New Mills
There is also a New Mills in Monmouthshire, Wales.New Mills is a town in
Derbyshire,
England approximately 8 miles (13 km) south-east of
Stockport. It is sited at the confluence of the rivers
Goyt and
Sett, on the border of
Cheshire.
The town is situated at the north western edge of the
Peak District, England's first
national park.
It has a population of approximately 10,000. Its ancient name was Bowden Middle Cale. The name of New Mills was given to it from a corn-mill erected on the Sett in the hamlet of
Ollersett, and is specially applied to the group of factories which grew up round it. Formerly paper and cloth were the staple industries of the district followed by iron and brass foundries, cotton mills and print-works.
Now the town is a rural feeder town for the conurbation of
Manchester with two railway stations — Central (on the Manchester to
Sheffield 'Hope Valley' line) and Newtown (on the Manchester to
Buxton line, with through trains to
Preston and
Blackpool). The main Manchester to Sheffield 'fast' line pases through New Mills but by-passes the stations.The
A6 road skirts the southwest of the town. The
Peak Forest Canal passes through the town and there is a marina.
Districts of New Mills include Newtown and Low Leighton. The small villages/hamlets of
Birch Vale, Thornsett, Hague Bar,
Rowarth, Brookbottom and Gowhole all fall within the town boundaries.The two main churches in the town are St. George's (
Church of England) and St. Mary's (
Roman Catholic). There are other, smaller churches and chapels. The former New Mills Grammar School is now the New Mills School and Sixth Form College. There are also six primary schools: St. George's (CE), St. Mary's (RC), New Mills County Primary, Newtown, Hague Bar and Thornsett.
New Mills' biggest and best known employer is
Swizzels Matlow, who make children's sweets. Famous brands include 'Parma Violets', 'Refresher' chews and 'Drumstick' lollies. Children from local schools were often asked to test new sweet flavours which were created!
A short branch of the Midland railway led to the town of
Hayfield. This was dismantled and is now the
Sett Valley Trail. The town sits atop 'The Torrs', a dramatic gorge through which the Rivers Goyt and Sett flow. 'The Torrs' now boasts a Millennium walkway, a bridge alongside the River Goyt, funded in part through National Lottery funds.
New Mills FC ('The Millers') are the local football team and play in the
North West Counties League Division 2. The football ground at Church Lane boasts two pitches — one 'all weather' — and floodlights. New Mills Cricket Club, with their ground on Church Road, play in the Derbyshire and Cheshire League. There is a leisure centre, including a swimming pool, which opened in 1980. Until the early 1980s, the town held an annual cycle race.
New Mills is served by two stations. One is
New Mills Central on the
Hope Valley line. The other is
New Mills Newtown on the
Buxton Line. The presence of these stations serves as an interchange.
* Update as needed.
*
New Mills Community website*
Pack Horse Inn New Mills
