Torr gorge: amazing history and a lovely place for a walk

Formed by melting glaciers during the last ice age, some 20,000 years ago, Torr gorge is 100 ft (30.5m) at its deepest and has been the site of significant development during the industrial revolution.

The area nowadays is known as the Torrs Riverside Park and is a lovely area to walk and visit, with a number of very interesting features. Firstly, let’s take a look at the history of this fascinating place.

The town that surrounds the gorge, New Mills, was named as early as 1391 after a medieval corn mill that existed there.

The gorge itself is the confluence of two rivers, the Goyt and Sett, and it was the speed of this natural waterway that in centuries past was harnessed to power many mills along its course.

Torr Vale Mill and the Millenium Walkway Photo: Gary Wallis Records show that mills began to be built in the gorge towards the end of the 18th century and by 1810 there were nine cotton mills, three weaving mills and three Calico print works.

Calico printing is a process whereby patterns are applied to cotton fabric using various methods including cylinder printing, block printing and copper plate printing.

Two of the most significant mills in the gorge were Torr Mill and Torr Vale Mill. In reference to the first, Torr Mill, all that remains nowadays are minor scale ruins and the foundations of this once large building.

This mill, however, was once a huge five storey structure. Construction on the original mill began before 1794 but in 1838 a fire which started in the attic of the building wreaked considerable damage to machinery and infrastructure.

Union Bridge and the ruins of Torr Mill Photo: Gary Wallis It was then rebuilt in 1848 and extended into a five-storey structure. However, it suffered another fire in 1912 which completely destroyed the mill and afterwards it was not rebuilt again.

The second significant mill, Torr Vale Mill, still exists today and part of the structure has been re-purposed into a bar – Torr Vale Tap – with outside terraces. In addition, the site advertises as a wedding venue.

The mill holds the record as the UK’s longest operational mill with 210 years of continuous use, which only ended relatively recently in the year 2000.

There are some remarkable feats of engineering around the gorge and New Mills. The Union Bridge, so called as it links the two parts of New Mills, was completed in 1884 and the size and scale of this structure can be appreciated from the ruins of Torr Mill. It is 78 feet (24 meters) high.

Torr Vale Mill now includes a bar with outside terraces Photo: Gary Wallis The retaining wall next to Torr Vale Mill is also an impressive engineering project which was completed in the mid-1860s, and I include a photograph of this in the article.

In the first half of the 20th century the gorge fell into disrepair as the industrial activity at New Mills declined. The area was abandoned for about 50 years and was used largely as a dumping ground.

However, in the early 1970s the gorge began to be recognised as an important area for both historical and recreational purposes and was cleaned up and was generally “opened” to visitors in 1974.

Nowadays, the gorge provides a delightful and thought-provoking walk alongside the river as it flows and cascades.

Millenium Walkway Photo: Gary WallisThe area is rich in wildlife with many varieties of bird life which can be spotted here including Kingfisher, Heron and Dipper. Ash and Sycamore trees dominate the gorge with Oak, Alder and Willow also present.

The gorge also now contains one of the most interesting and remarkable feats of modern-day engineering with the Millenium Walkway. This superb structure is a cantilevered walkway which runs on posts high above the river and alongside Torr Vale Mill.

It is approximately 525ft (160m) long and was built, as the name implies, to celebrate the millennium.

Half of the funding to build the walkway came from the Millenium Commission and the total cost of the project was £525,000. The structure was designed by the in-house engineers of Derbyshire Country Council.

Another view of the Millenium Walkway Photo: Gary Wallis It was opened in the last week of 1999 and subsequently won the Derbyshire Greenway award in 2000. It also forms what is referred to as ‘the missing link’ of the Midshires Way, a long-distance footpath that runs from Buckinghamshire to Stockport, Greater Manchester.

A plaque on the bridge commemorates the chief engineer of the project, Stan Brewster who was instrumental in conceiving and designing this unique pathway. However, he lost his life in tragic circumstances and in remembrance to him I quote, in full, the words on the plaque.

Stan Brewster 1953 – 2005.

The construction of this unique walkway was led by Stan Brewster, Chartered Civil Engineer of Derbyshire County Council who tragically lost his life in the London bombings on 7th July 2005

Stan took a special pride in this project and the walkway now stands as a permanent reminder of his professional life and work.

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The Torrs. Situated below Union Bridge this rock face is now a popular climbing destination with over 50 established routes Photo: Gary Wallis The impressive retaining wall built in the mid-1860s which now runs above the Millenium Walkway Photo: Gary Wallis