Hayfield
Encyclopedia
Hayfield is a village and civil parish
in the Borough of High Peak, in the county of Derbyshire
, England
. The village lies approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east of New Mills
, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Glossop
and 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Buxton
by road.
The civil parish includes Hayfield village itself, along with Little Hayfield
and part of Birch Vale
.
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
". Thirty of the 33 km² of the parish are within the boundaries of the Peak District National Park, including the hamlet of Little Hayfield. However, the village centre itself is not within the national park
. The entire area is 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.
North east of the village lies Kinder Reservoir, located within a short distance of the 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 Bulls Head pub and the neighbouring fish and chip shop).
The village has a cricket field where Hayfield Cricket Club (established 1859) play. 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.
There are several natural springs located within Hayfield village, some of which once supplied part of the village's 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
in North West England
.
times, and possibly before.
The village lies on the line of a Roman road
from Buxton
(Aqua Arnemetia) to Glossop (Ardotalia
). It is also on an important former packhorse
route between Cheshire
and Yorkshire
. The village provided refuge for traders travelling from Castleton and Edale
to Marple
, Glossop and Stockport.
The village appears in the Domesday Book
as "Hedfelt" (some sources state the village was recorded as Hedfeld), and Kinder was recorded separately as Chendre. It 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
. The forest was popular amongst Norman
rulers for hunting, for which it was well noted.
Hayfield's location and nearby geography made it an isolated and practically self-sufficient village until the Industrial Revolution
; unlike other areas, Hayfield lacked a feudal lord or stately home, although tithes were paid to the Abbot of Basingwerke
in North Wales
.
Other than St Matthew's Church, Highgate Hall (dated 1610), Fox Hall (dated 1625) and an adjoining barn (possibly earlier) are the earliest surviving buildings in the village. Fox Hall and Fox Hall Barn are near the bottom of Kinder Road and are visible from the car park of the Royal Hotel.
There is some dispute as to which is the oldest pub in the village, with both the Bulls Head [sic] (believed to have been established circa 1396) and the George Hotel (believed to have been established circa 1575) vying for the title. Both are located in the heart of the village.
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."
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, as well as paper manufacture. Hayfield became known for spinning, weaving and calico printing.
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. Clog
making, charcoal burning and domestic implement manufacture also took place in the village.
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. Hayfield and surrounding areas were also home to several paper mills.
In 1868 a branch railway line
was built linking Hayfield to Manchester. Initially built to carry fuel to power the mills, the railway line also bought passengers to Hayfield. It was estimated that around 5,000 people each weekend would travel from Manchester in 1920-1930, 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)http://www.hayfield.uk.net/Railway.html; the line skirted the cricket field and continued up the Sett Valley, and its course can still be traced in places.
During World War II
, the village was home to evacuees from all over the country. However, on July 3, 1942, a stray bomb intended for Manchester was dropped on a row of terraced houses in Watery Hey. Six people died.
As late as 1937, the book The King's England: Derbyshire stated that Hayfield "is busy making paper and printing calico". But with industrial decline in the mid-to-late 20th century, Hayfield returned to its original status of a quiet rural village. Whereas once the village had 17 public houses and dozens of small shops, along with a gas works, it now has six pubs and only a handful of shops (there are eight pubs if the parish is taken as a whole). Only one mill is still standing, in the Little Hayfield area, and it has since been converted to luxury flats. Despite this decline, several new housing developments (both local authority and private) were built in the village across the latter part of the 20th century, increasing the village's population substantially, and the village remains a popular area in which to live.
The railway 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 linear recreational route, the Sett Valley Trail
.
The parish church of St. Matthew
has existed in its present location since 1386, having previously stood at Kirksteads, the name given to the area where the rivers Kinder and Sett meet near Bowden Bridge. However, the church was not completed until 1405.
The church as seen today is a result of it being largely rebuilt in 1817–18, although 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.
St John's Methodist Church dates from 1782. It claims to be the 13th Methodist church built and was visited by John Wesley
, who may well have opened the church personally (Wesley's diaries show he took particular interest in Hayfield, declaring in his diary that he found "uncommon liberty in preaching" when holding a service before the church was built). Although the building has been added to since construction, the four walls of the main church are entirely original.
Methodism was prominent in the area and lead to the building of several other chapels. Hugh Bourne Primitive Methodist
Chapel was built on Jumble Lane (now Kinder Road) in 1867 and deconsecrated in 1969, its congregation merging into St John's. The building now houses Hayfield Library. Bethel Methodist Church was founded in 1836 and a dedicated church built on Walk Mill in 1867. The church was founded largely to provide Sunday school
facilities. It was deconsecrated in 1956. Little Hayfield Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1851 and deconsecrated in 1975.
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.
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, the parish had 2,852 residents, across 1,205 households (2,164 of those residents living in the village itself). Many residents work outside of Hayfield in nearby Stockport and Manchester, or in neighbouring towns and 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 higher property prices compared to neighbouring towns and villages. An increasing number of residents have moved 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 in May, as are sheepdog trial
s at nearby Little Hayfield in September. Well dressing has recently been introduced. An annual jazz
festival was discontinued in the late 1980s.
Prior to the arrival of ADSL broadband
in the village, Hayfield Development Trust http://www.developmenttrust.org/ pioneered village-wide wi-fi
, known as the Digital Parish, allowing broadband-like Internet access for most villagers http://www.digitalparish.com/. The main up/downlink was initially provided via satellite, although it now utilises commercial ADSL. The Digital Parish scheme remains the only method of Internet access for some remote villagers, and is preferred by many others.
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.
Hayfield is the home of the Kinder Mountain Rescue
Team.
Other local destinations for walkers and mountain bikers include Lantern Pike
(also accessible from Little Hayfield), a prominent hill to the north west of the village traversed by the Pennine Bridleway.
Fell running
is also popular, and each year sees a championship held on nearby peaks.
The village is home to Hayfield Football Club, which plays in the Hope Valley Football League, and Hayfield Cricket Club.
In 1760, Hayfield had its very own witch. Suzannah Huggin sold wooden weaving pins and also bewitching charms. An old sailor bought one of these and promptly vanished, although Huggin was subsequently found to be in possession of the charm again. The villagers then blamed her for the disappearance, and she was dragged before the George pub and pelted with rotten fruit and stones, almost killing her. Somebody from Tom Heys' Farm then took the charm but, after a series of disasters — including milk not churning and animals not feeding — the charm was reluctantly exorcised by Reverend Baddeley.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Borough of High Peak, in the county of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village lies approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east of New Mills
New Mills
New Mills is a town in Derbyshire, England approximately south-east of Stockport and from Manchester. It is sited at the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Sett, on the border of Cheshire. The town stands above the Torrs, a deep gorge, cut through Woodhead Hill Sandstone of the Carboniferous period...
, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Glossop
Glossop
Glossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
and 10 miles (16.1 km) north of Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
by road.
The civil parish includes Hayfield village itself, along with Little Hayfield
Little Hayfield
Little Hayfield is a hamlet in the Peak District National Park, in England. It lies on the A624 between Hayfield and Glossop. Its main point of interest is the Lantern Pike pub. Sheepdog trials and fell racing take place there....
and part of Birch Vale
Birch Vale
Birch Vale is a village in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, just outside the boundary of the Peak District National Park, between New Mills and Hayfield...
.
Location and geography
The village is located in the valley of the River SettRiver Sett
The River Sett is a river that flows through the High Peak borough of Derbyshire, in north western England. It rises near Edale Cross on Kinder Scout and flows through the villages of Hayfield and Birch Vale to join the River Goyt at New Mills...
between the towns of Glossop
Glossop
Glossop is a market town within the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Glossop Brook, a tributary of the River Etherow, about east of the city of Manchester, west of the city of Sheffield. Glossop is situated near Derbyshire's county borders with Cheshire, Greater...
, New Mills
New Mills
New Mills is a town in Derbyshire, England approximately south-east of Stockport and from Manchester. It is sited at the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Sett, on the border of Cheshire. The town stands above the Torrs, a deep gorge, cut through Woodhead Hill Sandstone of the Carboniferous period...
and Chapel-en-le-Frith
Chapel-en-le-Frith
Chapel-en-le-Frith is a small town in Derbyshire, England, on the edge of the Peak District near the border with Cheshire, from Manchester. Dubbed "The Capital of the Peak District", the settlement was established by the Normans in the 12th century, originally as a hunting lodge within the Forest...
. Anecdotally it is often described as being "at the foot of Kinder Scout
Kinder Scout
Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at 636 m above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, the highest point in Derbyshire, and the highest point in the East Midlands. It is accessible from the villages of...
". Thirty of the 33 km² of the parish are within the boundaries of the Peak District National Park, including the hamlet of Little Hayfield. However, the village centre itself is not within the national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
. The entire area is within the more loosely defined geographical area referred to as the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
.
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.
North east of the village lies Kinder Reservoir, located within a short distance of the 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 Bulls Head pub and the neighbouring fish and chip shop).
The village has a cricket field where Hayfield Cricket Club (established 1859) play. The ground is located next to the Royal Hotel, and was purchased by the club in 1976 after famous ex-resident Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
helped raise the necessary £5,000.
There are several natural springs located within Hayfield village, some of which once supplied part of the village's water supply. These are no longer in active use, although are 'dressed' yearly in well dressing
Well dressing
Well dressing is a summer custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals...
ceremonies.
Although classed as being in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
, Hayfield is at the northern extremity of the region and falls more within the influence of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
.
History
Some kind of settlement has been in existence in Hayfield since RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times, and possibly before.
Early history
The area was once woodland but this was largely cleared, allowing for sheep farming, although the soil was not good enough for arable farming.The village lies on the line of a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
from Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
(Aqua Arnemetia) to Glossop (Ardotalia
Ardotalia
Ardotalia is a Roman fort in Gamesley, near Glossop in Derbyshire, England .Ardotalia was constructed by Cohors Primae Frisiavonum—The First Cohort of Frisiavones. Evidence for the existence of this unit exists not only from the building stone found at the site but also from various diplomas and...
). It is also on an important former packhorse
Packhorse
.A packhorse or pack horse refers generally to an equid such as a horse, mule, donkey or pony used for carrying goods on their backs, usually carried in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of wheeled vehicles. ...
route between Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. The village provided refuge for traders travelling from Castleton and Edale
Edale
Edale is a small Derbyshire village and Civil parish in the Peak District, in the Midlands of England. The Parish of Edale,area ,is in the Borough of High Peak....
to Marple
Marple, Greater Manchester
Marple is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Goyt southeast of Stockport.Historically part of Cheshire, Marple has a population of 23,480 .-Toponymy:...
, Glossop and Stockport.
The village appears in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as "Hedfelt" (some sources state the village was recorded as Hedfeld), and Kinder was recorded separately as Chendre. It was included in the Royal Forest of the Peak
Forest of High Peak
The Forest of High Peak was, in medieval times, a moorland forest covering most of the North West of Derbyshire, in England as far south as Tideswell and Buxton....
in medieval times, but was not a parish until it was created perpetual curacy by Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
. The forest was popular amongst Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
rulers for hunting, for which it was well noted.
Hayfield's location and nearby geography made it an isolated and practically self-sufficient village until the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
; unlike other areas, Hayfield lacked a feudal lord or stately home, although tithes were paid to the Abbot of Basingwerke
Basingwerk Abbey
Basingwerk Abbey is the ruin of an abbey near Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, in the care of Cadw .The abbey was founded in 1132 by Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester, who brought Benedictine monks from Savigny Abbey in southern Normandy. In 1147, the abbey became part of the Cistercian Order and...
in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
Other than St Matthew's Church, Highgate Hall (dated 1610), Fox Hall (dated 1625) and an adjoining barn (possibly earlier) are the earliest surviving buildings in the village. Fox Hall and Fox Hall Barn are near the bottom of Kinder Road and are visible from the car park of the Royal Hotel.
There is some dispute as to which is the oldest pub in the village, with both the Bulls Head [sic] (believed to have been established circa 1396) and the George Hotel (believed to have been established circa 1575) vying for the title. Both are located in the heart of the village.
The Industrial Revolution to the present day
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 loomLoom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
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."
As with most northern English villages, the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
brought rapid expansion, chiefly the creation of several cotton mills within Hayfield, along with numerous fabric printing and dyeing businesses, as well as paper manufacture. Hayfield became known for spinning, weaving and calico printing.
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. Clog
Clog (shoe)
A clog is a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood.The Oxford English Dictionary defines a clog as a "thick piece of wood", and later as a "wooden soled overshoe" and a "shoe with a thick wooden sole"....
making, charcoal burning and domestic implement manufacture also took place in the village.
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
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
became dominant in that area. Hayfield and surrounding areas were also home to several paper mills.
In 1868 a branch railway line
Hayfield branch
The Hayfield Branch was a single-track branch line that ran along the Sett Valley from the Hope Valley Line near to via one intermediate stop, .-History:...
was built linking Hayfield to Manchester. Initially built to carry fuel to power the mills, the railway line also bought passengers to Hayfield. It was estimated that around 5,000 people each weekend would travel from Manchester in 1920-1930, 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)http://www.hayfield.uk.net/Railway.html; the line skirted the cricket field and continued up the Sett Valley, and its course can still be traced in places.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the village was home to evacuees from all over the country. However, on July 3, 1942, a stray bomb intended for Manchester was dropped on a row of terraced houses in Watery Hey. Six people died.
As late as 1937, the book The King's England: Derbyshire stated that Hayfield "is busy making paper and printing calico". But with industrial decline in the mid-to-late 20th century, Hayfield returned to its original status of a quiet rural village. Whereas once the village had 17 public houses and dozens of small shops, along with a gas works, it now has six pubs and only a handful of shops (there are eight pubs if the parish is taken as a whole). Only one mill is still standing, in the Little Hayfield area, and it has since been converted to luxury flats. Despite this decline, several new housing developments (both local authority and private) were built in the village across the latter part of the 20th century, increasing the village's population substantially, and the village remains a popular area in which to live.
The railway line to Hayfield closed in 1970 as part of the Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, 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 linear recreational route, the Sett Valley Trail
Sett Valley Trail
The Sett Valley Trail is a cycle- and bridleway in Derbyshire, England, linking the village of Hayfield and the town of New Mills . It runs along the lower valley of the River Sett and follows the trackbed of a former branch railway line from to , which opened in 1868 and closed in 1970...
.
Churches in the area
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
has existed in its present location since 1386, having previously stood at Kirksteads, the name given to the area where the rivers Kinder and Sett meet near Bowden Bridge. However, the church was not completed until 1405.
The church as seen today is a result of it being largely rebuilt in 1817–18, although remnants of the earlier building are visible in the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
. 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.
St John's Methodist Church dates from 1782. It claims to be the 13th Methodist church built and was visited by John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, who may well have opened the church personally (Wesley's diaries show he took particular interest in Hayfield, declaring in his diary that he found "uncommon liberty in preaching" when holding a service before the church was built). Although the building has been added to since construction, the four walls of the main church are entirely original.
Methodism was prominent in the area and lead to the building of several other chapels. Hugh Bourne Primitive Methodist
Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932. The Primitive Methodist Church still exists in the United States.-Origins:...
Chapel was built on Jumble Lane (now Kinder Road) in 1867 and deconsecrated in 1969, its congregation merging into St John's. The building now houses Hayfield Library. Bethel Methodist Church was founded in 1836 and a dedicated church built on Walk Mill in 1867. The church was founded largely to provide Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
facilities. It was deconsecrated in 1956. Little Hayfield Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1851 and deconsecrated in 1975.
The Mass Trespass
A mile east of the village is the confluence of the rivers Sett and KinderRiver Kinder
The River Kinder is a small river, only about long, in northwestern Derbyshire, England. Rising on the peat moorland plateau of Kinder Scout, it flows generally westwards to its confluence with the River Sett at Bowden Bridge...
at Bowden Bridge (a packhorse bridge
Packhorse bridge
A packhorse bridge is a bridge intended to carry packhorses across a river or stream. Typically a packhorse bridge consists of one or more narrow masonry arches, and has low parapets so as not to interfere with the horse's panniers.Packhorse bridges were often built on the trade routes that...
), from where rights-of-way lead past Kinder Reservoir (built 1911) and on to the Kinder Scout plateau. The Mass trespass of Kinder Scout
Mass trespass of Kinder Scout
thumb|left|North flank of Kinder ScoutThe mass trespass of Kinder Scout was a notable act of willful trespass by ramblers. It was undertaken at Kinder Scout, Derbyshire, in the Peak District of England, on 24 April 1932, to highlight that walkers in England and Wales were denied access to areas of...
started from Bowden Bridge Quarry in 1932.
Modern Hayfield
Hayfield is considered a desirable place to live within the High Peak and this is reflected in higher property prices compared to neighbouring towns and villages. An increasing number of residents have moved 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
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
.
An annual May Queen
May Queen
The May Queen or Queen of May is a term which has two distinct but related meanings, as a mythical figure and as a holiday personification.-Festivals:...
procession is held in the village each year in May, as are sheepdog trial
Sheepdog trial
A Sheepdog trial is a competitive dog sport in which herding dog breeds move sheep around a field, fences, gates, or enclosures as directed by their handlers. Such events are particularly associated with hill farming areas, where sheep range widely on largely unfenced land...
s at nearby Little Hayfield in September. Well dressing has recently been introduced. An annual jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
festival was discontinued in the late 1980s.
Prior to the arrival of ADSL broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
in the village, Hayfield Development Trust http://www.developmenttrust.org/ pioneered village-wide wi-fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
, known as the Digital Parish, allowing broadband-like Internet access for most villagers http://www.digitalparish.com/. The main up/downlink was initially provided via satellite, although it now utilises commercial ADSL. The Digital Parish scheme remains the only method of Internet access for some remote villagers, and is preferred by many others.
Outdoor pursuits and sports
Hayfield is a popular walkingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and mountain biking centre; as well as being a traditional starting point for the ascent of Kinder Scout (traversed by the Pennine Way
Pennine Way
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...
), the village lies directly on the Pennine Bridleway
Pennine Bridleway
The Pennine Bridleway is a new National Trail under designation in Northern England.It runs roughly parallel with the Pennine Way but provides access for horseback riders and cyclists as well as walkers. The trail is around long; through Derbyshire to the South Pennines, the Mary Towneley Loop...
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.
Hayfield is the home of the Kinder Mountain Rescue
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
Team.
Other local destinations for walkers and mountain bikers include Lantern Pike
Lantern Pike
Lantern Pike is a hill located just outside Hayfield, in Derbyshire, England. The land lies within the Peak District National Park and is owned and maintained by the National Trust. It is permanently open to the public...
(also accessible from Little Hayfield), a prominent hill to the north west of the village traversed by the Pennine Bridleway.
Fell running
Fell running
Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty...
is also popular, and each year sees a championship held on nearby peaks.
The village is home to Hayfield Football Club, which plays in the Hope Valley Football League, and Hayfield Cricket Club.
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."In 1760, Hayfield had its very own witch. Suzannah Huggin sold wooden weaving pins and also bewitching charms. An old sailor bought one of these and promptly vanished, although Huggin was subsequently found to be in possession of the charm again. The villagers then blamed her for the disappearance, and she was dragged before the George pub and pelted with rotten fruit and stones, almost killing her. Somebody from Tom Heys' Farm then took the charm but, after a series of disasters — including milk not churning and animals not feeding — the charm was reluctantly exorcised by Reverend Baddeley.
Transport
There is a bus station in the centre of the village, with frequent bus services to Glossop, Chapel-en-le-Frith, New Mills, Buxton and Stockport. The nearest rail station is New Mills Central, in the centre of the neighbouring town. You can also see timetables at the bus station website.Transport options from Hayfield bus station
| Service No. | To | Via | Frequency | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | Buxton | New Mills, Whaley Bridge Whaley Bridge Whaley Bridge is a small town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, situated on the River Goyt. Whaley Bridge is approximately south of Manchester, north of Buxton , east of Macclesfield and west of Sheffield, and had a population of 6,226 at the 2001 census. This... |
Hourly | Bowers Coaches Bowers Coaches Eric W. Bowers Coaches Limited trading as Bowers is a bus operator based in the High Peak district of Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. It is currently a subsidiary of the Centrebus Group, having been so since 2007, and prior to that an independent family business... |
| 61 | Glossop | Chunal | Hourly | Bowers Coaches |
| 62 | Marple | New Mills | Hourly | Bowers Coaches |
| 62 | Chapel-en-le-Frith | Chinley | Two hours | Bowers Coaches |
| 62 | Newtown | New Mills | Two journeys | Bowers Coaches |
| 62A | New Mills | Thornsett | Two hours | Bowers Coaches |
| 64 | Macclesfield | New Mills, Whaley Bridge | Two journeys | Bowers Coaches |
| 64 | Glossop | Chunal | Two journeys | Bowers Coaches |
| 69 | Chapel-en-le-Frith | New Mills, Whaley Bridge | Two journeys | Bowers Coaches |
| 69A | Chapel-en-le-Frith | Chinley | Two journeys | Bowers Coaches |
| 69A | Glossop | Chunal | Two journeys | Bowers Coaches |
| 358 | Newtown | New Mills | One journey | Stagecoach Manchester |
| 358 | Stockport | New Mills, Marple | Hourly | Stagecoach Manchester |
Famous residents
- Arthur LoweArthur LoweArthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
, the actor most famed for his role as Captain George MainwaringCaptain George MainwaringCaptain George Mainwaring is the bank manager and Home Guard platoon commander portrayed by Arthur Lowe on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army, set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea during the Second World War...
in the television show Dad's ArmyDad's ArmyDad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
, was born and brought up in Hayfield. On 30 August 2011, a blue plaqueBlue plaqueA blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
was unveiled at his home on Kinder Road. Although born in Birmingham, Lowe's wife, the actress Joan Cooper, lived in Hayfield until her death in 1989. - Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
creator and script-writer Tony WarrenTony WarrenAnthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
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. - Local sources suggest that Pat PhoenixPat PhoenixPatricia "Pat" Frederica Phoenix was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street.-Early life and career:Born in Ireland to Anna Maria Josephine Noonan and Tom Manfield, but moved to Manchester before...
, former Coronation Street actress, also lived in Little Hayfield at the same time as Tony Warren. The Lantern Pike Inn also displays memorabilia relating to her. - Footballer Frank ThorpeFrank ThorpeFrank Thorpe was an English footballer who played as a centre-half for various clubs in the 1900s, including Southampton and Bury, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1903.-Playing career:...
, who won the FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
with BuryBury F.C.Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
in 19031903 FA Cup FinalThe 1903 FA Cup Final was contested by Bury and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Bury won 6–0, with goals from George Ross, Charles Sagar, Joe Leeming , William Wood and John Plant...
, was born in Hayfield in 1879.