- A Brief History
A Brief History of New Mills
Little is known about north-west Derbyshire before the Domesday Book of 1086, when the New Mills district was on the southern edge of the king's estate known as Longdendale. The Domesday Book records that a thane called Ligulf had formerly held land in 'Tornesete" (Thornsett), the earliest record of a local place name. - 1870 The Three Trowels
The Three Trowels 1870 & 1884
Three silver trowels on display at the Town Hall were used and engraved to mark important moments in the history of New Mills
- 1871 Town Hall
Town Hall - 1871
The idea of building a public hall by subscription was first suggested in 1859, when the Mechanics' Institute needed more space, but it was twelve years before enough money was raised to buy the land and start work.
- 1875 Town Hall Clock
Town Hall Clock - 1875
Hand wound clocks of this type are now rare, most having been converted to electric. The dial on the mechanism gives a reversed image of the minute fingers position on the clock face, important when altering the fingers, or winding the clock.
- 1884 Union Rd Bridge
- Four Worthy Gentlemen
John Mackie 1837-91
John Mackie’s association with New Mills began with his marriage in 1866 to Mary Elizabeth Ingham, daughter of James Ingham of Watford Lodge and the owner of Watford Print Works.
James Hibbert 1831-1905
James Hibbert was a prominent man of the nineteenth century, through whose efforts New Mills got its town hall, free library and secondary school.
Edward Godward 1841-1908
Edward Godward was one of the most remarkable men in the history of New Mills. A Quaker mill owner, his interests included politics, local government, education, the co-operative movement and architecture
Dr Leslie Millward 1910-1982
Dr Leslie Millward was born at Belper, near Derby. He trained as a doctor in Liverpool, and then worked for a year in various hospitals, followed by two years of practice in Radcliffe before moving to New Mills
- 1907 Caen Clock
Caen Clock - 1907
The Town Hall contains many heirlooms of the community in the keeping of the council; the history of some of them has become obscure. One such item is the Caen clock. Luckily its history was recorded in a copy of the High Peak Reporter 9-5-52:
- 1937 High Lea Park
High Lea Park - 1937
High Lea Hall and grounds were put up for auction on the 14th of June 1937 at the Queens Head Hotel. Following much speculation, chief interest for the people of New Mills was whether or not the council would bid.
- 1947 Garden of Remembrance
Garden of Remembrance - 1947
The Garden of Remembrance, also known as the Memorial Garden has been an accepted part of High lea Park for almost 60 years. So long in fact that for most people its origin is obscure.
- 1953 Tree Planting
Joint Tree Planting at Birch Vale, Coronation Playing Fields 1953
An interesting article from the High Peak Reporter 27th November 1953:
An historic occasion in the story of New Mills and Hayfield took place on Saturday afternoon when representatives of the Urban District Council and the Parish Council met at Birch Vale with representatives of the corporate life of the districts to plant trees around the perimeter of Ravenslack Playing Fields as the first step in the establishment of a memorial of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. - 1955 60th Anniversary
60th Anniversary Meeting - 1955
The January 1955 meeting of the council saw New Mills celebrate the achievements of 60 years of local government. - 1974 Restoration of the Torrs
Restoration of the Torrs - 1974
The Torrs is a natural gorge through which the old highway from Newtown crossed the River Sett to New Mills close to the Sett's confluence with the River Goyt.
- 1984 The Millward Bridge
The Millward Bridge - 1984
In the early 1980's the Town Council purchased from British Rail a section of land beside the River Goyt known locally as Goytside. Recognising the Centenary of the Union Road Bridge was at hand, Councillor Martin Doughty suggested that a fitting project to mark the event would be to install a foot-bridge in the Torrs, spanning the River Sett and joining the lands at Goytside to the Torrs.
- 1989 The Heritage Centre
- 1999 Millenium Walkway
Millennium Walkway - 1999
The Torrs Riverside Park, deep below the town was until the opening of the aerial walkway divided by an impasse between the historic Torr Vale Mill and the equally imposing railway retaining wall.
- 2009 Sir Martin Doughty
Sir Martin Doughty 1949 - 2009
Graham Martin Doughty was born in 1949, the youngest son of Harold and Eva Doughty, who were well known in New Mills for running a successful grocery and provisions shop on High Hill Road. A pupil of New Mills Grammar School. In 1976 he was elected onto New Mills Town Council, aged 26, becoming its youngest chair in 1979.
- Acknowledgement
In redeveloping this website for New Mills Town Council, we are aware that a lot of the photo’s and information come from local sources and we would like to acknowledge these contributions. If you contributed any information to the original website and would like your contribution acknowledged please contact webmaster@newmillstowncouncil.com
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis is the Parks Manager for New Mills Town Council and has supplied many of the photographs on this website, along with text descriptions relating to the history of New Mills. Stephen has a website http://www.stevelewis.me.uk/ containing a wealth of information about the history of New Mills and surrounding areas which is well worth a visit.
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This site is listed in the British Towns and Villages Encyclopaedia of Great Britain and we can be found in the entry for New Mills