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.

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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

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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60th Anniversary Meeting - 1955
The January 1955 meeting of the council saw New Mills celebrate the achievements of 60 years of local government.

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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.

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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.

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New Mills Heritage and Information Centre History - 1989

The Heritage and Information Centre was officially opened by Brian Redhead on the 8th April 1989. It was conceived as part of a plan to develop tourism in the Torrs and to display for local people the history of New Mills.

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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.

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 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.

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