The Four Ways Club, Castleton

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Someone drew my attention to a feature on the Pegasus website yesterday, showing a photograph of a very young P B Smith in the "Four Ways Club hut at the bottom of the Winnats Pass". I've never heard of this club before, or of a hostel near the bottom end of the Winnats.

Does anybody know anything about this? I'm guessing the photo would have been taken just post war.

The photo's on here: https://www.pegasuscavingclub.org/p-b-smith - PB, with his characteristic grin, is at far left.
 
Thanks for putting the link up.  (y)  What great stories.  :clap:  Thank you Bari (Mick) Logan for wrting it down.  I could loose a few hours on here.  :coffee:
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
The Pegasus website is first class; there's some excellent content on there.
(I submitted some stuff myself over the last 12 months.)

But . . . can anybody shed any light on the "Four Ways Club"?
 

AR

Well-known member
I wonder if the hostel was a rented shed at Speedwell, rather like the  goods wagon body at Rowter Farm that was the old SUSS hut ? Might be worth asking John Harrison.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Thanks AR - I very much doubt it has anything to do with the old SUSS hut at Rowter Farm as the place is described as being at the bottom of the Winnats and I think the SUSS cattle wagon hut dates from much later (late 60s / early 70s).

I did wonder if the hut was one of the buildings associated with Speedwell Cavern. Next time I happen to be speaking to John H I'll ask him. (However, that photo would probably have been taken before John was born.)

But - surely there are still folk about from P B Smith's generation who would remember this?
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
AR - having just re-read your post I see you weren't suggesting the Four Ways Club hut was actually at Rowter Farm; you were just wondering if it may have been the same type of hut.
A good point, actually.
 

mikem

Well-known member
Club (caving, climbing, camping & trekking) is mentioned in John Travis profile:
http://www.emgs.org.uk/files/mercian_complete_issues/MG16_3_2006_complete.pdf

Grampian have some of their journals (seems Nottingham based):
http://www.gsg.org.uk/node/1427

It even gets a mention in a Belfry Bulletin (trip to Carlswark)
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Aha - nice one Mike. So maybe Nottingham based, probably formed very late 1950s or 1960(ish), caving was one of various activities regularly enjoyed by members and associated with DCA.
 

Mark Wright

Active member
pwhole said:
Won't it be the building opposite the cavern where the staff toilet is?

I was always led to believe it was the barn about half way along the overland footpath between Speedwell and Castleton.

Mark
 

Mrs Trellis

Well-known member
pwhole said:
Won't it be the building opposite the cavern where the staff toilet is?

I can remember that being a cafe. There's a photo in the shop of the Corrie cast visiting Speedwell in the early '60's and iirc the cafe is in the background.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Mark Wright said:
pwhole said:
Won't it be the building opposite the cavern where the staff toilet is?

I was always led to believe it was the barn about half way along the overland footpath between Speedwell and Castleton.

Mark

Good point Mark; I wonder . . . .  :-\

Are there any old artefacts kicking about which might suggest that was once used as a simple hostel? Perhaps if anyone goes past they could take notice.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Another good point Mark - he uses this forum so hopefully he'll see this topic at some stage.
 

T pot 2

Active member
The road signs ended up at another hostel not far away.
The nearest to to the four ways hostel was the railway cattle wagon at rowter farm where Ben lived in the early 70s.
 

bograt

Active member
Didn't get involved with the Castleton scene until the early '70's, before that I was Matlock based. Don't recall any Four Ways hostel, I think Teapot is referring to the SUSS hut, could it be the same place?
 

pwhole

Well-known member
These two are the only viable barns between Speedwell and the village - the third, near the old quarry, is a total ruin.
 

Attachments

  • Barns.jpg
    Barns.jpg
    193.5 KB · Views: 184

mch

Member
bograt said:
Didn't get involved with the Castleton scene until the early '70's, before that I was Matlock based. Don't recall any Four Ways hostel, I think Teapot is referring to the SUSS hut, could it be the same place?

For a photo of the SUSS hut/railway goods van at Rowter, see page 12 of The Derbyshire Caver no 145, Summer 2017 - https://thedca.org.uk/publications/newsletters .
 
Top