The Torrs

After an overnight stay, heading home today, via nearby New Mills. It’s a place I’ve always driven past, but today I was keen to see the deep gorge hidden in the centre of the town - the Torrs. New Mills is a town of steep topography and changing levels.

The Torrs was once a hive of industry. Down there big mills were built from the 18th century onwards, using sandstone quarried from the walls of the gorge itself, and powered by the fast flowing waters of the River Goyt.

Fire, flooding, bankruptcy and poor access led to industrial decline and everything in the gorge was abandoned for over 50 years, it being left as an area dangerous to enter and a rubbish dump.

Only in the 1970’s was the potential value of the gorge recognised. It is now a recreational area and wildlife corridor connecting nature reserves, a place for rock climbing, and full of fascinating industrial archaeology and relics.

The main image is a view of the Millenium Walkway which completed-the Goyt Way, cantilevered out from the huge retaining wall below the railway. Opposite is an old mill still largely standing, Torr Vale Mill.

The extra is at the point where the River Sett flows into the Goyt. To the left is the Torrs Hydro, which uses a “ reverse” archimedes screw to generate power. It uses the fall in water level created by a weir originally built to power Torr Mill, that mill only evident by some ruined wall remnants and a big chimney adjacent to the sandstone rock face.

Everywhere the sound of rushing water and bird song.