Print-friendly version
Bradwell Village
Bradwell sits on the side of the Hope Valley at the junction of where White Peak and Dark Peak connect. It is a working village with a strong community spirit and unlike some villages in the Peak District is not dependent on tourism.
For centuries it has been stone and minerals that have been the mainstay of Bradwell’s economy, with the village originating as a result of settlements being established around rich deposits of lead ore. Lead mining progressed to quarrying and mineral processing and then the production of cement with the chimney and towers of Lafarge Cement ( Blue Circle) at Hope being a familiar local landmark.
‘Bradda’ as it is affectionately known to locals also found fame through its manufacture of the ‘Bradder Beaver’, being the strange name given to a particular style of wide brimmed miners hats. There were said to be as many as six Bradwell factories producing Bradder Beavers in the 19th century with the last hatter dying in 1899. Other unusual forms of early manufacture in Bradwell included telescopes and opera glasses.
Bradwell is surrounded by spectacular hills with a rich heritage that includes hill forts, a Roman camp and an ancient defensive ditch.
The majority of Bradwell’s quaint little cottages date from the lead mining heyday in the 18th/19th centuries. Initially there were separate areas of the village such as Bradwell Hills, Smalldale, Towngate and Hollowgate, with stone cottages and terraced houses clustered in higgledy-piggledy fashion around a hotchpotch of narrow lanes, ginnels and alleyways, some stretching up steep banks towards Bradwell Edge or Bradwell Moor. However, these once individual and outlying settlements have now become united with the infill of modern development to create a village of considerable size.
Bradwell has a small parade of local shops along its main street including a post office, newsagent, greengrocers and fish and chip shop. There is also a small petrol station, garage and Fire Station.Bradwell’s current claim to fame however must surely be Bradwell’s Dairy Ice Cream which is now manufactured and distributed all round the country, but can still be purchased from the tiny cottage shop where the recipe was invented in the front parlour by Grandma Hannah Bradwell over 100 years ago.Bradwell has good recreational facilities with a sports field and large established play area, and being surrounded by National Park countryside there are numerous tracks, trails and footpaths to offer cycling and walks in Bradwell.
Bradwell holds its annual Well Dressing and Gala Week in early August.The busy B6049 runs through the heart of Bradwell, passing through a narrow pinch on the main street which is controlled by traffic lights. Here the waters of Bradwell Brook race under a succession of bridges and beneath Butts Mill, en route for Brough where it will join forces with the River Noe.
Bradwell has a selection of public houses including The White Hart which is the earliest and dates back to 1676, Ye Olde Bowling Green and the New Bath Inn. Bradwell’s Church is dedicated to St Barnabas and was built in 1868. Also to be found around the village are the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, former Baptist Chapel, a Memorial Hall and a Presbyterian Chapel which is now used as a scout hut. Just down the road from Bradwell where the B6049 joins up with the A6187 is the little hamlet of Brough-on-Noe, famed for being the site of the Roman Fort Navio.
Hazlebadge Hall is Bradwell’s oldest building, boasting an early datestone of 1549, although this is located almost a mile south of the village at the top end of Bradwell Dale. Bagshawe Cavern at Bradwell was discovered by accident in 1806 by lead miners. Privately owned, it is now used mainly for educational caving trips and visits by prior appointment.
|
