Hayfield

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Hayfield (SK037870) is a village and civil parish in the borough of High Peak, in the county of Derbyshire, England.

The civil parish includes Hayfield village itself, along with Little Hayfield and part of Birch Vale.

Contents 1 Location and geography 2 History 2.1 Early history 2.2 The Industrial Revolution 2.3 The Mass Trespass 3 Modern Hayfield 4 Outdoor pursuits 5 Myths and legends 6 Famous residents 7 External links 8 References

[edit] Location and geography

The village is located in a valley on the River Sett between the towns of Glossop, New Mills and Chapel-en-le-Frith. Anecdotally it is often described as being "at the foot of Kinder Scout". However, contrary to popular belief, most of Hayfield village is outside the boundaries of the Peak District National Park, although Little Hayfield is within the National Park. The village is, however, within the more loosely-defined geographical area referred to as the Peak District.

Today the village is split into roughly two halves, intersected by the A624 bypass (Glossop/Chapel Road). One half contains the traditional village centre, including several shops, businesses, and St Matthew's parish church, while the other half contains mostly dwellings along with a handful of businesses and St John's Methodist church. The bypass was built to ease heavy traffic that once travelled through the narrow main streets of the village.

Northeast of the village lies Kinder Reservoir, located within a short distance of Kinder plateau. This controls the flow of the River Sett, thereby avoiding the risk of flooding that had previously been a serious problem within Hayfield village, and which necessitated raising the height of the main street (the original road level can still be seen outside the Bull's Head pub and the Golden Galleon chip shop).

The village contains a cricket pitch, where Hayfield Cricket Club plays (established 1859). The ground is located next to The Royal Hotel, and was purchased by the club in 1976 after famous ex-resident Arthur Lowe helped raise the necessary £5,000^[1].

There are several natural springs located within Hayfield village, some of which once supplied part of the village water supply. These are no longer in active use, although are 'dressed' yearly in Well Dressing ceremonies.

Although classed as being in the East Midlands, Hayfield is at the northern extremity of the region and falls more within the influence of Manchester and Stockport.

[edit] History

Some kind of settlement has been in existence in Hayfield since Roman times, and possibly before.

[edit] Early history

The area was once woodland but this was largely cleared, allowing for sheep farming, although the soil wasn't good enough for arable framing ^[2].

The village lies on the line of a Roman road from Buxton (Aqua Arnemetia) to Glossop^[3] (Ardotalia). It is also on an important former packhorse route between Cheshire and Yorkshire ^[4]. The village provided refuge for traders travelling from Castleton and Edale to Marple, Glossop, and Stockport^[5].

The village appears in the Domesday Book as "Hedfelt" [1] and was included in the Royal Forest of the Peak in medieval times, but was not a parish until it was created perpetual curacy by Richard II.^[6]

Hayfield church (the Parish Church of St. Matthew) was founded in 1420^[7]. This replaced the original chapel at Kirksteads^[8] but was largely rebuilt in 1817–18. Remnants of the earlier building are visible in the crypt. The tower was built in 1793 and raised (and a clock added) in 1894. The interior is galleried on three sides and contains a notable monument of 1786 to Joseph Hague, moved there from Glossop church^[9]. Other than the church, Fox Hall (dated 1625) and an adjoining barn (possibly earlier) are the earliest surviving buildings in the village.

[edit] The Industrial Revolution

Eventually woollen manufacturing became a main industry within the village, and the propensity toward three-storied terraced houses within the village reflects this—the top floor, with its better light conditions, was where the loom was operated. In Descriptions of the Country from 30-40 Miles Around Manchester (1795), John Aikten wrote: "The inhabitants [of Hayfield] are principally clothiers, though the cotton branch of late has gained a small footing."^[10]

As with most northern English villages, the Industrial Revolution brought rapid expansion, chiefly the creation of several cotton mills within Hayfield, along with numerous fabric printing and dyeing businesses. Hayfield became known for spinning, weaving and calico printing.^[11]

Other local industries included stone quarrying and millstone manufacturing. Some quarrying still takes place within the area, and the remains of old quarries can easily be seen within Hayfield and its surroundings.

During the 16th century, Cutler's Green (now a camp site, and formerly the site of Kinder Printworks mill) was known for cutlery trade, before nearby Sheffield became dominant in that area.^[12] Hayfield and surrounding areas were also home to several paper mills. ^[13]

In 1868 a train line was built linking Hayfield to Manchester. Initially built to carry fuel to power the mills, the train line also bought passengers to Hayfield. It was estimated that around 5,000 people each weekend would travel from Manchester in 1920/30, in order to enjoy the countryside around Kinder Scout.

A short-lived continuation to the line was built in the early 20th century to convey materials and workmen during the construction of Kinder Reservoir. A famous photograph shows a locomotive crossing Church Street (the main street through the old village centre); the line skirted the cricket pitch and continued up the Sett valley, and its course can still be traced in places.

With industrial decline in the latter half of the 20th century, Hayfield returned to its original status of a quiet rural village. Only one mill remains, and it has since been converted to luxury apartments.

The train line to Hayfield closed in 1970, as part of the Beeching Cuts, but with increasing car use and good road links with Manchester, Hayfield remains a magnet for those who enjoy outdoor pursuits. The dismantled trackbed of the railway line now forms a popular 2½-mile recreational route, the Sett Valley Trail.

[edit] The Mass Trespass

A mile east of the village is the confluence of the rivers Sett and Kinder at Bowden Bridge (a packhorse bridge), from where rights-of-way lead past Kinder Reservoir (built 1911) and on to the Kinder Scout plateau. The Mass trespass of Kinder Scout started from Bowden Bridge Quarry in 1932.

[edit] Modern Hayfield

Hayfield is no longer an industrial town and nowadays is considered a thriving Peak District village with a strong community spirit. In the 2001 Census, it had 2,164 residents, across 910 households [2]. Many residents work outside of Hayfield in nearby Stockport and Manchester, or in neighbouring towns/villages, although there are a handful of local businesses providing employment, including farms.

Hayfield is considered a desirable place to live within the High Peak and this is reflected in relatively higher property prices compared to neighbouring towns and villages. An increasing number of residents have relocated from nearby Manchester and Stockport in order to experience a better quality of life, and it is possible to argue that Hayfield is undergoing gentrification.

An annual May Queen procession is held in the village each year, as are sheepdog trials at nearby Little Hayfield in September. Well dressing has recently been introduced. An annual jazz festival was discontinued in the late 1980s.

[edit] Outdoor pursuits

Hayfield is a popular walking and mountain biking centre; as well as being a traditional starting point for the ascent of Kinder Scout (traversed by the Pennine Way), the village lies directly on the Pennine Bridleway long-distance route (part of which follows the Sett Valley Trail). The village contains a high number of public rights-of-way, as well as bridleways, a legacy of the pre-industrial days, when they provided the only ways in and out of the area.

Other local destinations for walkers and mountain bikers include Lantern Pike (also accessible from Little Hayfield), a prominent hill to the northwest of the village.

Fell running is also popular, and each year sees a championship held on nearby peaks [3].

Hayfield is the home of the Kinder Mountain Rescue Team [4].

[edit] Myths and legends

On the last day of August 1745, Dr James Clegg—the minister of a Presbyterian church at nearby Chapel-en-le-Frith—wrote to the Glossopdale Chronicle reporting that "hundreds of bodies rose out of the grave in the open air" from the graveyard of St Matthew's Church. They then proceeded to disappear, leaving Dr Clegg to remark: "... what is become of them or in what distant region of this vast system they have since fixed their residence no mortal can tell." [5]

[edit] Famous residents

• Arthur Lowe, the actor most famed for his role as Captain George Mainwaring in the television show Dad's Army, was born and raised in Hayfield.
• Coronation Street creator and script-writer Tony Warren spent some time in nearby Little Hayfield, and has a particular connection with the Lantern Pike Inn, where some Coronation Street memorabilia can be found.

[edit] External links

• Hayfield Parish website
• Hayfield Cricket Club website
• St Matthew's Church website
• Kinder Mountain Rescue Team
• New Mills Heritage Centre, publisher of Hayfield in the 19th Century (see References section)

[edit] References

1. ^ Daily Mirror clipping at Hayfield Cricket Club website: http://www.hayfieldcc.fsnet.co.uk/DadsArmy2.htm
2. ^ Hayfield in the 19th Century, Joan Powell (New Mills Heritage Centre); ISBN 0952186977
3. ^ 10 Walks Around Hayfield, Peak District National Park Authority. ISBN 0907543995
4. ^ Powell, ibid.
5. ^ Powell, ibid.
6. ^ Powell, ibid.
7. ^ Powell, ibid.
8. ^ Powell, ibid.
9. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1953) (revised Elizabeth Williamson 1978). The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-071008-6
10. ^ Powell, ibid.
11. ^ Powell, ibid.
12. ^ Powell, ibid.
13. ^ Powell, ibid.

Coordinates: 53.37984° N 1.94584° W