Reasons for Designation
Soughs were horizontal tunnels dug specifically for draining water away from
underground mine workings. Although they are common features in association
with Derbyshire lead mines, they are rare elsewhere in the country.
Well preserved examples are, therefore, considered to be of national
importance.
Long Sough is a functioning, well preserved and well documented example
associated with the important and extensive industrial landscape centred on
Cromford and Wirksworth. Its importance is further enhanced by its unusual
association with other water management features designed to control the flow
of water from the sough and reuse it to power the 18th century Arkwright's
Mill.
Details
The monument includes the entrance to Long Sough and comprises a 10m wide
D-shaped walled enclosure which drops c.2m below ground level on the inside.
Across the inside of the enclosure is a weir with a sluice whose baffle and
screw are still extant. Access to the sluice was via a short flight of steps
leading down to the weir on the north side. The entrance onto the weir is now
blocked by a metal grille.
The sough entrance is at the bottom of the enclosure on the south west side.
On the north side, set c.1m above the sough, are one blocked and one
functioning outfall which may relate to Scarthin millpond 100m to the
north west. Water drains away from the sough through two grille-covered
culverts on the north east side of the enclosure and, from here, formed part
of the original water supply used in the 18th century to power Arkwright's
Mill. Long Sough is an extension of Cromford Sough which was started in 1673
and is believed to have been the first major sough undertaken in Derbyshire.
The first section was finished by 1682 and numerous extensions were
constructed during the next century. The volume of water from the sough to
Arkwright's Mill was reduced by the completion of Meerbrook Sough in c.1836.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
27221
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
