Editing Birchinlee

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place 
|country = England
|coordinates  = {{coord|53.3717|-1.7036|display=inline,title}}
|static_image_name       =Birchinlee village marker in 2008.jpg
|static_image_caption= '''Birchinlee''' was a temporary hamlet in the [[Upper Derwent Valley]] in [[Derbyshire]], England, on the western shore of [[Derwent Reservoir, Derbyshire|Derwent Reservoir]].
|official_name= Birchinlee
|map_type= Derbyshire
| population = 0
| population_ref = <!-- This is a submerged village-->
 |shire_district= [[High Peak, Derbyshire|High Peak]]
| shire_county = [[Derbyshire]]
|region= East Midlands
|constituency_westminster= [[High Peak (UK Parliament constituency)|High Peak]]
|post_town= HOPE VALLEY
|postcode_district = 
|postcode_area= 
|dial_code= 
|os_grid_reference= SK207835
}}

'''Birchinlee''' is the site of "Tin Town", a village built by the [[Derwent Valley Water Board]] for the workers (and their families) who constructed the [[Derwent Reservoir, Derbyshire|Derwent]] and [[Howden Reservoir|Howden Dams]] between 1902 and 1916. Most of the workers had previously been engaged in the construction, in Wales, of the [[Elan Valley Reservoirs]] where the accommodation was very basic. At Birchinlee, a "model village" was built; its infrastructure included hospitals, school, canteen (pub), post office, shops, recreation hall, public bath house, police station, railway station, rubbish dump with incinerator, and much else. One of the shops was a well-stocked store owned by the Gregory brothers from [[Tideswell]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atideswellman.wordpress.com/2007/03/20/birchinlee-derbyshire-the-gregory-brothers-store/  |title=Birchinlee, Derbyshire – The Gregory Brothers Store |date=20 March 2007 |accessdate=1 May 2014}}{{Self-published source|date=April 2014}}</ref> Accommodation consisted of workmen's huts, foremen's huts and married workmen's huts. The latter were decorated to a high standard, as photographs from the period confirm. The population rose to 900 people.

Remnants of "Tin Town" can still be seen when walking to the west of Derwent Reservoir. The former railway track is now a footpath. One of the buildings was salvaged and rebuilt at [[Hope, Derbyshire|Hope]] where in 2014 it was reported to be housing a beauty parlour.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.derbyshirelife.co.uk/out-about/places/the-peak-district-villages-of-hope-and-edale-1-3447621|title=The Peak District villages of Hope and Edale|work=Derbyshire Life and Countryside|access-date=2017-12-20|language=en}}</ref>

A number of books and resources charting the history of Birchinlee and the dambuilders have been written by Professor Brian Robinson (whose mother was born and lived in Tintown) and Doctor Bill Beven, Peak District National Park archaeologist.

The Derwent Valley Museum, formerly located on the Derwent Reservoir dam and run privately by the late [[Vic Hallam Ltd|Vic Hallam]], told the history of the Derwent valley and of [[Derwent, Derbyshire|Derwent]], [[Ashopton]] and Birchinlee as well as the tale of [[No. 617 Squadron RAF|RAF Squadron 617]] and its training for [[Operation Chastise]] (the "Dam Busters" raids) during the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.derwentdammuseum.org |title=Derwent Dam Museum |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702185314/http://www.derwentdammuseum.org/ |archivedate=2 July 2012 |publisher=Derwent Dam Museum |date=2012 |accessdate=1 May 2014}}</ref>

Further up the valley is Beavers Croft, a 14th-century housestead that was occupied by the chief engineer of Howden Dam in the early part of the 20th century. It is currently owned by private business partners that let the house for self-catering holidays during the summer, and the barn was occupied by a part-time PDNPA ranger until late 2013.

==See also==
*[[Upper Derwent Valley]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:History of Derbyshire]]
[[Category:Towns and villages of the Peak District]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Derbyshire]]
[[Category:Hamlets in Derbyshire]]
[[Category:High Peak, Derbyshire]]