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| Whaley Bridge is a mill village centred around the River Goyt, which runs through the village. Until recently the village was dominated by a dyeworks, which provided the main local employment (as well as a lot of river pollution), but this closed in the late 1990s.
Whaley Bridge first came to prominence as the terminus of the High Peak Canal - built at the end of the 18th century to carry limestone from the quarries above Chapel-en-le-Frith to Manchester and beyond. This was originally serviced by the High Peak Tramway - a primitive railway which linked the quarries at Dove Holes with the main canal basin at Buxworth, but in 1830 there opened the Cromford and High Peak Railway, linking Whaley Bridge with Buxton and then across the White Peak to Cromford. This unique railway crossed some formidable terrain with steep inclines and used a mixture of stationary engines hauling wagons up steep inclines with normal sections of railway track imbetween. It brought stone from the quarries above Buxton down to the canal at Whaley Bridge and this section up the Goyt Valley was spectacular, but turned out not to be viable, so it shut before the end of the 19th century.
The railway linking Buxton to Manchester was constructed in the 1870s via Whaley Bridge, bringing improved communications and boom conditions to this and other settlements along the line, with a rapid expansion of the local textile industry as well as the possibility of commuting to Manchester. Most of the buildings of the village date from this period. |
Nearby Places of Interest| Chinley New Chapel | Chinley 'new' Chapel, Derbyshire, is a beautiful early nonconformist chapel. Founded by William Bagshawe, the 'Apostle of the Peak', and John Wesley preached here. | | Lyme Hall and Park | Lyme Hall, a fine Italianate house in Disley, Cheshire, on the edge of the Peak District. Used by the BBC in their adaptation of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' - this is where Mr D'Arcy lived. Set in a large park with gardens. |
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