Longdendaleis a valley in thePeak Districtof England, north ofGlossopand southwest ofHolmfirth. The name means "long wooded valley" and the valley is mostly in the counties ofDerbyshireandGreater Manchester.
The eastern part of the valley is in thenon-metropolitan countyof Derbyshire and includes the village ofTintwistleand, further east, part of the Peak District National Park, with the last half-mile or so falling into theMetropolitan Borough of BarnsleyinSouth Yorkshire. The western part of the valley, including the villages ofBroadbottom,Mottram in LongdendaleandHollingworthis part ofTamesidein themetropolitan countyof Greater Manchester. The whole of Longdendale forms the easternmost extension of the lands within thehistoric boundariesofCheshire.
TheRiver Etherow, atributaryof theRiver Mersey, rises south ofHolmfirthand then flows through a chain of sixreservoirsknown as theLongdendale Chain:Woodhead Reservoir,Torside Reservoir,Rhodeswood Reservoir,Valehouse Reservoir,Bottoms ReservoirandArnfield Reservoir. There was a seventh reservoir atHollingworth, but it was abandoned in 1990 and now forms part ofSwallows Wood Nature Reserve.
There is a Roman fortlet at Highstones on the south-facing slope overlooking Torside Reservoir. It is an oval-shaped area, with an obvious ditch, and about 82 yards (75m) across. A footpath runs immediately to the north of it, and to the west is Highstones Farm. A Roman road may have run along the valley connecting it withMelandra Castle(Glossop).
The lordship of Longdendale was an ancient feudal estate encompassing the medievalmanorsofGodley,Hattersley,Hollingworth,Matley,Mottram,Newton,Staley,TintwistleandWerneth. The lordship was created by theEarl of Chesterin the late twelfth century; William de Neville was the first lord of Longdendale, as appointed by the Earl of Chester.[3]Buckton Castle, nearCarrbrook, was probably built by William de Neville in the late twelfth century[4]and was also probably the centre of lordship of Longdendale as it is the only castle within the lordship.[5]One of the privileges of the lordship was to carry out trial by combat. The lordship of Longdendale was passed from de Neville to his son in law, Thomas de Burgh, in 1211 on his death. The lordship reverted to the control of the crown in 1357, and remained under crown control until 1374. The lordship was given to Matilda Lovell and the Lovells controlled Longdendale until 1465 when control again reverted to the crown. The lordship was granted to Sir William Stanley in 1489, however the lordship once again reverted to the crown when Stanley was executed in 1495 as a supporter ofPerkin Warbeck. In 1554 the lordship was granted to Richard Wilbraham.[6]Tollemache family inherited lordship of Longdendale from the Wilbrahams in the 1690s.[7]It was part of the Hundred of Macclesfield. An estate survey, or 'Extent' of the lordship for 1360 was published by the Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire in July 2005.
Apackhorseroute called a saltway was maintained from theMiddle Agesonwards for the purpose of allowing the export of salt from theCheshirewichesofNantwich,NorthwichandMiddlewichacross thePennines. The passing trade brought prosperity to settlements along the route. The importance of the salt trade along such saltways is shown by surviving placenames; for example Salter's Brook (SK137999) is where the saltway forked, with one route leading toWakefieldand another toBarnsley. The stone Lady Shaw Bridge still exists at this point, as do the ruins of an old inn. The bridge is just wide enough for a packhorse, though it is suspected that the bridge may have originally been wider and was deliberately narrowed when the Saltersbrook turnpike was built, to prevent vehicles bypassing the toll barrier.
Theturnpikeroad from Manchester to Saltersbrook connected to further turnpikes forYorkshiredestinations and was built in the mid-18th century, based on the older saltway route.
The Longdendale catchment exceeds 30 square miles (78km2) and has an annual rainfall of 1,330 millimetres (52.5in). The civil engineerJohn Frederick Batemanrecognised the potential and conceived a plan to deliver this water to Manchester and Salford, while still maintaining the flow in the River Etherow that was needed to power the mills ofTintwistleandGlossop.
The six reservoirs have a capacity of 190,000m3(42,000,000impgal). A tunnel was built at a depth of 200 feet (60m) to carry the water from Longdendale into the valley of theRiver Tame. TheManchester Corporation Waterworks Act 1847(10 & 11 Vict.c. cciii) (9 July 1847) was passed to allow the land to be acquired and construction to commence.
The first railway line betweenManchesterandSheffieldwas constructed between 1839 and 1845 on the south side of the reservoir chain by 1,500 navvies of whom many died and most suffered illness. The three-mile-long doubleWoodhead Tunnelwas, for a time, the longest tunnel in the country. It was replaced by a single, larger tunnel in 1954. The first tunnel was subsequently used byCEGBto reroute the main high-voltage link up the valley and through the National Park underground. The railway line ceased to be economical, and in 1970 the passenger service ceased, followed in 1981 by the goods service. The passenger service was adversely affected by the requirement to keep the Hope Valley line open, whilst the freight service was affected by the falloff in Trans-Pennine coal traffic. The track was lifted in 1986. There have been plans to re-open the railway at various times since it was closed, but none have gained planning approval.
After the rail line was closed, the trackbed was taken up and theLongdendale Trailconstructed along its route. It is now part of theTrans-Pennine Trail(SustransNational Cycle Route 62[10]) which, in its turn, is part of the 2,000-mile (3,200km)European walking route E8from Liverpool to Istanbul.Holme Mossand Woodhead Pass are on the chosen route of the2014 Tour de France, during the second stage between York and Sheffield.[11]
ThePennine Waycrosses Longdendale, descending fromBleaklowto the south and ascendingBlack Hillto the north. Theyouth hostelat Crowden is a traditional stop after the first day's walk fromEdale. The circular walk known as 'The Longdendale Edges' takes in the high ground (at about the 1,000–1,500-foot (300–460m) level) on both sides of the valley. It is about 17 miles (27km) long and is 'not recommended in doubtful weather'. The detailed route, clockwise from Crowden Youth Hostel, is given inPeak District Walking Guide No.2, published by the Peak Park Planning Board.
Torside Reservoir is home to Glossop Sailing Club.
TheM67 motorwaystarts at theM60 motorwayin Manchester and heads east where it currently terminates atMottram in Longdendale. There were plans in the 1960s to extend it through the National Park to theM1 motorwayandSheffield[13]but it was never built. From here theA628runs through the valley to join theA616.
As of January 2008 there are advanced plans to improve the A628 route by bypassingMottramandTintwistleto the north with a spur to theA57 road. Known as the 'A57/A628 Mottram-in-Longdendale, Hollingworth & Tintwistle Bypass' orLongdendale Bypass, the public inquiry has been adjourned four times and is currently adjourned 'indefinitely'.[14]
Politics.
Traditionally, Longdendale was in the County palatine of Chester. Up untillocal government reformsin 1974, Longdendale Urban District, along withTintwistle Rural District, formed part of the administrative county of Cheshire; theMunicipal Borough of Glossopwas in Derbyshire; andPenistone Rural Districtwas in theWest Riding of Yorkshire. Today, the valley is split between theMetropolitan Borough of Barnsleyin South Yorkshire, theBorough of High Peakin Derbyshire, and theMetropolitan Borough of Tamesidein Greater Manchester.
The valley and the surrounding area has a reputation for strange phenomena, including unexplained lights[15][16]and allegedlysupernaturalapparitions and has become a centre of attention forUFOandghosthunters.[17]It has, however, been suggested that the lights may be "earth lights" produced by pressure on the underlying rocks.
