sister Agnes. Ken started his work life at Diglee Farm up yeardsley lane right at the very top.Mrs Dorothy Hill and Jackthey had a son John.

Ken loved his 17 years there and we always visited when coming to FV to visit Ken's Mum Agnes the best Mother in law possible.

Ken died 10 years ago with severe Dementia My Mum died in 6 years ago ,also with Dementia ,living hell. Ken would have been 95 now.

Well it's lovely to know Vera that you knew some people l did l remember Barbara Dean,she was lovely. Thank you for your time Vera l m so pleased to have news.lcould just eat some of Ernie Davis bread,it was so good. Thank you. Andrea.

A Tin Bath In The Kitchen

 Read how a gang of explorers discovered a secret tunnel under the village; hear about Edwin Bold's pet fox at the Paragon Garage and how children danced around the maypole at "The Big House". Our latest book is a compilation of previous published booklets by Furness Vale residents and additional stories of village life by many other writers. "A Tin Bath In The Kitchen" contains more than 100 pages of personal memories from 11 contributors. 

Order from our online shop at:  https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Tunnelbreeze

History Society Bookshop

A selection of our publications may now be ordered online. Follow this link to the online shop : https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Tunnelbreeze   

   More titles will shortly be added so please keep visiting.

 

 

 

Peak Forest Station

 Despite its name, Peak Forest Station was three and a half kilometres from that village and was actually in Peak Dale. Opened by the Midland Railway in 1867, it was on the main line between Manchester Central and London St.Pancras. The station was served by local stopping trains with destinations of Buxton, Derby and Manchester. The line became part of the LMS system in 1923 and services increased, although most northbound trains terminated at Chinley requiring a change for Manchester. By the 1960s passenger numbers were dwindling and the station closed in March 1967.  The private sidings remained and are still in use for limestone traffic. The station building is also extant and is used by DB Schenker as an office.

The photographs below are from Mark Lomas and originally came from the collections of Richard Stoodley and an anonymous donor.

 

Collection : Richard Stoodley

 

Collection : Richard Stoodley

 

 Collection : Richard Stoodley

 

Collection : Richard Stoodley 

 

 Collection : Richard Stoodley

The Memorial Footbridge at the Toddbrook Weir

 

Dear Friends,

I am sure you will all be very glad to know that the CRT has confirmed that a footbridge will be installed at the Toddbrook Feed Weir. This will be required to allow their staff to service new flow control systems which are now recognised as essential after the recent near disaster. The CRT has said that the footbridge will normally be available for the Public to use to cross the weir.

This is excellent news and it is a culmination of all my frustrated efforts of nearly 3 years, starting in January 2015, of negotiation with the CRT to allow a footbridge to be manufactured and installed. But after 3 years of prevarication and procedural opposition I had to give up when the CRT approval costs exceeded the cost of the footbridge and the subsequent conditions imposed by the CRT would have required the Community to provide an incalculable fund (£100-200K?) to cover 60 years or more of various imagined liabilities.

The solution was always that the CRT should simply own the footbridge as it should endorsed and underwritten by the Public Benefit ethos of the CRT Constitution and for the CRT to accept whatever liabilities the new footbridge might bring along with those of the many thousands of ancient footbridges that the CRT already owns.

So there will be a footbridge at the weir. All our efforts were not in vain, in fact, after the Dam disaster I received a verbal apology in December 2019 from by a very senior CRT manager who acknowledged that the “the CRT had treated us very badly”. The petition with nearly 400 signatures is a strong measure of Community support, plus all the footpath preparation work to avoid the low boggy ground, and especially the generous permission by the owners of Gap House to permit public use of a short path to reach the official PROW paths on their land. This was agreed at the outset in 2015, without it there would have been no point in the Project both then and now.

The bridge will be made of metal and will meet all the required specifications that the Trust will apply to cover the safety of their staff and any equipment needed to service the new weir controls. At last it will provide a safe and predictable weir crossing to connect the scenic Toddbrook valley into the extensive public footpath network. We have waited many years for this.

The existence of the ‘dry crossing’ can still be associated with David Frith as originally intended. However the bridge itself exists as a necessary engineering component of the new sluice works rather than a memorial specifically to David. Perhaps there could be a simple commemorative post nearby which the CRT might allow ? I rather hope it will become known affectionately as “Frith’s Bridge” as David Brown of PNFS has suggested, I think David would have liked that. The footbridge will provide the much needed predictable means of crossing the Todd at the weir. It will enable pleasant access to many existing PROW footpaths with relative ease.

The new bridge would in addition enable a potential ‘round the reservoir’ route but a new quite complicated path over a mile long would have to be devised and constructed. This route could not be flat or as benign as the existing reservoir path as some people hope it might be. From a preliminary survey it has to cross various walls, hedges and fences, it needs 1 or 2 additional footbridges and some drainage, also steps on a steep bank and certain other places. It has to climb high above the weir because it is impossible to hug the reservoir at that end. It could then reach the bridge by use of the existing PROW paths. The first half mile from the Dam (or a bit more) could run on CRT land which would simplify the problems somewhat. But further on negotiations would be required with 2 or 3 different landowners and two Authorities.

It is a Project in its own right involving approval by several authorities. There could be environmental protection issues, Woodland Trust and SSSI. It will have quite high organisational costs, plus material and transport costs but it will be enabled by the new footbridge and it is quite feasible.

However I am convinced that the top water level of this ‘High Risk’ reservoir should be lowered permanently by at least 1.5m. in order to relieve the pressure and loading on the 180 year old dam seriously damaged both in 1970 and 2019. This will increase the safety for the school and town considerably. This should happen for fundamental safety reasons alone, but it has a secondary minor consequence. The exposed margin of the lowered reservoir could then be exploited to provide a much more simple, open and benign route for most of the ‘circular’ path and this would eliminate some (but not all) of the difficulties and costs mentioned previously.

With kind regards,

Graham 9 March 2021

Steaming through Whaley Bridge

 Mark Lomas has kindly sent some photographs from his collection, of railway scenes around Whaley Bridge. Many of these pictures are from the early part of the 20th century when the railway was operated by the London, North Western Railway Company. 

Engine, crew and platelayers. 0-6-2 Locomotive 1590 was built in 1898 to the design of F Webb. It was withdrawn from service in June 1928

An arrival from Manchester. The unidentified engine is a "Precursor" class 4-4-2 locomotive built by the LNWR between 1906 and 1909. The last of this class was withdrawn in 1940.

 A Manchester bound train approaches. The full length women's dresses suggest that this photograph is from the first decade of the 20th century. 

The water tower was at the northern end of the station spanning a siding. The Locomotive a Webb designed "Coal Tank" was built in December 1881. It remained in service until 1955.

Water supply for the tank came from a small reservoir higher up the hillside. Not the brazier to prevent the water from freezing in frosty weather.

The water tower and, on the left, the small goods shed. Most goods traffic at WhaleyBridge was handled at the Shallcross Yard at Horwich End.

The station staff pose for the cameraman. 

 Whaley Bridge Station in the 1950s. The view from the signal box.

The view from the footbridge as a Buxton bound train arrives.
 

Posing by the weighbridge
 

A mixed goods and passenger train heads towards Buxton. The engine is either class G or G1 0-8-0 built at Crewe betweeen  1912 and 1918.

An early version of containerisation.

 A goods train heads south in 1959.

Manchester bound in 1959