, which serves as town hall, function room and library]]
is a small town in the
High Peak district of
Derbyshire ,
England , situated on the
River Goyt . Whaley Bridge is approximately 30km South of
Manchester and 11km North of
Buxton (), and has a population of around 5,000. This includes the village of
Furness Vale , which falls within the boundaries of Whaley Bridge. Districts of 'Whaley', as it is known locally, include '''Horwich End''' (), '''Bridgemont''' (), '''Fernilee''' () and '''Start Lane'''.
The name is thought to be of
Anglo-Saxon origin meaning "clearing by the road", spellings in early documents include Weylegh and Weyley. In the fourteenth century, it housed the residence of
William Jauderell and his descendents (the name also spelt Jodrell).
The
River Goyt formed the historical boundary between Derbyshire and
Cheshire . The present town of Whaley Bridge was divided into smaller towns in both counties. Historical records show that in
1316 on the Cheshire side there were ''Taxal'', ''Yeardsley'' and ''Whaley'' with the last two being combined into one district of 'Yeardsley-cum-Whaley'. The Derbyshire side consisted only of ''Fernilee'' which included the villages of ''Shallcross'' and ''Horwich''. This side was in the
Parish of
Hope and was part of the
Forest Of High Peak while the Cheshire side was part of the
Forest Of Macclesfield . From 1796 Taxal and Yeardsley were effectively joined in that the Jodrell family was the main landowner in both towns although the administration of these remained separate.
The town expanded greatly in the
Industrial Revolution . Although there had been coal mines from earlier times, by 1871 cotton mills had become the dominant industry.
The Whaley Bridge Branch of the
Peak Forest Canal , approved by Act of Parliament in 1794, terminates here, constructed to carry limestone and coal. The Peak Forest
Canal was connected to the
Cromford Canal by the
Cromford And High Peak Railway , originally using horse-drawn carriages.
The northern terminus of the Cromford and High Peak Railway was at Whaley Bridge. This railway was fully opened for the public and for trade on the 6 July 1831 and it linked the Cromford Canal at High Peak Wharf to the wharf at the head of the Whaley Bridge Branch of the
Peak Forest Canal .
When this railway first opened, it had seven inclined planes and the last of these was situated within the town of Whaley Bridge itself. Unlike the other six inclined planes, which were operated by stationary steam engines, this one was operated by a horse-driven gin, which remained operational until the 9 April 1952. Approach to the top of the plane was under a very low bridge and, because of this, waggons had to be hauled to and from the top of the plane by horses.
This plane was much shorter than the others, being only 180 yards (165m) long and rising at 1:13.5.
Horses also worked the bottom section of the line and the tracks ran onto a wharf and into two mills. A stone-built transit shed spans the head of the canal and there are entrances on either side for railway waggons. This building is now listed Grade II. Another notable feature on the bottom section is an iron bridge that carries the line across the river Goyt.
Whaley Bridge continues to expand as new housing is built, but it retains the character of a small town. As the self-styled 'Gateway to the Goyt' it attracts some tourists, mainly walkers, but it has not become dominated by the tourist industry, unlike some other local towns and villages. With a reasonably good commuter railway service to
Manchester many people travel to work in the
Greater Manchester Conurbation , or in
Cheshire . With the recent introduction of
ADSL broadband internet services increasingly people work from home.
The town has been
Twinned with
Tymbark ,
Poland since June
1994 .
The town has two primary schools,
''Whaley Bridge Primary School'' and ''Taxal and Fernilee Church of England Primary School'', although for secondary education children travel further afield, typically to
Chapel-en-le-Frith ,
New Mills ,
Hope Valley ,
Buxton or
Stockport .
Whaley Bridge has an annual
Carnival , the ''Rose Queen festival'', in the early summer. Also, local wells are decorated with pictures made of flowers, a custom known as
''Well Dressing'' .
