Eleanor's Cache - Whaley Bridge Horse Gin Traditional Cache
La Lunatica: Unfortunately, as there has been no response to my previous logs, I am archiving this cache.
Eleanor's Cache - Whaley Bridge Horse Gin
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A easy cache with some industrial archeology. Named for our latest grandchild, born in August.
Whaley Bridge inclined plane was opened in 1832 as part of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, one of the first railways to be built in the UK. It linked two Derbyshire canals, the Peak Forest and Cromford canals from Whaley Bridge to Matlock. Initially, a canal was planned in order to transport limestone, and goods around the Peak District and beyond but was deemed impracticable due to the mountainous terrain.
Waggons were hauled up and down the incline by horses pulling chains round a horse gin. This 180 yard long incline at Whaley Bridge operated on a gravity system with continuous chains. Two of the guides for the chains can be seen at the top of the incline. The circular, stone-walled area at the top of the incline is where the horse gin was sited, along with wheel pit. The loads travelling up were counterbalanced by waggons going down. There would have been another wheel pit at the bottom of the incline. The canal wharf, with warehousing can be seen over the iron railway bridge spanning the River Goyt and just past the car park. There were never any steam winding engines or locomotives involved. It was last used in 1952 and the track lifted in 1961. An interpretation board is sited at the car park. For more archeological information the internet will prove a bonus.
More of an interest, to me at least, is the Smithy a few metres further up the incline than the cache. This was the old carpenters workshop where coffins were made and the brick building within the yard is known as Hearse House. A horse-drawn hearse was housed in there, hence the high doorway. Well worth a visit as a peek through the blacksmiths door is a treat.
Watch out for dog dirt, it is all over the place.
CACHE : BYOP Please respect the limited size of the log and resist the temptation to write personal rubbish. Date and initials will surfice. Please squeeze the top firmly for a tight fit.
PARKING: HPBC FREE car park on Canal Street
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Abg vapyvar, ohg erpyvar
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