#AudioMo - Day 30 - Hadrian's Wall

For the very final day of #AudioMo I knew I had to boo from somewhere extra special. As we we're on the way up to Edinburgh, I knew I had to stop at Hadrian's Wall on the way up. 1,900 years of history, a marker for the northern most reaches of the Roman Empire and a perfect way to round of my #AudioMo history project.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 30 - Hadrian's Wall’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 29 - Another Riding Lesson

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 29 - Another Riding Lesson’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 28 - Wagon Wheel

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 28 - Wagon Wheel’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 27 - Kinder Scout Mass Trespass

A few snippets of audio I recorded today that will be featured in the next Peak Routes Podcast and also the Walks Around Britain Podcast. The sections I have included are where I talk about the Kinder Trespass, A historic event in the outdoor world which paved the way for open access. To find out more about the trespass head on over to http://www.kindertrespass.com/

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 27 - Kinder Scout Mass Trespass’ on Audioboo

A Message for Paul (@omaniblog) from the Peak Distict

listen to ‘A Message for Paul (@omaniblog) from the Peak Distict’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 26 - A Boo From Butterley

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 26 - A Boo From Butterley’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 24 - The Sound of Steam

One of the reasons I love @audioboo is for enabling me to catch moments in time. Today I managed to record some audio while standing on a bridge as a steam train passed below. It was lots of fun and it made me feel like I was 8 years old again :-) The steam train was running along the Midland Railway and its number was 73129. Awesome with a capital A! The image I have on this post and with the embedded AudioBoo is the exact same train. I took it about 6 months earlier from the same spot as the audio was recorded.

The history of the train can be found at Midland Railway Butterley's dedicated site for 73129, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BR_Standard_Class_5_73129 and you can find out more about the Midland Railway at http://www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 24 - The Sound of Steam’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 23 - Ogston Reservoir

For day 23 of #AudioMo I focused on the Ogston Reservoir that sits in between Clay Cross and Matlock in Derbyshire. When was it built, what was flooded and what history is it covering. The Ogston area was our playground when we were younger. we had beautiful rolling hills to run, cycle and walk around. We also used to jump in and out of the River Amber just down stream from the Reservoir itself.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 23 - Ogston Reservoir ’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 22 - Morton Toxic Waste Burial

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 2 - Morton Toxic Waste ’ on Audioboo

For #AudioMo Day 22 I research a topic that was once very close to home and stopped us fully exploring our local area. I grew up in Morton Derbyshire where there was a suspected Toxic Waste Burial Site, We were always told never to go in to a particular field which was rumoured to be the location for the burial. An unknown quantity of the chemical Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TDCC) or Dioxin for short was buried there by the Coalite Company after an explosion at their Bolsover Chemical Plant. I managed to find a great report that was written in the New Scientist on the 7th of May 1981, I have embedded the article below for you to have a read for yourself. 

I've embedded a Google map so you can see where the location of the opencast once was, this is the suspected location of the buried Dioxin.


View Larger Map

#AudioMo - Day 21 - Rewinding The Clock

For #AudioMo day 21 I focused on one particular spot in the area, the Pennytown Ponds. What has come and gone over the years, what was it like 200 years ago and what is it like now. I would love to be able to turn back the clocks and stand in one place as the years go backwards. To see the industrial units vanish, to watch the opencast mine, to see the colliery magically reopen, to see the railway network reappear then vanish and to see the Cotes Park Colliery be un sunk and the whole area returned to farm land.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 21 - Rewinding The Clock’ on Audioboo

I plan to carry on this investigation when #AudioMo has finished and trace back the history of this spot even further. Hopefully I'll find out more about the farm, the opening of the colliery and why the ponds are there. I haven't found any more info on the Internet thus far so I will continue my search in the local library. Rest assured I will keep you updated as I discover more. Here are a few images of the changing face of the area over the years from 1890 to 1990.

#AudioMo - Day 20 - Cotes Park Colliery

It's amazing what you can find out if you ask the right people, today while at work i asked a few questions and found out some fascinating things about the area. I was concentrating on the immediate area around where I work and more specifically Cotes Park Colliery. I told my work colleagues what I was doing for #AudioMo and a wealth of great stories came my way. Stories about how the area has changed, features that have vanished and signs that still remain from days gone bye.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 20 - Cotes Park Colliery’ on Audioboo

I was very lucky to be shown a map of the area from 1971 which is before my place of work was built. It showed the old Cotes Park mine shafts and locations that had been open casted. Infact, the area where our building is was once open cast mined the old mine shafts are only 200 or so metres away. I found out a rather harrowing stories about people who have perished at the mine and also saw pictures of the works from 1901.

Some day soon I plan to jump over the fence at work and go on the hunt for the old mine shafts, stay tuned for that in the near future :-)

More Resources:

Penny Town Ponds Info PDF

Deaths at Cotes Park Colliery - Page 1 of Linked PDF

Peak District - Beeley Moor & Chatsworth

A walk across Beeley Moor and back through the forests of the Chatsworth Estate. It was a lovely autumnal day with a little rain but that didn't put us off. If you would like to read a blog post about this walk and see lots more images then you can visit the post on PeakRoutes.com

listen to ‘Peak District - Beeley Moor & Chatsworth’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 19 - Hob Hurst's House Burial Mound

A visit to Hob Hurst's House which is a 3,000 year old burial mound near Chatsworth in the Peak District.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 19 - Hob Hurst's House Burial Mound ’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 18 - No Walking For Me

#AudioMo day 18 is a disappointed Boo. What should have been a great day out in the Peak District has turned in to a trip to the garage. My grandad always said you'll never have any money when you have a girlfriend or a car. He was definetly correct about the latter!!

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 18 - No Walking For Me ’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 17 - Shipley Country Park

My local history quest continues for #AudioMo day 17. Today we went to Shipley Country Park in Derbyshire for a wander with the hounds, we had a lovely day enjoying the surroundings. I learned a spot of history about the place while there but completely forgot to Boo at the time.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 17 - Shipley Country Park’ on Audioboo

The history I learned can be found over on the Derbyshire County Council Website as well as on many information boards at the park itself. here is what you'll find and also what I have quoted in the Boo...

The history of Shipley Country Park

"The Shipley Estate is an ancient manor mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086), when it was recorded as belonging to Gilbert of Ghent, the nephew of William the Conqueror. Records dating from the 14th century show that the land was used as a sporting estate with a hunting lodge on Shipley Hill and the area was prized for its extensive forest and excellent hunting.

Shipley Country Park has long had an association with coal mining, however, from the mid 1500's, coal mining began to play an increasingly important part in shaping the landscape at Shipley and providing income for the owners. By 1722 coal mining was in full swing on the estate, and around 1765 the Miller Mundy family took over the running of the mines themselves.

With the death of Alfred Edward Miller Mundy in 1920, the Shipley Colliery Company (founded by the Miller Mundy family) took over complete control of the mines and ran them until nationalisation in 1947.

The Woodside and Coppice pits continued in production until the 1960's when they were closed because they were uneconomic. This brought a close to over 250 years of deep mining at Shipley and left behind a legacy of spoil heaps, derelict buildings, polluted lakes and 30 abandoned mine shafts.
Derbyshire County Council determined that a Country Park was a suitable memorial to mining in the area. The National Coal Board obtained permission in 1970 to reclaim the land in the vicinity of the closed collieries by opencast methods. Work started in 1970 and was completed by July 1974. A further two years were spent contouring the site, seeding fields and meadows, planting trees and constructing facilities for the public.

Shipley Country Park opened to the public on 26 May 1976."

Naturally all the text i've just quoted here can be found at http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk and is probably copy write etc etc so I thought i'd just mention that :-) If you would like to look at a map you do so by looking at a PDF on the Derbyshire.gov.uk website

It was a glorious autumnal day in the park today, beautiful colours and the light was great. These images that I took on my iPhone 4S really don't do it justice. You can just about make out the swans in the image above crossing the path in front of us, it was a great moment showing nature in action. We had a thoroughly enjoyable few hours wandering around and the dogs loved every moment of it :-)

Single File Please :-)

#AudioMo - Day 16 - George Stephenson's Clay Cross Tunnel

I decided for day 16 of #AudioMo I'd visit a local feature that I pass by all the time. The air shafts for the tunnel built by the legendary George Stephenson in Clay Cross.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 16 - George Stephenson's Clay Cross Tunnel’ on Audioboo

Clay Cross is a small mining town in north east Derbyshire, its the closest town to the village I live in. I have passed the Air Shafts many times in the past but I decided today that I would take the time to stop and have a look. The tunnel itself was built back in 1839, its is 1,631 metres long and 45m below the town centre. The Air Shaft I was stood next to while recording the Boo has recently been restored as part of the regeneration of the town. Another interesting fact about the tunnel is that The northern portal is a magnificent Moorish design and is now a grade 2 listed building.

Here are a few extra links for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Cross_Tunnel,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stephenson and also
http://www.derbyshireuk.net/stephenson.html

#AudioMo - Day 15 - My Web Presence

After yesterday's Boo about #MySocialMedia I thought I would boo about #MyWebPresence. Simply because I had a wander down memory lane today having a look back in to the archives on http://www.DeanRead.net.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 15 - My Web Presence’ on Audioboo

It was great to have a wander down memory lane by looking at some old posts from my archive, it reminded me about some great moments that had slipped my mind. You can find the archive over at http://www.deanread.net/weblog/. To have a look at what my first website looked like then you can view a post called The History of Dean Read dot net, the original site makes me cringe looking back now days but it was all part of the learning curve. I taught myself HTML and it was my very first foray in to the world of blogging.

Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site

I'm absolutely fascinated by history, the things humans have achieved and the traces they have left behind. I'm currently undertaking a personal challenge to find out more about local history, I've lived in Derbyshire most of my life so I thought the perfect place to start would be in the Derwent Valley. The Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site has a wealth of great things to discover and I will be writing more in the coming weeks.

In the mean time if you would like to find out more about the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site then visit http://www.derwentvalleymills.org/. You can also view some of my blog posts that I have already written or listen tithe audio I've recorded along the way.

Richard Arkwright – Masson Mill



Richard Arkwright – Cromford Mill


Peak District – Cromford & Via Gellia

#AudioMo - Day 14 - #MySocialMedia

A boo for #AudioMo about what social networks I've used. I wrongly describe the hash tag as My Social Networks... It's actually #MySocialMedia :-)

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 14 - #MySocialMedia’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 13 - My Boo Voice

I talk about where my accent has come from, where I have lived and why I put on a Boo voice. I am my biggest critic, I pick over everything I do.. Sadly some things do slip through the net. Even when listening back to this Boo I have noticed a mistake :-) Such is life

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 13 - My Boo Voice ’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 12 - Remembrance & Anzac Day

Yesterday was Remembrance Day. I reflect on the lyrics from a song by Eric Bogle called "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda". I also reflect on my experiences of Anzac Day spent in Australia and a visit to the Canberra War Memorial. http://www.deanread.net/weblog/pivot/entry.php?id=256

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 12 - Remembrance & Anzac Day’ on Audioboo

Here is a Youtube Video of the song I talk about in the Boo.

#AudioMo - Day 11 - The Past, The Present & The Future?

After a 7 hour drive across the country I reflect on what I have learned about the past and wonder where things may go in the future.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 11 - The Past, The Present & The Future?’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 10 - Rykneld Street & Castra Feld

For #AudioMo day 10 I researched the Roman aspects of my local history.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 10 - Rykneld Street & Castra Feld’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 9 - The Peacock Inn

For day 9 of #AudioMo I pay a visit to the Peacock Inn at Oakerthorpe in Derbyshire

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 9 - The Peacock Inn ’ on Audioboo

Cromford Canal - Butterley Tunnel - Part 2

My friend Ray and I go on the hunt for hidden entrances to the Cromford Canal's Butterley Tunnel. We manage to find the eastern entrance and I initially thought it was open, sadly it was locked but we do have a look inside :-)

listen to ‘Cromford Canal - Butterley Tunnel - Part 2’ on Audioboo

Cromford Canal - Butterley Tunnel - Part 1

My friend Ray and I go on the hunt for the Western entrance to Cromford Canal's Butterley Tunnel. We manage to find it and have a look inside without falling in the water :-)

listen to ‘Cromford Canal - Butterley Tunnel - Part 1’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 8 - Wingfield Manor & Mary Queen of Scots

A quick visit to Wingfield Manor to find out more for my #AudioMo local history challenge. Its is a great looking place and Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 8 - Wingfield Manor & Mary Queen of Scots ’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 7 - Shoulder of Mutton & Rykneld Street

A slightly drunken Boo from the Shoulder of Mutton at Hallfield Gate, Shirland, Derbyshire. I small bit of history after a quick sample of tonights Acoustic open mic night.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 7 - Shoulder of Mutton & Rykneld Street’ on Audioboo

Butterley Engineering Company - A Visit To The Old Site

After recording my #AudioMo Boos about Butterley Engineering & the Pentrich Revolution I need to pay a visit. A visit to the site where Butterley Engineering existed from 1790 to 2009, sadly it mostly flattened now but there is one glimmer of hope. The old Gate House has a preservation order so hopefully it will survive the demolition

listen to ‘Butterley Engineering Company - A Visit To The Old Site ’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 6 - Dovecote Court

Day 6 of #AudioMo is slightly different, it's not local history but its history none the less. I'm on a training course today it rural Leicestershire at Dovecote Court. I find out some facts about the 15th century Dovecote here and have a wander inside.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 6 - Dovecote Court’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 5 - Pentrich Revolution

Day 5 of my #AudioMo history challenge is to find out more about the Pentrich Revolution.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 5 - Pentrich Revolution’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 4 - Butterley Engineering est 1790

I've decided for #AudioMo I'm going to learn something new about local history every day. My first topic is the Butterley Engineering Company that were found in 1790, sadly it closed down in 2009.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 4 - Butterley Engineering est 1790’ on Audioboo

Midland Railway Museum - Fireworks Night - Part 2

Its Fireworks Night at the Midland Railway Museum, half of the Boo is dedicated to the sounds of the Fireworks and the other half is dedicated to checking out the Steam Train that we rode MidlandRailway

listen to ‘Midland Railway Museum - Fireworks Night - Part 2’ on Audioboo

Midland Railway Museum - Fireworks Night - Part 1

We ride on the train to Swanwick junction to watch the fireworks at Midland Railway Museum

listen to ‘Midland Railway Museum - Fireworks Night - Part 1’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 3 - Isn't History Brilliant :-)

Day 3 of my #AudioMo instalments come live from the Midland Railway Museum. I ramble on while I look at a steam roller from 1892.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 3 - Isn't History Brilliant :-)’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 2 - Why I Love @audioboo

Today I continued my exploration of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, I payed a visit to Derby Silk Museum and interviewed a very knowledgable gentleman call Jeff who works for Derby Museums. I really love AudioBoo and its helped me no end with my confidence levels.

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 2 - Why I Love @AudioBoo’ on Audioboo

#AudioMo - Day 1 - AudioBoo & Social Hiking

For #AudioMo day one I talk about how I found out about AudioBoo and why I think audio is a great tool for sharing lifes adventures. Find out more about how you can share your walks and adventures by visiting http://www.shareyouradventure.com

listen to ‘#AudioMo - Day 1 - AudioBoo & Social Hiking’ on Audioboo