The Project
Calver Weir is a 18C Grade 11 listed structure, Buildings at Risk situated on the River Derwent by Calver New Bridge in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire. It is a significant feature of the Industrial Revolution and was constructed to provide water to power Calver Mill to produce cotton, pioneered by Richard Arkwright in the Derwent Valley.
The structure is weak with two serious breaches in the downstream face; stone pitching has sunk in several places and water is flowing through the core. A long stretch of the structural toe is missing and tress have rooted in the debris.
Over the years several attempts have been made to repair the weakened structure but it is severly damaged and now in imminent danger of collapse. In September 2004, emergency repairs were carried out funded by £40,000 donations from local businesses and residents.
Calver Weir Restoration Project (CWRP), a registered charity was formed in 2004 with the objective of restoring the Weir. The charity acquired Calver Weir from private ownership in 2009 for a nominal sum.
For the last five years, CWRP has been raising funds to finance the total £1.844m cost of the project which includes work to restore the Weir, conservation of important Biodiversity Action Plan habitats and species, the erection of a new fish pass and repairs to associated heritage features.
Funding for the project is underpinned by the Heritage Lottery Fund £1.244m, EA £165,000, English Heritage £100,000, augmented by donations from Peak District National Park Authority, local businesses and residents.
Work began in November 2009.
The fish pass will be completed on the 31 March 2010 and restoration work to the Weir is anticipated to be finished by August 2010. Conservation work, the improvement of pathways, imporved access, erection of bird and bat boxes and a variety of other tasks is ongoing.
The repaired structure which holds back water raising water levels by 3.5m will ensure the continued flow of water into the Goit which drives the water wheels in the power house at Calver Mill and conserve the ecology and environment of Calver Marshes.
Under the new ownership and managment of CWRP, the successful restoration and maintenance of Calver Weir will now be safeguarded for future generations.
