26-691: Alport is a hamlet in the White Peak area of Derbyshire , England. It lies east of Youlgreave , at the confluence of the River Bradford and the River Lathkill . The oldest house in the hamlet is Monks Hall. There also used to be a pub, which was demolished thanks the construction of a main road, which leads to the A6 and towards Buxton. A Grade-II listed stone bridge crosses the River near
52-418: A cotton mill in 1783, powered by water from Cressbrook stream. It was built on the site of a distillery by William Newton of Abney. The original building was destroyed by fire. Litton Mill was a large cotton spinning mill that opened in 1782. It was notorious for the harsh treatment of child labourers by the owner, Ellis Needham. Many of the children, brought from London and other large cities, died young from
78-531: A few places, remnants of limestone heath. Minimally grazed north-facing slopes of dales are a national stronghold of Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob's ladder), the county flower of Derbyshire. The largest towns in the White Peak are outside the area of the Peak District national park . These towns include Matlock, Wirksworth and Buxton, while Bakewell and most of the villages in the park are in
104-683: A railway is not supported by the council, and was last rejected in October 2022. The Monsal Trail is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and opened in 1981. It starts at the Topley Pike junction (in Wye Dale, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Buxton ) and runs to Coombs Viaduct, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of Bakewell . It follows the valley of the River Wye and runs parallel to the A6 . From
130-729: A railway station with his neighbour. Great Longstone station (Longstone before 1913) served Thornbridge Hall , and the railway station design, with leaded glass windows, reflected the architecture of the hall. For many years the trail could not follow the trackbed through the tunnels at Monsal Head and Cressbrook which were closed for safety reasons and the trail was diverted to avoid them. The tunnels were walked by Julia Bradbury in BBC TV's Railway Walks: The Peak Express . Many access points and diversion paths were unsuitable for cyclists, wheelchairs or people with walking difficulties because of steep uneven stone steps or narrow paths. Plans to make
156-655: Is a major part of the as yet incomplete White Peak Loop and is designated as National Cycle Route 680 . The Monsall Trail follows a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway , built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London. The line was closed in 1968 by the Labour Minister for Transport Barbara Castle , not by the Beeching Axe , and remained unused for twelve years before being taken over by
182-657: Is gone, and the Gods with it; and now, every fool in Buxton can be in Bakewell in half an hour, and every fool in Bakewell at Buxton; which you think a lucrative process of exchange – you Fools everywhere. His words are displayed on the viaduct. When the railway closed and there was talk of demolishing the viaduct, there was considerable opposition. In 1970 it was designated as a Grade II listed building. Cressbrook Mill opened as
208-519: Is one of the more impressive structures on the line, although when built it was seen as destroying the beauty of the dale. John Ruskin , a poet and conservationist of the time, criticised the building of the railway: There was a rocky valley between Buxton and Bakewell, once upon a time, divine as the Vale of Tempe... You Enterprised a Railroad through the valley – you blasted its rocks away, heaped thousands of tons of shale into its lovely stream. The valley
234-610: The Churnet Valley . As defined by Natural England , the White Peak national character area covers 52,860 hectares (204 sq mi) and includes the area approximately bounded by Ashbourne , Buxton , Castleton , Matlock and Wirksworth . The geology of the White Peak has its origins in the Carboniferous Period , when the area was under a shallow sea that was fringed by reefs, leading to thick deposits of shelly calcareous material. Over millions of years
260-795: The Monsal Trail through Monsal Dale and Millers Dale . The generally good quality loess soil means much of the area is agriculturally productive pasture, though hay meadows - containing species such as Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle) and Galium verum (lady’s bedstraw)- occur in places. On steep slopes and higher points where soils are shallower and pasture improvement difficult, species-rich calcareous grassland can be found, containing species such as Orchis mascula (early purple orchid), Primula veris (cowslip) and Thymus serpyllum (wild thyme). On high ground leaching has resulted in acidic grassland - where Viola lutea (mountain pansy) and Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) occur - and, in
286-682: The Monsal Trail , the High Peak Trail , the Tissington Trail and the Manifold Way . 53°12′N 1°48′W / 53.2°N 1.8°W / 53.2; -1.8 Monsal Trail The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District . It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway , which
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#1732802240163312-756: The Peak District in England. It is mostly between 270 metres (900 ft) and 430 metres (1,400 ft) above sea-level and is enclosed by the higher altitude Dark Peak (also known as the High Peak) to the west, north and east. Broadly speaking, the White Peak covers the Derbyshire and Staffordshire parts of the Peak District from the Hope Valley southwards to the Weaver Hills near
338-580: The Peak District National Park . The route through the Wye valley was necessitated by the Duke of Devonshire 's objection to the railway passing through his land (which included not only Chatsworth House , but extensive grounds north of Rowsley ). The route meant that the line had to pass above the town of Bakewell, rather than through it. The Duke of Rutland , of Haddon Hall , insisted on
364-640: The White Peak area. Around the areas of Tideswell , Hartington , Flagg , Chelmorton and Youlgrave , long thin fields created by the enclosure of medieval strip fields can be seen. The region is rich in footpaths, bridleways and green tracks that give access to the area. Longer-distance routes include the Limestone Way , the Peak District Boundary Walk and the Pennine Bridleway , and former railway trackbeds such as
390-702: The Wyedale car park, the easiest access point for the northern end of the trail, there is a walk of about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), with the last part up steps, to reach the trail. Starting at the south of the trail, "from Market Place in Bakewell, follow Sheffield Road and cross the five-arched bridge of the River Wye, turn right and ascend Station Road to the former Bakewell railway station and car park on your left." The trail passes through Blackwell Mill , Millers Dale , Cressbrook , Monsal Dale , Great Longstone , Hassop and Bakewell. At Longstone and Hassop
416-473: The area rose up and subsided several times, leading to muddy, sandy and peaty deposits overlying the calcareous shells. Compression turned the deposits into rock - the shells became limestone, and the overlying deposits became gritstone, shales and coal. Further uplifting and folding raised the area into an anticline (the Derbyshire Dome ), then subsequent erosion removed the younger deposits to expose
442-467: The area. The soils are mostly derived from loess deposited by cold winds in the last part of the last glacial period . Notable valleys in the White Peak include Dovedale , Monsal Dale , Lathkill Dale and the Manifold Valley . The area is of interest to geologists, since much of the underlying strata have been exposed by extensive quarrying, and can be seen in the old railway cuttings along
468-619: The centre of the hamlet, close to the 18th century mill. There are lead mines in the area, and at the Alport mine, an early steam-powered Nutating disc engine was installed. In chronostratigraphy , the British sub-stage of the Carboniferous period, the 'Alportian' derives its name from study of a core from a borehole drilled at Alport. The name Alport means "Old town", possibly with market trading connotations. The hamlet lies on
494-544: The construction of Haddon Tunnel to hide it from his view, but he used Bakewell railway station , which was built to a grander design than normal and carried his coat of arms. The Duke of Devonshire later realised the value of the railway, and his offer for the Midland Railway to run through Chatsworth came too late. He was the force behind the construction of Hassop railway station , which, although nearer to Bakewell than Hassop village, meant he did not have to share
520-470: The cruel treatment. Hassop railway station was situated about two miles from the village. It was opened in 1862 by the Midland Railway on its extension of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway from Rowsley. The trail passes through the following tunnels: A further tunnel, Haddon Tunnel , is currently closed on safety grounds but has been proposed for reopening. The route
546-408: The limestone. The limestone consists of three types: pale grey, thickly bedded, gently dipping shelf limestone of much of the central plateau; darker grey, more thinly bedded, more folded basin limestone in the south west; and hard, unbedded reef limestone that forms cone-like hills on the plateau periphery. Limestone is porous , so caves , limestone gorges and dry valleys are common features of
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#1732802240163572-604: The line of the Derbyshire Portway , an ancient trading route. Alport is within the civil parish of Youlgreave which, in turn, is part of the Derbyshire Dales district. This Derbyshire location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . White Peak The White Peak , also known as the Low Peak , is a limestone plateau that forms the central and southern part of
598-647: The railway stations were some distance from the villages. Derbyshire County Council support the creation of a circular cycle route linking Buxton, Bakewell and Matlock with the High Peak Trail . Dubbed the White Peak Loop , it includes extending the Monsal Trail to Matlock, a proposal which received strong support from a public consultation exercise in 2014. The 5-mile (8.0 km) section between Rowsley and Matlock opened in March 2018, running adjacent to
624-456: The railway trackbed except for minor diversions just north of Rowsley South, at Darley Dale, and at Matlock. The remaining 2.5-mile (4.0 km) section of the route between Bakewell (Coombs Viaduct) and Rowsley is at the design stage. When complete, the section will run for the most part along the railway trackbed and require new bridges at Rowsley and the refurbishment and opening up of the 1-km Haddon Tunnel. Headstone Viaduct, at Monsal Head,
650-490: The tunnels safe and re-open them to the public were given the go-ahead at a cost of £3.785 million. The tunnels were formally opened on 25 May 2011 at a ceremony at the Headstone Viaduct after being used from 13 May 2011. The trail can be used by wheelchair users with level access at Bakewell, Hassop railway station (disabled toilets at Bakewell and Millers Dale railway stations) and Millers Dale. Reopening as
676-736: Was built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London and closed in 1968. The Monsal Trail is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and opened in 1981. It starts at the Topley Pike junction in Wye Dale , 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Buxton , and runs to Coombs Viaduct, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of Bakewell . It follows the valley of the River Wye . The trail passes through Blackwell Mill , Chee Dale , Millers Dale , Cressbrook , Monsal Dale , Great Longstone , Hassop and Bakewell . The trail has numerous landmarks including Headstone Viaduct, Cressbrook Mill, Litton Mill and Hassop railway station , and passes through six tunnels. It
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