Whaley Bridge
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| Whaley Bridge | |
  Whaley Bridge shown within Derbyshire |
|
| Population | 6,226 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | High Peak |
| Shire county | Derbyshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HIGH PEAK[1] |
| Postcode district | SK23 |
| Dialling code | 01663 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| European Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | High Peak |
| List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire | |
Whaley Bridge is a small town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, situated on the River Goyt. Whaley Bridge is approximately 30km South of Manchester and 11km North of Buxton (), and had a population of 6,226 at the 2001 census.[2] This includes the village of Furness Vale, which falls within the boundaries of Whaley Bridge. Other districts of 'Whaley', as it is known locally, include Horwich End (grid reference SK006806), Bridgemont (SK011825), Fernilee (SK017784) and Stoneheads.
Contents |
[edit] History
The name is thought to be of Anglo-Saxon[citation needed] origin meaning "clearing by the road", spellings in early documents include Weylegh and Weyley. In the fourteenth century, it housed the residence of William Jauderell and his descendents (the name also spelt Jodrell).
The River Goyt formed the historical boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire. The present town of Whaley Bridge was divided into smaller towns in both counties. Historical records show that in 1316 on the Cheshire side there were Taxal, Yeardsley and Whaley with the last two being combined into one district of 'Yeardsley-cum-Whaley'. The Derbyshire side consisted only of Fernilee which included the villages of Shallcross and Horwich. This side was in the Parish of Hope and was part of the Forest of High Peak while the Cheshire side was part of the Forest of Macclesfield. From 1796 Taxal and Yeardsley were effectively joined in that the Jodrell family was the main landowner in both towns although the administration of these remained separate until 1936.[3]
The town expanded greatly in the Industrial Revolution. Although there had been coal mines from earlier times, by 1871 cotton mills had become the dominant industry.
The Whaley Bridge Branch of the Peak Forest Canal, approved by Act of Parliament in 1794, terminates here, constructed to carry limestone and coal. The Peak Forest Canal was connected to the Cromford Canal by the Cromford and High Peak Railway, originally using horse-drawn carriages.
[edit] Governance
[edit] Local government
Whaley Bridge is a civil parish with the status of a town. At the lowest level of local government is Whaley Bridge Town Council, consisting of 12 councillors. Three councillors are elected for each of the four wards of Fernilee, Furness Vale, Taxal and Yeardsley.[4]
The next tier of local government is High Peak Borough Council. Whaley Bridge constitutes one of the borough's 28 wards. It returns three out of the forty-three borough councillors. At the last council elections in May 2007, two Liberal Democrat and one independent councillor were elected.[5]
The top tier of local administration is the 64-member Derbyshire County Council. The town is included in the electoral division of Whaley Bridge and Blackbrook, electing one county councillor.[6]
[edit] Civic history
The township of Yeardsley-cum-Whaley, Cheshire was part of the ancient parish of Taxal. The township adopted the Local Government Act 1858 and formed a local board to govern the town. Under the Local Government Act 1894 this became Yeardsley-cum-Whaley Urban District.[3] On the Derbyshire side of the Goyt, the parish of Fernilee was included in Chapel en le Frith Rural District. In 1936 a county review order merged the urban district with the built-up part of Fernilee to form Whaley Bridge Urban District, with the new district placed in Derbyshire.[3]
In 1974 the Local Government Act 1972 came into force, abolishing all urban and rural districts in England and Wales, and replacing them with non-metropolitan districts. Whaley Bridge became part of the district of High Peak, with a successor parish formed for the area of the urban district. The parish council resolved that Whaley Bridge should have the status of a town.
[edit] Cromford and High Peak Railway
The Cromford and High Peak Railway was granted Parliamentary consent in 1825. It was fully opened for passenger and goods traffic on 6 July 1831. The railway linked the wharf at the head of the Whaley Bridge Branch of the Peak Forest Canal to the Cromford Canal at High Peak Wharf. It had seven inclined planes, the first being situated within the town of Whaley Bridge itself. Unlike the other six inclined planes which were operated by stationary steam engines, this one was operated by a horse-driven gin, which remained operational until 9 April 1952. This plane was much shorter than the others, being only 180 yards (165m) long and rising at 1:13.5. Approach to the top of the plane was under a very low bridge and, because of this, waggons had to be hauled to and from the top of the plane by horses.
Horses also worked the bottom section of the line and the tracks ran onto a wharf and into two mills. Another notable feature on the bottom section is an iron bridge that carries the line across the River Goyt.
The Peak Forest Canal and basin were built in the 1790's and opened on May 1st. 1800. An important building at the head of the Peak Forest Canal was the Transhipment Warehouse, built in 1832. In this building goods and minerals were transferred to and from the many working canal boats servicing local industry. The building straddles the head of the Canal which is fed by Coombs and Toddbrook Reservoirs to the south.
A new joint project between British Waterways and several Whaley Bridge community groups, to bring this important building back to life and serve as a centre of the Whaley Bridge community, was envisaged in 2007 and is the subject of a grant application to The East Midlands Development Agency under their Waterways Regeneration Funding offer in 2008.
[edit] Whaley Hall
Whaley Hall is a large detached Victorian house near Todd Brook reservoir and is currently run as a retreat house and conference centre by a group of Gay Anglican vicars called the "Community of the King of Love"[1]. The Community boasts a fine collection of relics of Christian Saints, including allegedly Saint Nicholas' original loin cloth. The community has a collection of church bells, which rather than ringing in a peel they ring randomly at odd times to test the patience of their neighbours.
[edit] Present day
Whaley Bridge continues to expand as new housing is built, but it retains the character of a small town. As the self-styled 'Gateway to the Goyt' it attracts tourists, mainly walkers, but it has not become dominated by the tourist industry, unlike some other local towns and villages. With a good commuter railway service to Manchester many people travel to work in the Greater Manchester conurbation, or in Cheshire. With the introduction of ADSL broadband internet services increasingly people work from home.
The town has been twinned with Tymbark, Poland since June 1994.
The town has two primary schools, Whaley Bridge Primary School and Taxal and Fernilee Church of England Primary School, although for secondary education children travel further afield, typically to Chapel-en-le-Frith, New Mills, Hope Valley, Buxton or Stockport.
[edit] Festivals and traditions
Whaley Bridge has an annual carnival week during which the Whaley Water Weekend, started at the Millennium, is followed by the traditional Well Dressing and terminates with the popular Rose Queen procession in June each year. The Water Weeekend (W3) is a community event based directly on the Canal Basin and includes short canal boat rides and a Heritage Trip with commentary to Bugsworth Basin. W3 is followed by The Well Dressing in which local wells are decorated at the end of a week of hard work by local people with large collages of fresh flowers. The events are terminated with The Rose Queen procession where groups of local young people, from the town, parade around the area in their finery and on decorated floats. The annual event of switching on the Christmas tree lights by the Chair of the Town Council is accompanied by seasonal music from members of Whaley Bridge Brass Band early in December. Father Christmas traditionally arrives by canal boat and processes to The Mechanics' Institute (pictured above) accompanied by his helpers. Businesses put up their contribution to Christmas decorations by way of small fir trees and small bright lights over their shop fronts.
[edit] See also
In the travel section of The Sunday Telegraph, a headline article 'My Top Ten Train Trips' by Tony Robinson, writes of the Manchester to Derby journey - "It is not a trip to do all in one go, stop off at the dramatic little town of Whaley Bridge and have a stroll around the historic Peak Forest Canal Basin".
[edit] References
- ^ Royal Mail, Postcode Update 23, July 1996
- ^ The High Peak Population Estimates, High Peak Borough Council, accessed April 1, 2008
- ^ a b c F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II: Northern England, London, 1991
- ^ Town Council, whaleybridge.com, accessed April 1, 2008
- ^ High Peak Borough – Wards and their Councillors, High Peak Borough Council, accessed April 1, 2008
- ^ Derbyshire County Council - High Peak, accessed April 1, 2008
[edit] External links
- Whaley Bridge Website
- High Peak Borough Council
- Peak Forest Canal
- Footsteps
- Goyt Valley Striders
- Toddbrook Sailing Club
- Whaley Water Weekend
- Location map
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