NEWS

 I don't generally post new information on a frequent basis but here's some recent additions - some of these might not be stricktly history related but information which I'm looking to share:

This first item is history related and speaks for itself - as far as it goes. It also appears in 'Walkers Are Welcome' at the foot of the blog and is related to that post.

Hallam's lodge and Butch's well

The following is merely a short video of Goldfinches in our garden garden recently (September 2025).

The following screeengrab is a still from the video.

Goldfinches

The following are two items recently given to to me by Jean Rangley.  The first is the Sale brochures for Park Hall, Hayfield. This item is, an interesting addition to informatiion included below in the post entitled 'Mr Sumner's 18 farms and Park Hall Sale brochures'.

Park Hall Sales brochures

The further item is a plan of Birch Vale Printworks, which is included in the post below 'Miscellany of books etc'

Birch Vale Printworks

Hayfield Walk Mill

 This item is about Walk Mill Cottage and the original Walk Mill in Hayfield. It refers to these and associated aspects such as the Villge Hall garden where there was a small mill lodge, all of this land and around was owned at one time by the Calico Printers Association. Other related aspects are Wood Printworks, Hayfield Relief Road, Grotto Mill, St Matthews Church, water supplies from the Phoside Stream and Kinder Printworks and ownership of Walk Mill by amongst others a guy by the name of Kinder.

The following picture from the document, shows Walk Mill Cottage before the building of the Relief Road.

Walk Mill History

Hayfield Harry Moor water supply

 This item is about Hayfield's Harry Moor water supply from inception back in 1901, when Stockport Council were seeking permission to build Kinder reservoir. However, Severn Trent Water terminated the Harry Moor supply in 1997 and Hayfield water now comes from the Ladybower and Derwent reservoirs. Read on - I trust you find this interesting. 

The following illustration from the document, shows the multiple routes of supplies down from Harrymoor to the Reservoir tanks on Kinder Bank.

Hayfield Harry Moor water supply

Hayfield Corn Mill

During 2023 I researched Hayfield Corn Mill - which I believed to have been adjacent to the weir in the centre of the village. This took me on an interesting journey and, with the current owner of a building which purports to be the 'Old Corn Mill', and we came to the conclusion that it is not!

The following picture from the document is an illustration of the Corn Mill, 50 yards down from the Bridge.

Hayfield Corn Mill

Mr Sumner's 18 Farms and Park Hall For Sale

 When Francis Sumner of Park Hall Hayfield died, the executors of his will had to sell a large part of his aquired estate. The following is the Sale particulars of 18 farms and gives a great insight to the properties.

18 Farms for Sale 

18 Farms For Sale 1919

The following is the Sale brochures for Park Hall

Park Hall Sales brochures

St Matthews Church Hayfield

During the early part of 2025 I became aware of various information relating to St Matthews Church Hayfield and related topics. It was orginally sited at the confluence of the Rivers Kinder and Sett, in the locality of the well known Pack Horse Bridge. Subsquently a church was built in the centre of the village in 1848, where it is to this day - albeit this building is a rebuild of an an earlier 1405 church. Does the Phoside stream pass under the church? - read on. 

The following plan from the document shows the route of two culverts from the Phoside Stream.

St Matthews Church Hayfield

Here's yet another publication by the renowned local historian Roger Bryant, a significant figure assoiated with New Mills Local History Society.

Roger Bryant - St Matthews Church Hayfield

Hayfield Civic Trust Display

 I am a 'Friend' of the Hayfield Civic Trust and the following information relates to a display mounted in the Hayfield Library during October 2024. In order to share the information more widely please see the following content shared, at the time, via email to interested parties. 

Hi Friends - thought you may be interested in the Display in the Library. 

The following link takes you to some of the background info:

 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10mHHgcX2xK1TYp55QnhTDnOMrrngwCTb?usp=sharing

In addition to the earlier message and information - the following items were available in the Library via a USB Memory stick and a Library PC but thought it useful to share them here for you:

Reservoir railway walk video

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lpqqk0K-jZ9SrMFRgP5I_mLDUhMGgNUM/view?usp=sharing

2.      Hayfield Train video – compilation of ‘Ken Rangely film’ and ‘Rail to Trail’ video

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IYsFwURwiPIp9MQ_ovFveM3DXReGozu8/view?usp=sharing

3.      Rail to Trail walk video.      https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SPRyyxeWyC3pWEYvLZeyWUPYlzp3aCIs/view?usp=sharing

5.      Park Hall Pool video.      https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JobpzsQaD69FH65db6d1w4d9Vs1kHAbA/view?usp=sharing

7.       Charlie Hearsum Relief Road Album

            https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZlahAgsn3ZBla-indC23CZrwVqtfIpoe?usp=sharing

8.      Link to a side-by-side mapping Portal – which enable one to examine a comparison of an 1898 map of the village and the current ‘Google Earth’ style image as follows:

            https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16.0&lat=53.37891&lon=-1.94565&layers=168&right=ESRIWorld

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700 years of Hayfield History

The following information is from Furness Vale History blog, compiled by Keith Holford, the information is declared to be essentially from the High Peak Reporter in 1909.

Keith Holford

Miscellany of Books and Publications of Interest

The following are a small sample of books and publications which I have collected over time and only have most of them in an electronic format but think they are worth sharing. I take no credit for them and am sure the originators will be pleased for their work to be shared in this way

Kinder printworks

Birch Vale Printworks

Little Hayfield 2000

Bowden Childhood

Bowden Middlecale

Glossop Paper Mill 

Hayfield Parish Council Centenary booklet

Hayfield Parish Council list of maps etc

Hayfield Civic Trust Archive

Stockport Girl Makes Good 1787 - 1850

 

 

Research tools - mapping and other useful wbsitese

I find the following mapping websites very useful in relation to researching Local History etc and thought you may find them useful. 

The first is from the National Library of Scotland - there are many types of maps available:

Side by Side mapping

The following is a DCC mapping portal with many options to show various features - from the top right stack. You will Need to enter a post code or street etc that you wish to view

DCC mapping Portal

Finally, OS maps are alos very useful - the following link enables a trial use but actually I have a subscription and find it a very useful addition to have on my phone, in addition to our wonderful hardcopy OS maps when out walking our wonderful countyside and for research purposes.

OS mapping portal

Another useful website is Find My Street - showing amonst other aspects - who is responsible for maintenance of roads and footpaths.

Find My Street

The following are some other interesting local history websites - New Mill Local History Society has, amonst others, an interesting collection of Sam Garside's Hayfield scrapbooks and Steve Lewis also has quite a lot of info related to Hayield. Frank Plezak and Byron Machin's are of wider interest.

Some other interesting websites

Walkers Are Welcome

 This a very early draft trial post for a Local History Heritage walk which I will be leading with Jeremy Raggett on Saturday 18th April 2026, in conjunction with Hayfield Walkers Are Welcome. Herewith a link to their website: 

Hayfield Walkers Are Welcome:

https://hayfieldwalkersarewelcome.co.uk/

The walk mentioned above will: start in the Village Bus Station/Car park at 10am, we will walk and chat amongst others about: Wood Print Works, Walk Mill, St Matthews Church, and it's Day School, the Building of the Relief Road, up to Top of the Town and Fishers Bridge the Coop building, along Valley Road, The Old School on Highgate Road, Hazel Hurst Farm and the old Road, Kinder Reservoir pipeline which comes along Valley Road, Kinder Print Works, Harry Moor water supply, bulding of Kinder Reservoir, Kinder Trepass and the plaque in the Car Park, up to Hillhouses, back down to Bowden Bridge, into the Village via Valley and Kinder Road, The Grammar School, Weavers cottages, The Council Offices and Dungeon, the Jazz Festival memorial Garden and Corn Mill, back to the Car park via the May Queen field and final comments about Woods Printworks water supply to the lodges from the River.

After the walk Hayfield Civic Trust may provide an opportunity for tea/coffee and cakes in St Matthews Church Hall and an opportunity to purchase HCT publications.

Elsewhere on this blog there is further information about some of the above topics but here are some pictures you may wish to view before, during and after the walk:

NB These items are merely for this trial post.

Goldfinches - updated/extended

Goldfinches

The Walk Starts here

Wood Print Works

Hallam's Lodge and Butch's well

Hayfield Gas Works

St Mathews Church culverts

Entry to Culverts

Inside St Matthews Culvert