The Legacy of Bugsworth Basin

The Satterfield family seem to have been associated with the New Road kilns at Bugsworth from about 1811 until the late 1860s, after which the were operated by William Pitt Dixon who eventually merged with others to form Buxton Lime Firms. Robert Satterfield was described as a 'lime burner, brick maker, coal and slate dealer and he was almost certainly operating the kilns from the 1840s until the 1860s.

A Century of Toil

For over 100 years Bugsworth was a centre for the production of burnt lime. The remains of massive batteries of lime kilns can still be seen at Gnat hole. Others now lie hidden alongside the Black Brook where nature has reclaimed them after man moved his industry elsewhere. Flames, dust and smoke would have belched from the kilns as they were charged until the valuable lime was drawn from the hearth at the bottom - a vital raw material for building, farming and the booming textile and tanning industries.

Quarrymen at Barren Clough
Gritstone Quarry

Joined up History

Linking it all together was the Peak Forest Tramway, weaving between the many wharfs, lime kilns and tipplers. Along these tracks, wagons once clanked on primitive L-shaped rails - you can still follow the distinctive sleeper blocks, many unmoved from their position for over 200 years.

The Birth of Industry

Built right at the start of the Industrial Revolution, the canals were the super-highways of their day - connecting manufacturers with their raw materials and their markets, joining cities, ports, mines and factories.

The Peak Forest Canal, of which Bugsworth Basin is the southern terminus, was first proposed in 1791, and soon came to epitomise the advantages of the canal system. Bugsworth was one of the largest inland ports ever created on the once massive English narrow canal network which once extended to over 3,000 miles of canals.

The building where limestone was crushed for railway ballast

The Rise of Rail

Unprecedented change brought about by the Industrial Revolution and the growth in conventional railways during the 19th Century saw the gradual decline and eventual abandonment of this extraordinary place. Bugsworth Basin was finally closed around 1927 when the tramway was scrapped and the buildings dismantled for the stone they contained.

Bugsworth Basin remains a permanent testament to a distinctive era of our industrial history. Although the buildings may be gone, the canals, paths and bridges still map out a system of transport and production unlike any other in the world.

Bugsworth Today

Bugsworth Basin has natural woodland, grasslands and micro-habitats like mounds, rubble, damp hollows and areas of permanent shade, where all kinds of plants and animals thrive. With herons, kingfishers and other waterfowl to see, Bugsworth Basin really is a great place to explore.

Kingfisher

Ramsons

Entrance Basin May 1999