Birch Vale
| Birch Vale | |
 Birch Vale from Lower Cliff. Looking SSW across the Sett valley, with the end of Hayfield Sewage Works just visible far left; in the centre is Birch Vale Reservoir and beyond that the houses of Birch Vale along the A6015. |
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  Birch Vale |
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| Population | 2,174 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | SK0232786824 |
| District | High Peak |
| Shire county | Derbyshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HIGH PEAK |
| Postcode district | SK22 |
| Dialling code | 01663 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | High Peak |
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Coordinates: 53°22′42″N 1°57′59″W / 53.378261°N 1.966478°W
Birch Vale is a village in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, just outside the boundary of the Peak District National Park, between New Mills and Hayfield. Most of Birch Vale, including the attached village of Thornsett, comes under the administration of New Mills Town Council, though the small part to the east of the Grouse public house is within the boundaries of Hayfield.
There are no shops, but three surviving public houses: the Grouse Inn on the main A6015 road and the Printers Arms in Thornsett (the Sycamore Inn in Thornsett has now re-opened as of April 2015, the Vine Tavern has closed permanently and the Waltzing Weasel became a B&B in 2013). There is a primary school in Thornsett.[2] Until 1970, Birch Vale had a railway station on the branch line from New Mills Central to Hayfield with through trains to Manchester Piccadilly.[3] Today the trackbed of the former railway line carries the Sett Valley Trail, and the nearest railheads are the stations in New Mills — Central and Newtown — about two miles away. There are frequent bus services into New Mills, Hayfield, Glossop, Buxton and Stockport.
Birch Vale's most famous daughter is the TV presenter Tess Daly who grew up there.[4]
Factory fire 2009
In the early evening of Friday 2 October 2009 a large explosion was heard by residents as the Stirling Lloyd factory on a local Industrial Estate caught fire. It took around 16–20 hours to bring the fire under control. Local residents were evacuated shortly after police arrived. New Mills Fire and Rescue Team were among the first on the scene.[5]
References
- ↑ "Area: Sett (Ward); Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics". Office for National Statistics. 2001. Retrieved 15 April 2014. Note that Sett Ward includes Thornsett, Rowarth and Little Hayfield as well as Birch Vale.
- ↑ "School Homepage". Thornsett Primary School. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ↑ Smith, Ian R and Fox, G K (2003). Manchester London Road to Hayfield: Scenes from The Past 45. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 1-870119-73-8.
- ↑ "Tess Daly". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ↑ "Homes evacuated after explosion". BBC News. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
External links
Media related to Birch Vale at Wikimedia Commons