Millers Dale goods shed declared as officially open and welcoming visitors
MILLERS Dale goods shed on the Midland Railway’s Buxton to Matlock line – which is now the Monsal Trail long-distance footpath and cycleway – has been officially reopened by the Peak District National Park Authority.
The goods shed had fallen into disrepair since it was last in regular use as part of the railway 55 years ago.
In 2019, the park authority, which now owns and manages the trail and other station buildings, announced a plan to restore structure.
Backed by a £320,000 from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the renovation has involved recreating much of the original look and feel of the goods shed from its early 20th-century heyday.
A new roof has solar panels to help generate power for the facilities at Millers Dale. The interior walls are home to pictures and personal stories of the area’s history and its current role as host to one of the most popular all-user trails in the country.
A full-size replica of the original position of the line itself has been added to the floor, with an audio soundscape playing as visitors enter, providing the final part of the picture in this unique building. After delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the shed is now free to visit.
Betty Nesbitt, who spent 16 years working as a junior clerk and then senior clerk at Millers Dale goods yard from the age of 17 until the line closed in 1967, and who attended the official reopening, said: “I spent many happy hours working here. It was very interesting and I enjoyed every minute.”