Hayfield: Valley trail is one of outstanding natural beauty

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Denis Eardley calls in at Hayfield during his fascinating ramble through some of Derbyshire’s most spectacular countryside and beautiful towns and villages. The keen walker, from Littleover, looks at the history of the village, now a peaceful tourist spot but once home to woollen and paper mills. On the following two pages, he maps out a heritage trail around the village and a slightly more ambitious countryside walk.

Sett Valley Trail at the Hayfield Station end

THE village of Hayfield sits peacefully in the narrow valley of the River Sett, surrounded by some of the wildest hills in the Dark Peak.

Things were much different in its industrial past, however, when cotton and paper mills, calico printing and a dye works made it a busy and an anything but quiet place.

It was wool that started the industrial expansion, and the spinning and weaving of both wool and cotton became established in the 17th century.

As the 1700s progressed, Hayfield began to share in the great expansion of textiles manufacture, which was taking place in the north-west of England.

Three-storey weavers’ houses replaced the former thatched cottages; three woollen mills were built by the river and, later, in 1810, a dye works.

The prosperity did not last, however, and handloom weaving began to decline, although Hayfield still had woollen mills until the mid-1800s.

It is now very much a centre for tourism attracting visitors who come to walk on Kinder Scout or to explore the much gentler valley of the River Sett.

For many years, Kinder was barred to walkers, being preserved as a grouse moor by its owners.

However, the situation changed forever on Sunday, April 24, 1932, when the now famous Kinder Scout Mass Trespass took place.

The event had been well advertised in the Manchester Evening Chronicle and attracted some 400 people.

The police were waiting for the leader, Benny Rothman, at the railway station but he avoided arrest by arriving on his bike.

The walk started from Bowden Bridge Quarry, just to the west of the village centre.

On the moor, the walkers were confronted by gamekeepers who were unable to stop them walking across Kinder to meet up with other parties of ramblers who gained access from different locations.

Five ramblers were later arrested and imprisoned for their part in the demonstration. But, as a result of their brave actions, access restrictions were gradually reduced to many beauty spots in the country which had originally been out-of-bounds to walkers.

In 1868, the railway came to Hayfield and was soon busy with both passengers and goods, servicing all the mills in the Sett Valley.

But business gradually diminished and it closed in 1970. Now the line provides a traffic-free route of two and a half miles for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders between Hayfield and New Mills.

At the former railway station, a car park, information centre, picnic area and toilets are provided.

Flooding has been a regular problem in the past and, in 1818, after a disastrous flood, the parish church of St Matthew had to be rebuilt and the floor level raised.

A curious feature of the building is that it stands on a stream which can be seen emerging from beneath the church.

The town bridge, known locally as the Woolpack Bridge, built in 1837, is the third on the site, the first two having been swept away by previous floods.

When the present bridge was rebuilt it was discovered that the north side had been constructed on quicksand. This problem was solved when someone came up with the idea of using huge bags of wool pressed down in to the sand.

The bridge is still standing, which is testimony enough to the soundness of the idea.

The Royal Hotel has a strange history. It was built in the 18th century as a parsonage, but incorrectly conveyed into the vicar’s name. On his death, in 1764, his family sold it and, for 40 years, it was an inn.

The new owner restored it to its original use as a parsonage until, in 1863, he disagreed with the choice of incoming vicar and it was converted back into an inn.

Actor Arthur Lowe, son of a railway worker, was born in Hayfield. He is best remembered for his role as Captain Mainwaring in the hugely successful television series Dad’s Army.

He died in 1982, aged 66, after collapsing from a stroke in his dressing room at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. A keen cricketer, he often used to bring members of the Dad’s Army cast back to play cricket in the village.

The Pack Horse Inn, built in 1577, was a stopping off point for “jaggers” and their trains of packhorses on the long journey to Holmfirth, or to the south.

Built in the same era, The George was where the popular folk song Come Lasses and Lads was first heard.

The Bull’s Head did not come onto the scene until 1788, when industry was booming and the first two woollen mills were built.

Overlooking the attractive little cricket ground is Fox Hall, an impressive three-gabled 17th century house.

The lower storey of the village hall was once used as a prison, but many prisoners escaped up the chimney. The most dangerous, however, were handcuffed to the oven door!

Beside the weir, an attractive memorial garden has been created in the memory of three young people tragically killed in an accident at a jazz festival in 1983.

In Little Hayfield, a mile to the north, Tony Warren created the television series Coronation Street. Pat Phoenix, who starred as Elsie Tanner in the soap opera, also lived in the village.

Park Hall, a fine old house, is situated close by. Joseph Hague, who rose from rags to riches, once lived there. He started work as an itinerant pedlar before becoming very wealthy and giving most of his money away.

The annual Hayfield Sheepdog Trials and Country Show take place at Little Hayfield on September 16 and 17.

If you want to discover more about Derbyshire and the Peak, log on to Denis’ website at www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk

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