WALKS WITH NELLIE ~ BRABYNS PARK ~ BY SALLY MOSLEY

I’ve come up with something a bit different for this issue, having found a copy of Brabyns Park Discovery Trail. Originally compiled in 2009 and re-written some years later in association with the Iron Bridge Restoration Project, this wonderfully illustrative and informative guide is now out of print but available as a download https://visitmarple.co.uk/trail/Brabyns_Park_Discovery_Trail.pdf I’d like to thank everyone involved in putting together such an excellent publication.

I love an adventure on unknown turf and was thrilled when one of my grownup granddaughters scooped me up and took me out for the day to this area that I know little about.

To access the start of the trail we parked in the free public car park at Marple Bridge on the outskirts of the Peak District National Park. This most adorable little village is snuggled deep in a valley beside a crossing of the river Goyt and until 1866 was historically part of the parish of Glossop.

The settlement was established mainly because of the river which long ago provided water power for a corn mill and forge. Over the centuries the village has become more established. Because of its beauty, architectural features and heritage, the centre of Marple Bridge has now been designated as a conservation area.

Brabyns Park extends to 90 acres around the site of the former Brabyn Hall, built for Dr Henry Brabyn in 1750 but demolished in 1952. At the start of the trail there is a short detour to see a beautiful pond, lined by flag iris and covered with lily pads, where bees, butterflies and dragonflies play. Under trees nearby is a pet cemetery and I admit shedding a tear when I read the gravestone for DEAR GENTLE PETER who died in 1938.

After retracing our steps to the car park, Issie and I followed instructions that led us up an old carriageway through woodland to a lodge building at what was once the main entrance to the estate. Along the way we crossed a bridge over the railway line, completed in 1865, and walked past Brabyns Tennis Club that is evidently celebrating its centenary year in 2026.

We had now arrived at Marple Locks on the Peak Forest Canal which runs from Whaley Bridge to Portland Basin at Ashton-Under-Lyne. It was constructed to transport aggregates from Derbyshire quarries.

We now followed an easy going path beside the canal which passed a succession of locks on route to Marple’s Grand Aqueduct. As well as lots of historical snippets, facts and trivia, the guide includes pictures of birds, flowers and leaves that can be used for identification and would be a great way to entertain children in the summer holidays.

Each lock on the canal was fascinating to observe, but the Grand Aqueduct opened in 1800 was an awesome sight to behold. Little wonder it has Grade I listing and is deemed to be a Scheduled Ancient Monument. A red wall plaque states ‘this elegant aqueduct, designed by Benjamin Outram, and built 1794-1800 is the tallest masonry-arch aqueduct in the UK’.

We left the canal path and descended to riverside meadows, speckled with wild flowers and buzzing with life. Popular with dog walkers, hikers and joggers, there are also horse riding routes to enjoy, and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw a sign that advised No Galloping, No Racing!

Just after the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Etherow, we arrived at the restored ornate cast iron bridge that sits beside another pretty lodge building, constructed as an alternative entrance to the Brabyn Estate. Embossed into the cast iron is ‘Salford Iron Works’ and the date 1813.

Continuing along the riverside path we passed Wright’s Folly, described in the guide as being built by Nathaniel Wright who owned Brabyn Hall in the early 1800s. He wanted a water-powered mill nearby but evidently it would have involved flooding the meadows to create a mill pond so the idea was abandoned.

The end of the walk took us past the walls of the former kitchen garden where a blocked up doorway has initials and the date 1905 etched into stonework.

Sally Mosley

FOOTNOTE BY NELLIE: One of my many tricks I play on mum and dad is adapting my appearance to suit the circumstances. If I want to hide away unnoticed I can make myself look very small, but if I want to look fierce I can puff myself out and look much bigger. I’d have to shrink a lot to be the size of the smallest dog in the world though. Pearl, a Chihuahua in Florida, is only 3.59 inches tall! And I wouldn’t pick a fight with Aicama Zorba if I were you. He’s an English Mastiff that weighs in at 156 kilos and measures 8ft 3 inches from nose to tail. I bet he’d be nothing but a big softie if he set eyes on me!

With love from your ever so sweet and perfectly sized Nellie xx