Birchinlee

Last updated

Birchinlee
Birchinlee village marker in 2008.jpg
Birchinlee was a temporary hamlet in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England, on the western shore of Derwent Reservoir.
Derbyshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Birchinlee
Location within Derbyshire
Population0 
OS grid reference SK207835
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town HOPE VALLEY
Police Derbyshire
Fire Derbyshire
Ambulance East Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Derbyshire
53°22′18″N1°42′13″W / 53.3717°N 1.7036°W / 53.3717; -1.7036 Coordinates: 53°22′18″N1°42′13″W / 53.3717°N 1.7036°W / 53.3717; -1.7036

Birchinlee is the site of "Tin Town", a village built by the Derwent Valley Water Board for the workers (and their families) who constructed the Derwent and Howden Dams between 1902 and 1916. Most of the workers had previously been engaged in the construction, in Wales, of the Elan Valley Reservoirs where the accommodation was very basic. At Birchinlee, a "model village" was built; its infrastructure included hospitals, school, canteen (pub), post office, shops, recreation hall, public bath house, police station, railway station, rubbish dump with incinerator, and much else. One of the shops was a well-stocked store owned by the Gregory brothers from Tideswell. [1] Accommodation consisted of workmen's huts, foremen's huts and married workmen's huts. The latter were decorated to a high standard, as photographs from the period confirm. The population rose to 900 people.

Remnants of "Tin Town" can still be seen when walking to the west of Derwent Reservoir. The former railway track is now a footpath. One of the buildings was salvaged and rebuilt at Hope where in 2014 it was reported to be housing a beauty parlour. [2]

A number of books and resources charting the history of Birchinlee and the dambuilders have been written by Professor Brian Robinson (whose mother was born and lived in Tintown) and Doctor Bill Beven, Peak District National Park archaeologist.

The Derwent Valley Museum, formerly located on the Derwent Reservoir dam and run privately by the late Vic Hallam, told the history of the Derwent valley and of Derwent, Ashopton and Birchinlee as well as the tale of RAF Squadron 617 and its training for Operation Chastise (the "Dam Busters" raids) during the Second World War. [3]

Further up the valley is Beavers Croft, a 14th-century housestead that was occupied by the chief engineer of Howden Dam in the early part of the 20th century. It is currently owned by private business partners that let the house for self-catering holidays during the summer, and the barn was occupied by a part-time PDNPA ranger until late 2013.

See also

Related Research Articles

Peak District Upland area in England

The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in northern Derbyshire, it includes parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is usually split into the Dark Peak, where most moorland is found and the geology is gritstone, and the White Peak, a limestone area of valleys and gorges that cut through the limestone plateau. The Dark Peak forms an arc on the north, east and west sides; the White Peak covers the central and southern tracts. It became the first of the national parks of England and Wales in 1951. Proximity to Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield brings millions of visitors each year. Some 20 million people live within an hour's journey. Inhabited from the Mesolithic era, it shows evidence from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. Settled by the Romans and Anglo-Saxons, it remained largely agricultural; mining grew in importance in the Middle Ages. Richard Arkwright built cotton mills early in the Industrial Revolution. As mining declined, quarrying grew. Tourism arose with the railways, thanks to the landscape, spa towns at Buxton and Matlock Bath, Castleton's show caves, and Bakewell, the park's one town. Walking, cycling, rock climbing and caving are popular pursuits.

Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, where water-powered cotton-spinning mills were first built in the UK

Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. It is administered by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership. The modern factory, or 'mill', system was born here in the 18th century to accommodate the new technology for spinning cotton developed by Richard Arkwright. With advancements in technology, it became possible to produce cotton continuously. The system was adopted throughout the valley, and later spread so that by 1788 there were over 200 Arkwright-type mills in Britain. Arkwright's inventions and system of organising labour was exported to Europe and the United States.

The Upper Derwent Valley is an area of the Peak District National Park in England. It largely lies in Derbyshire, but its north eastern area lies in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Its most significant features are the Derwent Dams, Ladybower, Derwent and Howden, which form Ladybower Reservoir, Derwent Reservoir and Howden Reservoir respectively.

River Derwent, Derbyshire

The Derwent is a river in Derbyshire, England. It is 50 miles (80 km) long and is a tributary of the River Trent, which it joins south of Derby. Throughout its course, the river mostly flows through the Peak District and its foothills.

Derwent Reservoir (Derbyshire) Reservoir in Derbyshire, England

Derwent Reservoir is the middle of three reservoirs in the Upper Derwent Valley in the north of Derbyshire, England. It lies approximately 10 miles (16 km) from Glossop and 10 miles (16 km) from Sheffield. The River Derwent flows first through Howden Reservoir, then Derwent Reservoir and finally through Ladybower Reservoir. Between them they provide practically all of Derbyshire's water, as well as to a large part of South Yorkshire and as far afield as Nottingham and Leicester.

Howden Reservoir Reservoir in the Peak District, England

The Howden Reservoir is a Y-shaped reservoir, the uppermost of the three in the Upper Derwent Valley, England. The western half of the reservoir lies in Derbyshire and the eastern half is in Sheffield, South Yorkshire; the county border runs through the middle of the reservoir, following the original path of the River Derwent. The longest arm is around 1.25 miles (2 km) in length. The reservoir is bounded at the southern end by Howden Dam; below this, the Derwent flows immediately into Derwent Reservoir and subsequently the Ladybower Reservoir. Other tributaries include the River Westend, Howden Clough and Linch Clough.

Ladybower Reservoir Reservoir in Derbyshire, England

Ladybower Reservoir is a large Y-shaped reservoir, the lowest of three in the Upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire, England. The River Ashop flows into the reservoir from the west; the River Derwent flows south, initially through Howden Reservoir, then Derwent Reservoir, and finally through Ladybower Reservoir.

River Noe

The River Noe is a tributary of the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. It flows approximately 12 miles (19 km) from its source, the confluence of two streams running off Kinder Scout in the Peak District, east through Edale and then southeast through the village of Hope.

River Ashop

The River Ashop is a river in the Derbyshire Peak District, England. Its source is on the eastern slopes of Mill Hill, three miles south east of Glossop and just north of Kinder Scout.

Hope, Derbyshire Human settlement in England

Hope is a village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Peak District, in England. The population at the 2011 Census was 864. It lies in the Hope Valley, at the point where Peakshole Water flows into the River Noe. To the north, Win Hill and Lose Hill stand either side of the Noe.

Bamford Human settlement in England

Bamford is a village in the Peak District, Derbyshire, England, close to the River Derwent. To the north-east is Bamford Edge, and to the north-west the Ladybower, Derwent and Howden Reservoirs. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 1,241.

Cromford Human settlement in England

Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Domesday Book as Crumforde, a berewick of Wirksworth and this remained the case throughout the Middle Ages. The population at the 2011 Census was 1,433. It is principally known for its historical connection with Richard Arkwright, and the nearby Cromford Mill which he built outside the village in 1771. Cromford is in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site.

Bamford railway station Railway station in Derbyshire, England

Bamford railway station serves the village of Bamford in the Derbyshire Peak District, in England and is managed by Northern Trains. It is located 13 miles (21 km) west of Sheffield on the Hope Valley Line.

Derwent, Derbyshire Human settlement in England

Derwent was a village 'drowned' in 1944 when the Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire, England was created. The village of Ashopton, Derwent Woodlands church and Derwent Hall were also 'drowned' in the construction of the reservoir.

River Alport

The River Alport flows for 5.6 miles (9 km) in the Dark Peak of the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. Its source is on Bleaklow, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Glossop, from which it flows south through the Grains in the Water bog, then over gritstone below the Alport Castles landslide to Alport Bridge on the A57 Snake Pass route from Sheffield to Manchester, where it joins the River Ashop. The Ashop flows into Ladybower Reservoir about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) down the valley, which discharges via the Rivers Derwent and Trent to the North Sea. The source of the Alport is close to the Pennine watershed.

Ashopton Human settlement in England

Ashopton was a small village in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Ashop. The village population was less than 100. Details are included in the civil parish of Aston, Derbyshire. In the early 1940s, the village was demolished to make way for the filling of Ladybower Reservoir.

St John the Baptists Church, Bamford Church in Bamford, England

St John the Baptist church is a C of E church in Bamford in the Hope Valley, Derbyshire, England.

The Derwent Valley Water Board was constituted by Act of Parliament in 1899 to supply the cities of Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, and the county of Derbyshire, with water impounded by a series of reservoirs along the upper reaches of the River Derwent in the Peak District of Derbyshire.

Fernilee Reservoir Reservoir in Derbyshire, England

Fernilee Reservoir is a drinking-water reservoir fed by the River Goyt in the Peak District National Park, within the county of Derbyshire and very close to the boundary with Cheshire. The village of Fernliee sits at the north end of the reservoir, with Goyt's Moss to the south and between Hoo Moor to the west and Combs Moss to the east.

Derwent Bridge (Derbyshire) Packhorse bridge over River Derwent

Derwent Bridge also known as the Slippery Stones Bridge, is a packhorse bridge spanning the River Derwent, to the north of the Howden Reservoir, Derbyshire, England. The bridge is a Scheduled monument.

References

  1. "Birchinlee, Derbyshire – The Gregory Brothers Store". 20 March 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2014.[ self-published source ]
  2. "The Peak District villages of Hope and Edale". Derbyshire Life and Countryside. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  3. "Derwent Dam Museum". Derwent Dam Museum. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2014.