Country Images Magazine North Edition October 2016 | Page 9

AROUND THE TOWN
To explore New Mills, especially its gorge,
the best way to start is from the small but
comprehensively displayed Heritage Centre
round the corner from the bus lay-by.
The centre tells the story of New Mills’
development as a textile town, from cotton
spinning to fabric printing, as well as a little
of the coal mining activities beneath the
surrounding moors. There is an excellent
model of the town as it looked during the
construction of Union Road Bridge, even
showing by visitor operated lights, a disastrous
mill fire.
A narrow cobbled track winds down towards
the river. It should be possible to follow the
River Sett upstream, but when we were last
there (March 2016), the path upstream along
the Sett was closed due to a rock fall and it
didn’t look as though it might be reopening
in the near future. Even so we still found an
interesting way to enjoy this hidden link with
New Mills’ past. To the left at the foot of the
track down from the town, a wide path leads
towards, then under Union Road Bridge where
it is possible to admire the stonework of its
soaring pillars and four gracefully curved arches
– if you look carefully towards the central
pillar you can see the date-stone 1884 when the
bridge was completed.
The way onwards beneath the bridge, passes
the scant remains of Torr Mill’s old chimney
on the left and the foundations of the engine
house is to your right. It was a cotton mill,
originally powered by the waters of both the

Sett and Goyt which joined above the mill. The
small mill ran from 1794 until 1912 when it
was destroyed by fire, an ever present hazard
for cotton mills. If you walk forwards through
the picnic area, you will cross the Sett by a
wooden bridge erected in memory of the late
Dr Leslie Millward, who campaigned to bring
the Torrs back to life after years of neglect.
Below it is an Archimedes Screw, installed to
provide sufficient water-powered electricity for
the nearby Co-op Supermarket, but it is fair to
say that it appears to be having problems, for
despite visiting the Torrs on many occasions,
we have yet to see it working.
Upstream from the memorial bridge, the
riverside path follows the Goyt, first beneath
Church Road Bridge carrying the Hayfield road,
and then onwards to Goytside Meadows, an
un-improved wild flower meadow lying between
the river and Peak Forest Canal. Carefully
managed, it never has had chemical fertilisers
and is used for grazing followed by haymaking
in order to spread wildflower seeds naturally at
the end of every summer.
Returning to the confluence of the two rivers,
the way is back under the high bridge. Where
the river (now solely known as the Goyt),
swings right, the curving arch of a weir once
diverted water to power Torr Vale Mill. Despite
its age (it is over 200 years old), the mill did
not stop manufacturing cotton until the 1950s,
making it the longest running cotton mill in the
world. Originally powered by two giant water
wheels, but later by an engine, it is Graded II*

The Town Hall - built by public donation

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