Calendar

Richard Sheppard will give a guided tour of Bolsover Castle in the morning (11.00am to 12.30pm) with a walk around the site to get the feel of its medieval origins and its 17th century heyday. After a lunch break, we reconvene at 2.00pm on the other side of the Doe Lea valley at Sutton Scarsdale Hall, the shell of a Georgian mansion built in 1724-1729 where we delve beneath its 18th century exterior to examine the perplexing structural evidence within its interior for its earlier past.

Organised by the Architecture Section

Most of the modern parish of New Mills was formerly within the royal forest of the Peak.  A corn mill was built before 1391 and was called the New Mill.  By the 17^th century a small village had grown up in the vicinity of the corn mill and took the name New Mill.  The settlement expanded in the late 18^th century when water powered cotton mills were built and the name became New Mills. Most of the early mills were sited near the river Goyt and its tributary, the Sett.  Here there is a dramatic natural gorge, once a busy industrial area, and now a spectacular feature of the modern town.

introductory talk by Roger Bryant followed by a guided walking tour by Mike Daniels.

Organised by the Lcal History Section

A visit to the newly upgraded Industrial Hamlet, a site of scythe and steelmaking since the 1700s. Workers’ cottages, waterwheels, workshops, crucible furnace and tilt hammers are among the many features. The site was recognised as an important example of Sheffield’s industrial heritage as early as 1935 and opened as a museum in 1970. A recent lottery grant has refreshed the way in which the site is presented, so a return visit will be well worthwhile even if you have been before.

Organised by the Industrial Archaeology Section