The Cromford and High Peak Railway (C&HPR) was completed in 1831, to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal at Cromford Wharf and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge, thus linking the East Midlands to the developing industries of the North West. It was laid out with level sections connected by a series of nine steep rope-worked inclines. Much of the line has now been converted into a walking and cycling trail.

Josias Jessop, the son of William Jessop, was asked to survey the route. He, his father and their former partner Benjamin Outram had gained wide experience in building tramways where conditions were unsuitable for canals.

1824 June 16th. Meeting to be called about the proposed railway and to be held in the house of Mrs. Cummings, the Old Bath, Matlock ‘to consider the expedience of forming a communication between the Cromford and Peak Forest Canals by an iron railway; also a branch road to Macclesfield, and to take such steps as may be necessary . . .’.

1824 June 16th. At the meeting Samuel Oldknow was the Chairman and eighteen (named) persons attended including William Jessop. As no person attended from Macclesfield the branch to that town was dropped from the proposal.

1825 February 23rd. Business in Parliament. ‘Cromford and Peak Forest Railway’.

In 1825 the Act of Parliament was obtained for a “railway or tramroad” to be propelled by “stationary or locomotive steam engines,” which was remarkably prescient, considering few people considered steam locomotives to be feasible, and George Stephenson‘s Stockton and Darlington Railway was still under construction in Newcastle.

The first part of the line from Cromford Wharf, by the Cromford Canal, to Hurdlow opened in 1830. From the canal it climbed over a thousand feet in five miles, through four inclines ranging from 1 in 14 to 1 in 8 – Cromford, Sheep Pasture, Middleton and Hopton, above Wirksworth. The line then proceeded up the relatively gentle Hurdlow incline at 1 in 16 . The second half from Hurdlow to Whaley Bridge opened in 1832 descending through four more inclines, the steepest being 1 in 7.

The railway would be powered by horses on the flat sections and stationary steam engines on the nine inclined planes, apart from the last incline into Whaley Bridge, which was counterbalanced and worked by a horse-gin. The engines, rails and other ironwork were provided by the Butterley Co. It would take around two days to complete the 33 mile journey.

The railways first steam locomotive arrived in 1841 in the shape of Peak, built by Robert Stephenson and Co.

The line was isolated until 1853 when, in an effort to improve traffic, a connection was made with the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway at High Peak Junction just north of Whatstandwell.

By 1860 the line had six more locomotives gradually displacing the horses. These locomotives were hauled up and down the inclines along with their trains with the cables, which initially had been hemp, replacing the earlier chains, but by then were of steel.

The final cost was £180,000, more than Jessop’s estimate of £155,000, but still much cheaper than a canal. Nevertheless, the line never achieved a profit and 1855 an Act of Parliament authorised the carriage of passengers. However the one train per day each ways did little to produce extra revenue and, when a passenger was killed in 1877, the service was discontinued. The line’s prosperity depended on that of the canals it connected but, by the 1830s, they were in decline. This was, to a degree, offset by the increase in the trade for limestone from the quarries.

It was leased by the London and North Western Railway in 1862, being taken over fully in 1887.

By 1890 permission had been obtained to connect the line directly to Buxton by building a new line from Harpur Hill the two or three miles into the town centre, thus frustrating the Midland Railway‘s plans for a route to Manchester.

The old north end of the line from Ladmanlow (a short distance from Harpur Hill) to Whaley Bridge via the Goyt Valley was largely abandoned in 1892, though the track bed is still visible in many places and one incline forms part of a public road.

Traffic – by now almost exclusively from local quarries – was slowly decreasing during the Beeching era, the first section of the line being closed in 1963. This was the rope worked 1 in 8 Middleton Incline. The rest of the line was fully closed in spring 1967, including the 1 in 8 Sheep Pasture Incline and the Hopton Incline.

Today, large parts of the route are attractive to visitors. The original workshop at ‘High Peak Junction’ alongside the Cromford Canal can still be visited, and close by is Leawood Pumphouse. The winding engine at Middleton Top is periodically operated using compressed air. A large portion of the trackbed is now used by the High Peak Trail. See Derbyshire County Council –High Peak Trail website.

Hurdlow Station Update

Hurdlow railway station was near to the hamlet of Hurdlow to the south east of Buxton, Derbyshire on the LNWR line to Ashbourne and the south.

It opened for goods in 1833 on the Cromford and High Peak Railway from Whaley Bridge to Cromford. Passenger service began in 1856, but it closed in 1877. When it became part of the Ashbourne Line, the LNWR opened it again in 1894.

The Hurdlow Incline

The Hurdlow Incline wasa section of the Cromford and High Peak Railway in Derbyshire, England, that operated from 1831 to 1967.The railway was built to transport goods and minerals through the Peak District's hilly terrain.The Hurdlow Incline was one of several roped-worked inclines that marked the route.

What is Dowlow?

Dowlow Haltwas opened in 1920 between Dowlow (hill now largely quarried away) and Greatlow to the south east ofBuxton,Derbyshireon theLondon and North Western Railwayline toAshbourneand the south.

The line utilised part of theCromford and High Peak Railway(which ran fromWhaley BridgetoCromford) joining it near Hindlow and proceeding to abranch to AshbourneatParsley Hay.

After leavingHindlowthe line began to climb at 1 in 60 through Hindlow Tunnel to Brigg's Sidings and its summit at Dowlow Halt. 1,260 feet (380m) at the summit, this was the highest main line in England at the time. From Dowlow Halt the line travelled downhill at a gradient of 1 in 60 toHurdlow.

Brigg's Sidings served Messrs. Briggs and the Dowlow Lime and Stone Company (laterSteetley, then Redland Aggregates).

The halt itself was unstaffed with two short stone platforms and without buildings, since it was initially used by workmen's trains for the nearby works. It was opened for public services in November 1929. Passenger services on the line finished in 1954.

One section still exists, servingBuxton Lime Industries, and terminating a short distance further on at theLafargeDowlow sidings.^[2]

What is Tagg Lane Dairy?

Come visit our Luxury ice cream & coffee bar in the heart of the Peak District, just outside of the beautiful village of Monyash and a stone's throw from the High Peak Trail. Our artisan Jersey ice cream is made using the milk and cream from our award winning Jersey herd. It's all made freshly on site and you will also be able to see it being made to show the attention to detail in every one of our ice creams. The ice cream is produced with the finest all-natural ingredients we can get our hands on, from the fresh fruit in the fruit flavours to the cocoa in our chocolate. Its that and the overall density of the Jersey cream and milk that separates our ice cream from the rest. We are always trying out new and exciting flavours to sample as well as some of our well known classics. Popular combinations such as our freshly made Belgian waffles, ice cream sundaes, American style milkshakes. We offer a variety of gourmet coffees from espressos to cafe Lattes and cappucino's in which you'll notice a difference in quality and taste which is hugely down to the freshness of our creamy Jersey milk. Panninis and toasted sandwitches are also available in the cafe if you fancy a small bite to eat.We Bake a selection of homemade Farmhouse cakes using free range eggs which are also sold in the shop which is available alongside our most famous Raw Unpasteurized Jersey Milk. Our Stunning Jersey cows are one of the main atractions as the calves are on show and they love all of the attention they get. School trips and farm visits are also available on request.We are very cyclist friendly and also offer toasted tea cakes for that extra boost needed when tackling the peaks.