Below Ecton Hill

Ecton Hill is in North Staffordshire, overlooking the Manifold Valley and was mined for copper and lead since the 16th century although minerals have been extracted for 3,500 years. The Ecton Copper Mines are the subject of the Furness Vale History Society meeting on 7th May when geologist Dr. Pete Webb will relate their history.

The hamlet of Ecton

Ecton Station

The Leek and Manifold Railway was constructed in 1904 and ran between Waterhouses and Hulme End. It was built to a narrow track guage of 2ft 6in / 762mm to reduce costs. It was said of the railway by one of its consrtuction workers: "It's a grand bit of line but they wunna mak a go on it for it starts nowhere and finishes up at the same place"   It was hoped that the railway might revive the mining industry but the last workings had closed in 1891 and the deposits were largely worked out. The railway operated a daily passenger service but the villages that it served were often some distance from the line and traffic was sparce. It was mainly at Bank Holiday weekends that the carriages were packed with day trippers attracted by the spectacular scenery. Mainstay of the railway was the Express Dairy Creamery. From a siding and loading bay at Ecton, wagons were filled with milk churns. These were again manhandled at Waterhouses where they were transferred to Standard gauge wagons for transport to London. The railway however, introduced transporter trucks which "piggybacked" standard gauge wagons through to Ecton. Eventually glass lined tank wagons were introduced. The line survived for only two years after losing the dairytraffic. The "Transports of Delight" website has some excellent illustrations of the railway: http://tiny.cc/uely5y

Thor's Cave

After closure, the trackbed of the railway was handed over to Staffordshire County Council who converted it into a 13km long footpath.It is a popular walk alongside the River Manifold, through one of the most scenic valleys of the Peak District. One short section is shared with a minor road and passes through Swainsley Tunnel, constructed by Sir Thomas Wardley who didn't like to see trains passing through his land. The most spectacular sight in the valley is Thor's Cave, a natural cavern in the limestone rock face, 80 metres above the river.

Two milk tankers are carried on transporter trucks at Ecton Creamery

Ecton Creamery and Cheese Factory was built on the former dressing floor site of the copper mines and occupied buildings that included a former smelting house. The Creamery, owned by Express Dairies handled over 3 million litres of milk at its peak in 1922 and also produced stilton cheese. It closed in 1932 when operations were transferred to a new site at Rowsley in Derbyshire.

The Folly House

 The Folly House in Ecton was constructed between 1922 and 1939. A rather eccentric building, it features battlements and a  copper spire topped with a golden ball. It became known as "Ratcliffe's Folly", or "The Castle" having been built for Arthur Ratcliffe by his own building firm. He sat for a four year term of office in the 1930s as Conservative MP for Leek but did not stand again at the 1935 General Election. He did not have a distinguished parliamentary record and only spoke on five occasions when he asked questions concerning Leek's silk industry. .
The house was renovated in 2005 and one of its outbuildings now serves as a study centre for the Ecton Mines Educational Trust.