Welcome To Whaley Bridge In The Peak District - Whaley Bridge, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The Peak Forest Canal & Cromford and High Peak Railway
The 18th Century had seen the development of the canal network in the UK to carry heavy goods, and led to towns such as Manchester become the first large industrial towns.

There was a demand for limestone and grit stone from the nearby quarries to be transported to Manchester and beyond and so the Peak Forest Canal was built with a connection to the Ashton Canal at Ashton-Under-Lyne.

The canal had a series of 16 locks to lift the canal a height of 209 feet from Ashton-Under-Lyne to Buxworth, but the final rise to the quarries was too high for a canal. So a horse drawn tramway was built to form a connection between the canal junction here and the quarries themselves.

The upper part of the canal opened in 1796 and although the Buxworth Basin was the busiest part of the canal near here, there was also a short arm of the canal that led to this smaller basin at the town of Whaley Bridge.

In 1831 a tramway was built to connect the Peak Forest Canal Basin to the Cromford Canal. This led to a large increase in trade, until the 1920s when competition from road transport led to the closure of the canal.

The text on the sign is as follows

Welcome to Whaley Bridge in the Peak District
Visit the Mechanics Institute for more information on Whaley Bridge's history and activities around the town

Canals & Railways

You are now at the focal point of the town, the Canal Basin, the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal and the Cromford & High Peak Railway in Whaley Bridge in the 18th Century, this was the focus of the industrial activity of the town.

The Peak Forest Canal was opened at the beginning of the 19th century to carry limestone from Derbyshire to the early industrial centres of Lancashire and Cheshire. It was built from Ashton to Bugsworth with a short spur to Whaley Bridge. The original water supply for the canal at Combs was inadequate, and this led to the building of the Toddbrook Reservoir in 1831.

The Railway

A dream of the canal builders was to link the Peak
Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge to the Cromford Canal
at Cromford, with a canal over the Peak uplands at
about the 300m (1000 ft) contour. However, lack of
water supply amd more importantly, money, made this
impossible. The unique Cromford and High Peak
Railway, using a series of stationery steam engines to
haul wagons up and down inclined planes, eventually
forged the link. It must have been a fascinating
sight when it was operating.

The Incline
Across the River Goyt by the
old railway bridge, you will
see the Incline. This is the
first of many inclines on the
Cromford and High Peak
Railway. It was too steep for
locomotives and so wagons
were hauled up by horses
turning a capstan. Two of the
guides for the haulage chains
can be seen at the top of the
incline. It was worked by a
horse powered winding
engine right up to the closure
of the line in 1952. The
buildings opposite the car
park were formerly stables for
the railway horses.

The Transshipment Shed

Behind and to your right, you will see the Transshipment Shed. This is the
key building in the basin. This historic building, built in 1832 is Grade 2* listed.
It was the hub of the industrial activity in the town. the demand for coal and lime-
burning, and the town's importance as a transshipment point between the Peak
Forest Canal and Cromford & High Peak Railway were the key factors in the
town's growth.
Coal and limestone were brought along the railway to export through the basin.
Cotton came into the Shed and was carried into the mills in the town. Commercial
traffic ceased in the 1920's.
Today this railway line no longer exists. You can still see the railway
tracks in the road surface in front of the Shed, and you can walk along some of
the old route by following the Whaley Bridge Town trail.

Bugsworth Basin

Bugsworth Basin was built as the terminus for the Peak
Forest Canal in 1794-6. and is thought to be only
remaining example of a tramway-canal interchange.
Bugsworth Basin is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Type of Historic Marker: Information board about the town of Whaley bridge Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Whaley Bridge Town Council Related Website: [Web Link] Give your Rating: Age/Event Date: Not listed

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