Although the ancient history of the area around Pye Bridge is not known, the coal and ironstone outcrops would have been recognised for their potential. The road which today passes through Pye Bridge is part of the original Alfreton to Nottingham Road, a track that may have existed for many centuries. The first significant event in the history of the hamlet was no doubt the construction of the Nottingham to Newhaven turnpike, which utilised much of the old route.
The original Alfreton-Nottingham Road ran via Flowery Leys Lane at Alfreton, over Cotes Park towards the bottom of Birchwood Lane, over Cockshutt Lane and eventually joined the old road at Lower Somercotes, across from the Black Horse Inn, where it continued through Pye Bridge. In the mid-1700s it was obvious to the property owners in the area that the road system around Alfreton was inadequate, and not fit for purpose, considering also that this was becoming an important industrial centre. In 1759, the interested parties obtained an Act of Parliament for the improvement or construction of the carriageways around Alfreton. The Act itself had a very long title: “An Act for Repairing and Widening the Roads from Chapel-Bar near the West End of the Town of Nottingham to New-Haven and from the Four Lane Ends near Oakerthorpe to Ashborne, and from the Cross Post on Wirksworth Moor, to join the Road leading from Chesterfield to Chapel-en-le-Frith, at or near to Longton; and from Selston to Annesley-Woodhouse”
The Act made certain provisions for the highway, one of which was that the carriageway should be of a width not less than 40 feet. The Act also made exception for roads constructed over common land for which the land could be used without compensation. The trustees of the turnpike decided not to use the old road which meandered over the lands of Birchwood and Smotherfly, and instead drove a new road over Somercotes Common to directly link up with the road which passed through Pye Bridge (now known as the B600).
It is not currently known how the name of Pye Bridge came about, but one of the earliest references to the hamlet was published in the Derby Mercury of 23 August 1781, regarding the letting of tolls on the Nottingham to Newhaven turnpike road. The article, in part, reads “NOTICE is hereby GIVEN, that the tolls arising at the Toll Gate upon the Turnpike Road leading from Nottingham to Newhaven, called or known by the name of the Pye Bridge Gate, will be let by auction to the best bidder…”
PHOTO: Pye Bridge c.1920
Further proof of the hamlet’s existence in the 18th century comes from the construction of the Cromford Canal in the early 1790s. The Derby Mercury of 18 December 1788 reports on a meeting held at the Peacock Inn, Oakerthorpe regarding the proposals for the canal “CROMFORD CANAL – At a numerous meeting held at the house of Peter Kendal, the sign of the Peacock, near Alfreton, in the county of Derby, on Monday the 15th Day of December 1788, of the Gentlemen interested in making and maintaining a NAVIGABLE CUT or CANAL, from Langley Bridge, in the county of Nottingham, (and there to join with the present Erewash Canal) to Cromford, in the county of Derby; and also in making and maintaining a NAVIGABLE CUT or CANAL to Pinxton Mill, in the county of Derby, to join with the CUT or CANAL above described, at a place called Codnor Park Mill, in the county of Derby”. The proposed section of the canal which terminated at Pinxton would be cut through Pye Bridge.
The Parliamentary Bill for the construction of the canal was passed without much comment on Monday May 25th 1789. According to various published accounts “Lord George Cavendish brought up the report of the Cromford Canal Bill; after a short conversation, the house divided on receiving; Ayes 55 – Noes, 33 – Majority for the Bill”.
The following year, the plans and specifications for the canal were in place, and those people who were willing to contract for the work were requested to contact Benjamin Outram, of Alfreton (as reported in the Oxford Journal – October 1789). The work was to be divided into three distinct contracts, the third being the construction “of the whole canal between the deep cutting at the east end of the (Butterley) Tunnel, Pinxton and the Erewash Canal, to be completed in eighteen months”
Several wharves were constructed on the Codnor Park to Pinxton branch of the canal, including one at Pye Bridge. During the 1790s, the hamlet became a central point for goods that were received or sent to other parts of the country. The early coal masters in particular required the canal to move production at a competitive rate. So vital became this link that a notice for an auction of farmland printed in the Derby Mercury on 17 January 1799 specifically referred to the convenience of the Cromford Canal – “Auction held at the George Inn, Alfreton – Lot III … all the above farms lie in a ring fence, and about 3 miles from Pinxton and Pye Bridge Wharfs on the Cromford Canal”.
The number of dwellings that may have existed at this time cannot be ascertained, but Pye Bridge grew in importance when Thomas Saxilby & Company purchased land and opened an ironworks there in 1802. Although the abundance of coal and ironstone in the area were an important factor in the decision to locate the ironworks at Pye Bridge, the close proximity of the Cromford Canal would have been of vital consideration. As the ironworks prospered, the hamlet of Pye Bridge grew.
James Oakes eventually took control of the company in 1817 and began a long association with the area until the ironworks was sold in 1920 to Stanton Ironworks, of Ilkeston. As well the ironworks, the company also sank and operated several collieries around Pye Bridge, the most famous of which was undoubtly the “Old Deeps”, which continued to work until 1888.
In the early part of the 19th century houses were constructed for workers, and various other businesses opened to support the growing village. A steam powered corn mill was erected there in the early 1800s, which is first mentioned in the Derby Mercury, published on 25 February 1819: “PARTNERSHIP DISSOLVED – Notice is hereby given, that the Partnership lately subsisting between us the undersigned Thomas Wass, of Pye Bridge, in the county of Derby, and John Wild, of Selston, in the county of Nottingham, Millers, trading at Pye Bridge, under the firm of “WASS and WILD” was this day dissolved by mutual consent. All persons having any demands on the said Partnership are requested to send particulars thereof to Mr. Edward Waters, of Pye Bridge; and persons indebted thereto, are required to pay their respective debts to the said Mr. Waters. As witness our hands this 18th day of February, 1819. THOMAS WASS. JOHN WILD. Witness R. B. Rickards.” The report is interesting in that Thomas Wass and Edward Waters are both stated to be from the village, and that the dissolving of the partnership implies that the mill had been operating for some while before 1819.
A further report on the mill was published in the same newspaper dated 4 March 1819, and relates to an auction of the property after the partnership between Wass and Wild was dissolved: “TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION, by Mr. Hopkinson, at the house of Mr. Clarke, the Bull & Butcher, Selston… Wednesday the 10th day of March… LOT 1 – All that newly erected and substantially built STEAM GRIST MILL, known by the name of PYE BRIDGE MILL, situated at Pye Bridge in the county of Derby, containing four pairs of Stones, viz. French, Grey, Black and Shelling Stones, and complete Machinery for making and dressing Flour and Oatmeal, with the steam engine (of 8 Horse Power), Drying Kiln, and Stable for 3 horses, in the occupation of Wass and Wild, the whole being in perfect repair, and capable of extensive business, having a Reservoir sufficient for working the Mill in the driest season, and very advantageously situated for land and water carriage, being contiguous to the Turnpike Road from Nottingham to Alfreton, and the Pinxton and Cromford Canal; possession whereof may be had at Lady Day next. ALSO Two newly erected Dwelling Houses, situated near to the said Mill and Premises, with the gardens thereto respectively belonging in the occupations of Peter Taylor and John Sharpe; and a small piece of Tithe free land.
The Steam Mill operated for many years. In 1838, a report in the Derbyshire Courier of 27 October read “FLOUR STOLEN – In the night of yesterday week a quantity of flour, belonging to Mr. Chadborn, was stolen from the Steam Corn Mill at Pye Bridge, Nr. Alfreton” John Chadborn also opened a Steam Corn Mill at Mill Yard, Somercotes in 1845, which was known at the time as the “Alfreton Steam Mill”. By 1878 the emphasis on the transport connections available at Pye Bridge had changed. The Derby Mercury of 6 February that year printed a notice which read “A Steam Corn Mill to Let, with five pairs of stones and usual appliances etc., with or without dwelling house, situated about 300 yards for the Pye Bridge Stations of both the Midland and Great Northern Railways, Erewash Valley, with good connection, and surrounded by a large and increasing iron works and collieries, with immediate possession. For particulars, apply to Mr. T. Parsons, Alfreton, Nr. Derby.” It is notable that the Cromford Canal is not mentioned in the notice. The railways had already made an impact.
During the early part of the 19th century, the coal proprietors exported much of their output via the Cromford Canal. A large percentage of the production found its way to Leicester, and the owners of the Leicestershire coalfields found that due to a lack of transport infrastructure in the area, they were unable to compete with the coal masters of the Erewash Valley. They overcame this problem by constructing the Leicester & Swannington Railway in 1832, and immediately began to benefit from the lower cost of transporting their goods directly to Leicester. The Erewash Valley coal masters, meanwhile, saw a corresponding drop in the sale of their products.
There seemed to be only one solution to the problem, and that was to construct their own railway. A meeting between the relevant parties was held at the Sun Inn, Eastwood on 16 August 1832 and present were some of the most influential men in the area, who were determined to not let their businesses suffer.
The proposed railway plans could not be completed and put before Parliament during 1833, and several amendments were made to the project in the meantime. Outside investors, crucial to the success of the project, insisted that any new line should be extended to join with the London & Birmingham Railway at Rugby, Warwickshire, and in due course an engineer named George Rennie was given the responsibility of assessing and drawing up the new proposal. The venture became known as the Midland Counties Railway.
Further delays and alternative plans were introduced to include Nottingham and Derby, which, as separate markets for the Erewash Valley coal producers, would have the effect of reducing any differences in coal prices between all of the relevant parties involved. Although the plans were finally put before Parliament in 1834, investment fell short of the required amount, and further delays resulted in more competition from the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway, whose board members complained that the line through to Pinxton threatened their own businesses. As well as the Pinxton line, the Midland Counties Railway had also had proposed a line running from Pye Bridge, through Alfreton to Clay Cross, to which the North Midland Railway had also objected. In the end, a compromise was the only solution, with the railway companies agreeing to remove any competing tracks from their proposals.
Eventually, the Midland Counties Railway Bill went before Parliament and was passed in June 1836, but with opposition from many different quarters, including the owners of the Cromford Canal, the Pinxton line was not included, much, no doubt, to the anger of the colliery owners. In the end, the construction of the Midland Counties Railway was completed and operated without the Erewash Valley line.
As business continued to be affected by the lack of a railway in the area, the coal masters, including James Oakes, Palmer-Morewood and John Coupland set up the Erewash Valley Railway Company in 1844, and once again presented a Bill before Parliament, which this time had the support and influence of George Stephenson, the well-known railway engineer, who required a line to be constructed from Pye Bridge through Alfreton to Clay Cross, where he owned the Clay Cross Iron & Coal Company. Construction of the line finally began, reaching as far as Pinxton in 1847.
In 1844, the Midland Railway Company was formed from an amalgamation of the North Midland, Midland Counties and the Birmingham & Derby Junction Railways. Now also realising the enormous potential of the Erewash Valley line, which passed through an industrial area rich in coal and ironstone, it took over the newly formed Erewash Valley Railway Company in 1845 and pushed on with plans to extend the line through to Clay Cross. The Derbyshire Courier dated 14 November 1846 carried a long report on various Acts of Parliament which related to the railway. A small part is transcribed as follows: “…And it is also intended by the said Act to enable the said Midland Railway Company to make and maintain another railway with all proper works and conveniences connected therewith, commencing by a Junction with the Line of the Extension of the Erewash Valley Railway to Clay Cross, as authorised by an Act in the last session of Parliament, near to the point at which the said extension Railway crosses the Cromford Canal in the hamlet or township of Somercoates in the parish of Alfreton, in the county of Derby, passing thence, from, in, through or into the parish of Alfreton and township of Somercoates, or one of them, terminating in the said township or hamlet of Somercoates, in the said parish of Alfreton, near certain ironworks known as the Alfreton Ironworks, the property of and occupied by, James Oakes Esq.” This report describes the termination of the extension at Pye Bridge, where the proposed line joined the Midland Railway.
Production of coal and ironstone continued to increase throughout the latter half of the 19th century, and the Erewash Valley Line became a considerable success. Branch lines serviced the Cotes Park and Birchwood collieries, and at Pye Bridge, other spurs ran into Kempson’s Acid and Tar works and the Riddings Ironworks, which itself had a considerable rail network within the site, connecting with the collieries which were also owned by James Oakes & Co.
Although the Midland Railway and its predecessors no doubt had the greater influence in the planning and construction of the railways through the area, the Great Northern Railway also constructed a western extension, a line which passed through Pye Bridge, and ran from Nottingham Victoria through to Shirebrook. The two railways met at what became known as the Pye Bridge Junction.
Much like the earlier companies that constituted the Midland Railway, the predecessors of the Great Northern Railway started the planning and applications to Parliament in 1844, but the company was not incorporated as the GNR until 1846. The GNR saw the potential in constructing a line to the Erewash Valley and to the coalfields of north Derbyshire, and extended a railway line from Nottingham to run through Pye Bridge and up to Shirebrook, where it terminated. Coal trains were using this branch line by 1875.
As there were two separate railway companies and two separate sets of tracks meeting at Pye Bridge, it is no surprise that there were also two railway stations. The main station was owned by the Midland Railway and was called the “Pye Bridge Station”. The rail tracks crossed the road and the river Erewash by means of a small viaduct, and the station was accessed by a road constructed from the B600 which rose to the top of the viaduct and railway bank. The station was situated to the south of the viaduct. The Great Northern Railway built a station located to the north of Pye Bridge, which they named the “Pye Hill and Somercotes Station”. Although it seems that the station was somewhat misnamed, there appears to have been an attempt to differentiate between this and the Pye Bridge Station, as they were only approximately half a mile apart. The station was opened by the GNR on 24 March 1877 and was originally named Pye Hill, but it was renamed to include the village of Somercotes on 8 January 1906.
PHOTO: Pye Bridge Railway Station
Perhaps one of the most unexpected things to happen in the village was the collapse of one of the railway viaducts, which occurred on 13 June 1924. It was reported in several local newspapers: “VIADUCT CRASHES INTO RIVER EREWASH – TWO ARCHES COLLAPSE AT PYE BRIDGE – An alarming occurrence took place at Pye Bridge on Monday afternoon, on the borders of Notts. and Derbyshire. Erected 50 years ago as a junction between the G.N. Pye Hill and M.R. Pye Bridge, and which can be seen on the side of the main line between Nottingham and Sheffield, two arches of a viaduct collapsed without a moments’ warning…” Astonishingly, no one was injured in the collapse.
In 1947, the railways were nationalised and became part of British Railways. Under the re-organisation of the railways advised by Dr. Beeching in his report of 1963, Pye Bridge Station was closed in 1967. The Pye Hill and Somercotes Station closed on 7 January 1963. This station was immortalised the following year, in the song "Slow Train" written and performed by Flanders and Swann.
The immediate impact of the rail network on the area cannot be underestimated. Within a relatively short time not only were the coal and iron masters benefitting from a more cost effective means of transporting their goods, but the population as a whole gained in terms of travel and access to other markets. By the 1870s, the village of Pye Bridge, with its ironworks, canal and railway infrastructure would have looked very much as it does today. Virtually all of the products leaving the immediate locality would have been shipped through Pye Bridge.
The immediate impact of the rail network on the area cannot be underestimated. Within a relatively short time not only were the coal and iron masters benefitting from a more cost effective means of transporting their goods, but the population as a whole gained in terms of travel and access to other markets. By the 1870s, the village of Pye Bridge, with its ironworks, canal and railway infrastructure would have looked very much as it does today. Virtually all of the products leaving the immediate locality would have been shipped through Pye Bridge.
As the village grew, shopkeepers and grocers opened businesses there. In 1925, Kelly’s Directory records Mary Louisa Grundy, Jesse Rainbow and Miss M. Roughton as shopkeepers, while James Linacre was the grocer. Like most small villages now, the shops and other retail businesses have all closed, and their premises converted to housing. The workers that lived in the village would not have been wealthy, but like their neighbours in Somercotes, would no doubt have been grateful for the opportunity to work.
Early in the 1800s a public house opened in the village. Named the “Dog & Doublet”, it is still in business today. This was the only public house located in the village, and dates from around the time when many of the houses were constructed. It is first mentioned in a report on Deaths in the Derby Mercury published on 30 January 1828, which read “Suddenly on Saturday, Jan 19th, in the 56th year of her age, Mrs Hannah Booth of the Dog Public House, Pye Bridge in this county, much respected”. Whether or not the public house was named “The Dog” or the “Dog & Doublet” at the time is not known, although it is probable that Hannah took over the running of the business after the death of her husband, which was not uncommon in the trade, and which would push back the date of the public house further in time.
Like many public houses, the Dog & Doublet was the centre of village life and was the focal point of many meetings held in the village. Meetings of the local Ironworkers Union took place there, as well as the “Sick Society”, an association run for the benefit of workers and their families in times and illness, and probably underwritten by James Oakes & Company. In the 19th century, Coroner’s Inquests would also be held locally, so that witnesses could easily attend, and many of these would be held in public houses, including the Dog & Doublet.
The Coroner’s Inquests were often widely reported in local newspapers. The Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald published on 6 April 1870 records the outcome of an Inquest into a fatal accident: “On Saturday evening, an inquest was held at the Dog and Doublet, Pye Bridge by Coroner, Mr. Busby, touching the death of Daniel Severn, a ganger, employed by Messrs. Oakes of the Alfreton Coal and Ironworks. On Friday afternoon the deceased was driving three horses drawing a number of empty waggons to the Old Deep Pit, for the purpose of getting them filled with coal. On the way he found that a loaded truck was obstructing the road, and endeavoured to stop his horses, but could not. He got between his waggons and the truck, and was seriously crushed. Assistance was immediately rendered, and he was carried home. Mr. Fielding, surgeon, of Alfreton was sent for, and on his arrival, with his assistant, found that the deceased had suffered internal injusries and that his case was a hopeless one. He remained with him up to the time of his death, which took place the same night. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death”. Deceased, who was about thirty years of age, has left a widow and two children.” Accidents were very common, and many inquests were held at the Dog & Doublet over the years.
The Dog & Doublet itself was the main subject of a Notice, printed in the Derbyshire Times & Chesterfield Herald, when it was auctioned on 12 June 1891. The Notice read: “PROPERTY SALE – There was a large gathering of capitalists at the George Hotel, Alfreton on Friday night, when Messrs. W. Watson and Son, auctioneers, Alfreton, offered for sale several valuable lots of freehold property, at Pye Bridge and Somercotes. Lot 1, the old-established fully licensed inn, the Dog and Doublet at Pye Bridge, the outbuildings, and a field of pasture land containing about 8a. 0r. 38p. The Brampton Brewery, Chesterfield, the present tenants, were the purchases at £3,275.” This was not an inconsiderable sum for the 1890s. Landlords too, sometimes made the news. The Derbyshire Courier, 23 January 1904 reported a case brought before the Alfreton Petty Sessions: “Henry Parsons, Dog and Doublet Inn, Pye Bridge, was fined 17s and costs for permitting drunkenness on his licenced premises…”.
The Old House at Home was another public house, located on the canal side in an area known as “Pye Bridge Meadows”. It is not known when the inn was built, but the earliest reference relates to a Coroner’s Inquest, held for a drowning in the canal which was published in April 1862. In the report, it was referred to as the “Old House at Home beer shop”.
A notice for an auction for the premises was printed in the Derbyshire Advertiser & Journal on 29 October 1880. The details read: “AT SOMERCOTES AND PYE BRIDGE – LOT IX – All that Public House known as “The Old House At Home” with the Brewhouse, extensive stabling, cowsheds, piggeries, garden, orchard and appurtenances thereto, bordering upon the Cromford Canal, and in close proximity to the Pye Bridge Stations of the Midland and Great Northern Railways”. The notice for the auction implies that the premises and land were extensive.
Most of the instances in local newspapers were the Old House at Home is named, relate to accidents and drownings in the Cromford Canal, of which there seems to be many. The landlord or customers of the public house were often called as witnesses, and several Coroner’s Inquests were held there.
The Derbyshire Times & Chesterfield Herald of 18 February 1903 records a transfer of the licensee of the Old House at Home “,,,from Charles Wass to Harry Dawkes…”
The name of this public house – “Old House at Home” – is not uncommon. There were at least two others in Derbyshire, one of which was at Larges Street, Derby. Although the Old House at Home is often described as “between Pinxton and Pye Bridge”, its actual location within the boundary of the village can be seen by a notice printed in the Derbyshire Courier dated 10 December 1912, which related to a contract for Scavenging (at the time a bona fide vocation). The notice read “ALFRETON URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL – CONTRACT FOR SCAVENGING – The Alfreton Urban District Council are prepared to receive tenders for SCAVENGING by contract for the undermentioned district, viz: No. 4 from Somercotes Market Place on one side and the “Devonshire Arms” P.H. on the other side, including all properties from there to Pye Bridge Wood Yard on both sides of the road and the “Old House at Home” P.H. and the whole of Quarry Road, Somercotes…”
Through newspaper articles it is possible to ascertain some of the landlords:
As the trade on the canal declined, the Old House at Home must also have suffered economically. It is not known exactly when this public house closed its doors, but it was many years ago. The building was demolished, and all traces were finally erased by the Smotherfly Opencast.
PHOTO: The Dog & Doublet Inn, Pye Bridge, 2012
Until 1984, Pye Bridge was located within the parish boundary of Riddings, and the Church of St. James was its parish church. The village has never had its own church, but in 1887, a Mission Room was established and run by the church at Riddings. According to Kelly’s Directory of 1895, the Mission Room had seating for 120 worshippers and was also used as a classroom for infants. The Derby Mercury, published on 29 June 1887, records the opening: “A CHURCH MISSION ROOM – The inhabitants of Pye Bridge have hitherto been destitute of any place for the holding of religious services, and as it is some distance from Riddings or Codnor Park, the want of a local building as long been felt. Through the kindness of Mr. T. H. Oakes JP, a Church of England Mission Room has been opened at Pye Bridge and services in future will be held in it. In addition, Mr. Oakes has promised to consider the utility of arranging for an infant’s school to be held there. In connection with the opening Mr. Oakes provided a meat tea to 150 of the inhabitants.”
The Mission Room was dedicated to St. Barnabas, and in various texts and maps relating to Pye Bridge is shown as the “St. Barnabas Mission Room”. The building was located at the side of the Cromford Canal, but has long since been demolished. It is not known when the Mission Room closed.
As well as the ironworks, there were other businesses located at Pye Bridge. The Riddings & District Gas Company was established through an Act of Parliament which was passed on 28 June 1888. The applicants were Thomas Haden Oakes and Charles Henry Oakes. A small gas facility was already present on the site of the ironworks, but this Act of parliament gave the company the right to build a new works which was located to the west of the village. It came under the control of James Oakes & Company. The gas produced was used to supply the ironworks and the local area, including Alfreton, South Normanton, Pinxton, Codnor Park and Selston. The company acquired the Pinxton Gas Light & Coke Co., in 1914 through the Riddings District Gas Act of the same year. The company was dissolved on 1 May 1949 on nationalisation, and was absorbed into the Derby sub-division of the Nottingham and Derby division of the East Midlands Area Gas Board, under the Gas Act of 1948. The two gasometers used for storage were not demolished until around the late 1960s. The other main industry was Kempson’s Chemical Co Ltd and the Midland Acid Works Co Ltd. The history of these two companies is not very well documented. Kempson & Howell Co, were a chemical manufacturer that was probably established around the mid-19th century. They are referred to in the “Chemical Manufacturers Directory of England & Scotland” where they are listed as “Sulphuric acid, naptha, anthradine, pitch and carbolic acid suppliers”. Although the company is listed as “Kempson & Co. Pye Bridge, Chemical Manufacturers in Kelly’s Directory of 1857, they are again referred to as “Kempson & Howell, Pye Bridge” in a report of a robbery on the company premises which was published in the Sheffield Independent dated 27 November 1880.
Perhaps one of the most tragic incidents recorded during the existence of Kempson’s is a fatal accident which occurred in 1893. Three workers at the company died in an accident on 14 November. A memorial to the men is situated in the churchyard of St. Thomas, in Somercotes. The main inscription reads: “In the memory of Walter Greaves aged 47 years who while working in a still at Pye Bridge Chemical Works on Thursday, Nov 14th 1893, was overpowered by poisonous gas. Samuel Andrews aged 42 years and John Heath aged 20 years who bravely sacrificed their lives in attempting to rescue their comrade. Samuel Andrews has been for several years a faithful and industrious Foreman at the above works”. The accident was widely reported, even making an edition of “The Advertiser” which was published in Adelaide, South Australia on 1 January 1894.
In 1913, Kempson & Co Ltd established a joint venture with James Oakes & Company and formed the Midland Acid Co Ltd. It is not known exactly why this joint venture was agreed, but James Oakes & Co had business properties only a few hundred metres away and would no doubt have been seen as the ideal partner. The fact that the two businesses ran almost side by side can be seen in the Pye Bridge listings for Kelly’s Directory of 1925, which states: “Kempson & Co. Ltd. Pye Bridge Chemical Works” and as a separate entry “Midland Acid Co. Ltd. Sulphuric Acid Manufacturer”. The manager for the Midland Acid Works is listed as Frederick Bettison, whose family connections in the area stretched back over many years. Other evidence to show the close relationship between the two companies can be seen in a report in the Nottingham Evening Post of 26 September 1930, when a serious fire broke out at the Midland Acid works. The report stated that the works were “situated alongside the Erewash Valley system of the LMS railway and near Messrs. Kempson’s chemical works”.
Certainly by the 1960s, both sites seemed to have merged and were known locally as the “acid works” but the two companies existed as separate entities. Around this time the local business interests of the Oakes family were being wound down. The London Gazette of April 1965 reported the impending liquidation of Kempson’s as follows: “An extraordinary General meeting of the above named company duly convened and held at the registered office of the company, Riddings, in the county of Derby on the 5th day of April 1965 the special resolution was formerly passed that Kempson & Co. Ltd. be wound up voluntarily…”
The London Gazette also noted in 1968 that the “Midland Acid Company, manufacturers of sulphuric acid, registered office at Pye Bridge” appointed liquidators on 29 November 1968. The company continued to work for a couple years after the administrators were appointed, but finally closed in 1971. The site of the works was included in the plan for the Smotherfly opencast mine, and all traces have since been removed.
During the First World War, men from Pye Bridge, as elsewhere, volunteered for duty. A number were killed in action, and their names appear on the War Memorial at Riddings. Upwards of seventy men who had an association with Pye Bridge joined the armed forces during this conflict; not a small number considering the size of the village. Several soldiers also lost their lives during the Second World War, and again, their names are listed on the Riddings War Memorial.
Changes to the ownership of the ironworks occurred over the years. In 1920, it was acquired by Stanton Ironworks of Ilkeston. The following years were turbulent, as the relationship between workers and management throughout the country often broke down. After the unions called for a general strike which officially began on 3 May 1926, production at the ironworks was halted. Although the strike was initially solid, many employees drifted back to work, and the Dundee Evening Telegraph of 11 May 1926 summed up the mood at the time “LESS ENTHUSIAM FOR STRIKE… Stanton Ironworks, Derbyshire, where four thousand men are employed, resumed work this morning. Alfreton Ironworks, belonging to the same company, are also working, though not at full strength.”
In the years after the Second World War, Stanton Ironworks suffered a slow but steadily declining business. A company called Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd already owned the Staveley Iron & Chemical Company, and in 1960, they took over the Stanton Ironworks Co Ltd and merged the two firms together to form Stanton & Staveley Ltd. whose assets also included the Riddings Ironworks. In turn, Stewart & Lloyds Ltd itself, along with all of its associated subsidiaries was nationalised in 1967, and became a part of the British Steel Corporation.
Throughout its relatively short history, the village of Pye Bridge itself has remained almost without change. Very few new houses have been built (although some were constructed in 2015), and the boundary of the village has remained much as it was in the 19th century. The major changes have been to the industrial and transport infrastructure.
The first to suffer economic decline was inevitably the canal. In 1852, following an Act of Parliament, the Cromford canal was purchased by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railways, and this purchase included the Pinxton Branch which ran through Pye Bridge. They in turn, leased it in a joint agreement to the Midland Railway and the London & North Western Railway. In 1870, the Midland Railway took full control of the entire canal. This had a devastating effect on the amount of traffic that the canal handled. By the late 1890s, parts of the Pinxton branch were becoming unusable. The canal was losing water through mining subsidence and the length from Pye Bridge to Pinxton became un-navigable. However, the length between Ironville and Pye Bridge continued in use, particularly for the transportation of chemicals from the chemical company owned by James Oakes and Kempsons, who preferred this method of transport. This part of the canal remained in use until the 1930s.
From that point, the canal went into a steep decline. Owned then by the British Waterways Board, in the 1960s it was decided that the only option would be to fill in the canal. In certain parts, the canal bed itself was destroyed. The Smotherfly opencast coalmine operating in the 1990s also damaged the remains of the canal.
The 1960s saw the biggest change of all. The closure of the railway stations at Pye Bridge was followed, on Friday 13th June 1969, by the closure of the ironworks. The Midland Acid Company was also in receivership, and this finally closed in 1971.
The local authority at the time, the Alfreton Urban District Council, along with others, decided to redevelop the site of the ironworks into Pye Bridge Industrial Estate, much as it had done in Somercotes after the closure of the collieries there.
Today, various companies occupy the site of the old ironworks. The site of Kempson’s and the Midland Acid Company, which was subjected to the opencast development, has now been landscaped, and no trace on the ground can be seen to record their existence. The gas works, too, has long since gone. The village itself, however, still survives, and the Main Road still follows the old route through to Nottingham along the old Turnpike Road.
PHOTO: Aerial view of Pye Bridge (Pye Bridge Station, bottom right. the Gas Works, center right and the Ironworks top left)