Padley and Padley Gorge

A view of Padley village from the Sir William Hill road just above Grindleford village in the Peak District. In the shade, the rocks and trees gave rise to a sepia-like feel to the landscape, contrasting with the snowy fields. I liked the delicate transparency of the bare winter trees.

A view of the Padley Incline from the Sir William Hill road just above Grindleford village in the Peak District. In the shade, the rocks and trees gave rise to a sepia-like feel to the landscape, contrasting with the snowy fields. I liked the delicate transparency of the bare winter trees. The Padley Incline was used to transport stone down from the Bole Hill quarries (hidden in the birch trees in the upper left) down to the main line railway at its foot. The stone was used in the construction of the Ladybower, Derwent and Howden dams in the early years of the 20th century. A contemporary photo of the incline: www.urbanghostsmedia.com/home/twamoran/urbanghostsmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/bamford-and-howden-railway-7.jpg Padley Chapel is visible in the lower right.

This is the track which leads down from the Hathersage Road to the Bole Hill quarries, adjacent to Lawrence Field in the Peak District National Park, near Hathersage. The track was used to bring materials, including steam locomotives, to the upper parts of the quarries, which were active in the early years of the 20th century. This photo is looking up towards the Hathersage Road near Surprise View Corner. There may have been a railway laid on this portion, or else materials were brought in this way by steam traction engine to the quarry, where there was definitely a network of quarry railway lines with locomotives hauling stone wagons to the top of the Padley Incline. The quarries were worked on a major industrial scale to provide stone for the construction of the Ladybower, Derwent and Howden dams. The quarries were also worked for grindstones and pulp stones. Immediately adjacent to this locality are the dozens of pulp stones (some visible in this photo), originally destined for a Swedish paper mill, but left abandoned here before they could be shipped out due to the outbreak of WW2 in 1939. More information here: www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/DBY/Grindleford/BoleHi...

Evening sky over the Derwent valley and the Eastern Edges in the Peak District National Park. Viewed from Tumbling Hill quarry, Nether Padley.

Evening sky over the lushness of Hay Wood and the village of Grindleford, in the Derwent valley, Derbyshire. Viewed from Tumbling Hill quarry, Nether Padley.

Evening sky over the Derwent valley and the Eastern Edges in the Peak District National Park. Viewed from Tumbling Hill quarry, Nether Padley.

This pair of huts are now private dwellings, and are located next to Padley Chapel, but they were originally situated on a flat platform next to the Bolehill Quarries (Padley) Incline. A link to an old photo taken during the working of the incline is here: www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/DBY/Grindleford/BoleHi... In this photo, one of the huts can just be seen in the extreme top right. At some time after the quarries and the incline ceased operation in 1914, two of the huts were relocated to Padley Chapel a short distance away to the south.

Originally uploaded as a clue to a Guesswhere UK puzzle. One of a pair of huts which are now private dwellings, and are located next to Padley Chapel, but they were originally situated on a flat platform next to the Bolehill Quarries (Padley) Incline. A link to an old photo taken during the working of the incline is here: www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/DBY/Grindleford/BoleHi.. . In this photo, one of the huts can just be seen in the extreme top right. At some time after the quarries and the incline ceased operation in 1914, two of the huts were relocated to Padley Chapel a short distance away to the south.

This is the lower portion of the Bolehill Quarries (Padley) Incline near Grindleford, Derbyshire. The Bolehill Quarries were active in the early years of the 20th century (1901-1914) with gritstone extraction on a massive scale for the construction of the Howden and Derwent Dams a few miles away. Stone was transported down the incline and shunted on to wagons on the main line for further transportation up to the dams sites. The flat area on the left was the location of a group of huts for the quarry and incline workers. A link to an old photo taken during the working of the incline is here: www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/DBY/Grindleford/BoleHi... In this photo, one of the huts can just be seen in the extreme top right. At some time after the quarries and the incline ceased operation in 1914, two of the huts were relocated to Padley Chapel a short distance away to the south.