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Combs Reservoir

Peak DistrictReservoirs in DerbyshireReservoirs of the Peak DistrictSites of Special Scientific Interest in DerbyshireUse British English from March 2020
Combs Reservoir from Castle Naze
Combs Reservoir from Castle Naze

Combs Reservoir is a canal-feeder reservoir in the Peak District National Park, close to Combs village in Derbyshire. The town of Chapel-en-le-Frith lies about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the reservoir.Combs was built in 1797 as the first reservoir to feed the Peak Forest Canal (which opened in 1800) at Whaley Bridge. The canal was critical for transporting goods to and from the corn mills, cotton factories, collieries, and other local industries, as well as connecting to the Ashton Canal for the nearby limestone quarries. In 1831 the Macclesfield Canal was completed, which was connected to the Peak Forest Canal at Marple. The Toddbrook Reservoir at Whaley Bridge was built as an additional feeder reservoir and the dam at Combs Reservoir was raised between 1834 and 1840, in order to meet the demand for a greater water supply to the extended canal system. By the 1940s use of these canals for transporting industrial goods had ended. The reservoir is now owned by the Canal & River Trust.The Buxton to Manchester railway line runs between Combs Reservoir and Combs village to the south and alongside the western shore.The reservoir is overlooked by Eccles Pike hill from the north and from the south by the Iron Age promontory hillfort Castle Naze, at the northern end of Combs Moss. Castle Naze is a protected Scheduled monument.Combs Reservoir is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is particularly important for its 'ephemeral bryophyte' mosses (such as the rare Physcomitrium sphaericum) and liverworts (Ricca glauca and Fossombronia wondraczekii). The area is a rich habitat for birdlife including the great crested grebe, little ringed plover, snipe and lapwing.Combs Sailing Club has used the reservoir for sailing training and racing since 1950.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Combs Reservoir (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Combs Reservoir
Tom Lane, High Peak Chapel-en-le-Frith

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Wikipedia: Combs ReservoirContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 53.3134 ° E -1.9459 °
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Tom Lane

Tom Lane
SK23 9UN High Peak, Chapel-en-le-Frith
England, United Kingdom
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Combs Reservoir from Castle Naze
Combs Reservoir from Castle Naze
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Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station
Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station

Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station (formerly Chapel-en-le-Frith South) serves the Peak District town of Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, England. It is 20+1⁄2 miles (33.0 kilometres) south east of Manchester Piccadilly on the Buxton Line from Manchester. It was built in 1863 for the London & North Western Railway, on its line from Whaley Bridge to Buxton as an extension of the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway. In 1867, the Midland Railway built a station (known as Chapel-en-le-Frith Central) on the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee line from Millers Dale to Chinley. The town therefore had a main line connection from Manchester to London featuring expresses such as the 'Palatine' and the 'Peaks'. However, with the closure of the ex Midland route from Chinley to Rowsley to passenger traffic in 1967, Central station was closed. The Midland line is still in-situ and used for freight to and from Peak Forest. The station is one of very few to retain its walkway to cross between platforms; most stations having had footbridges installed. The prime reason for this is the requirement to provide a vehicular crossing for those houses further up the hill which have no reliable alternative, as the very rough alternative is blocked for days during snow, and even when open requires a considerable extra distance to be covered to reach the town centre. A footbridge would therefore not be used.The former station master's house was used as a restaurant called "Brief Encounter" but has been refurbished and is being used as a band room for Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Band.

Bugsworth Basin
Bugsworth Basin

Bugsworth Basin is a canal basin at the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal at Buxworth (formerly Bugsworth) in the valley of the Black Brook, close to Whaley Bridge. It was once a busy interchange with the Peak Forest Tramway, for the transport of limestone and burnt lime.Work on the restoration of the derelict Bugsworth Basin, a Scheduled Ancient Monument since 1977, commenced in 1968. Volunteers of the Inland Waterways Protection Society (IWPS) helped by the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) and many locals restored parts of this important site over three decades. The IWPS obtained a 50-year lease in 1992, which allowed them to restore, manage and operate the basin. Funding for the improvements came from British Waterways, the European Regional Development Fund and a Derelict Land Grant from Derbyshire County Council. The basin was reopened to boats at Easter 1999, and a significant increase in the use of the canal occurred. However, this was the first time that powered boats had used the basin, and the dry-stone walling with clay puddling deteriorated rapidly. Walls collapsed, there were several near breaches, and a breach resulted in the basin closing again in October 1999. British Waterways restored pedestrian access to the basin by carrying out emergency repairs.In 2005 the basin reopened to boat traffic after a £1.2 million restoration, undertaken by British Waterways working with the IWPS. Work included sealing the bottom of the basin to stop leakage, stonework repair and environmental measures to conserve the site's protected water vole population. Although restoration and reopening of the basin has been achieved, waterways enthusiasts want to make future improvements and developments. These include an interpretative exhibition about Bugsworth's history and reopening part of the tramway. Bugsworth Basin was officially reopened on 26 March 2005 when 94 narrowboats attended the opening ceremony. The opening was performed by Tom Levitt, the then member of parliament for High Peak.The basin is on the fringe of the Peak District National Park and the purpose of the restoration was to develop this industrial heritage site as a tourist centre.