The Four Ways Club, Castleton

[Pitlamp]

There are one or two different photos of the SUSS hut at Rowter Farm in an anniversary journal which SUSS produced several years ago. But the SUSS hut was at the top of the Winnats whereas we're told that the Four Ways Club was based at the bottom of the Winnats. So it must be a different hut and club.

 

[Mark Wright]

The photo of the SUSS hut in the Derbyshire Caver brought back some pleasant memories. I used to stay there every weekend in the very early 80's before discovering the luxuries of the TSG hut with its significantly shorter walk back from the pub.

The photo of the Four Ways hut shows it to be stone built with a pitched roof and not a railway cattle truck.

Mark

 

[wellyjen]

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

Could it have become a total ruin because cavers were using it? 

 

[paul]

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

From the Pegasus CC website, "An early photo of 'PB' Smith in the Four Ways Club hut at the bottom of Winnats Pass,, Castleton" Photographic Copyright:  (P.C.N.) refers to the Pegasus Club Nottingham collection.

After a bit of sharpening and contrast tweaking, it appears to be a stone-built building with corrugated iron roof:

 

[Pitlamp]

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

Could it have become a total ruin because cavers were using it? 

 

Paul - thanks for your efforts with that image; it's really good! It's clearly a single storey building (or a single story extension of a larger building). Does this help narrow down the options!

 

[pwhole]

After some further searching, this is a crop from a zoomed shot that has the two small barns in it - the one on the left looks a likely candidate?

 

[Pitlamp]

Yes it does! And pretty close to Speedwell, so at the "bottom of the Winnats".
Reckon you may have cracked it there. I wonder if there's any artefacts still lying around outside which might suggest former use by a caving / outdoor club?

 

[Mark Wright]

I've been thinking about who might have told it was one of those barns. If it wasn't Bograt then it was probably PB.

Mark

 

[pwhole]

Yes it does! And pretty close to Speedwell, so at the "bottom of the Winnats".
Reckon you may have cracked it there. I wonder if there's any artefacts still lying around outside which might suggest former use by a caving / outdoor club?

It's possible some of the artifacts we pulled out of the Longcliffe shaft infill might have come from there! Like a part of a brass bedframe and a leather belt. A jar of 'Shippam's' potted meat and some 'Armour' baked beans. Not forgetting the green plastic Thermos flask of course. And half a housebrick.

In fact, that's more than enough material for a late-60s caving-based sitcom 

 

[Pitlamp]

It would be great to get to the bottom of this one because the FWC seems to have slipped (almost) under the historical caving radar.

 

[PeteHall]

It's a long shot, but would a photograph inside that barn, composed the same as the original, reveal any similarities in stonework etc that might confirm it?
You can make out some distinctive blocks in the photo, so if you could identify the same blocks in the barn, you would have a pretty good idea that was it.

 

[bograt]

Anyone know if Eddy Mason is still around?, he was with TSG before me, he may remember...

 

[Chocolate fireguard]

The original picture shows a window & a support for the roof beam.

The smaller building on the left has a window at the right level (the one in the gable of the barn is too high and the opposite gable is blank)) and a roof support can be seen.

 

[nickwilliams]

Anyone know if Eddy Mason is still around?, he was with TSG before me, he may remember...

He is still around, I was walking with him yesterday. He doesn't 'do' UKC but I'll try to remember to ask him about this when I see him this coming week.

 

[Pitlamp]

Thanks Nick.

Thanks also for the suggestions above re the detail of the building construction & photographing.
(I'm hoping pwhole might be interested in taking on this contract!)

 

[pwhole]

I had a feeling you might be. I had hoped to get out today to do some DCRO collection and then maybe run up the road, but I'm too busy working here sadly. Despite my recent forays into the mysteries of Castleton land-ownership/leasing, I can't honestly remember which farmer has this field. I know we got permission from him to do the Speedwell Vent scanning a few years ago, but it wasn't actually me who contacted him. I know I could just climb over the wall, but it would likely be the one day I really shouldn't have done it! I'll see if I can find out, unless anyone else already knows?

 

[Pitlamp]

Yes, always better to do these things properly (even if it causes a delay).

You may even find that the farmer can give useful information to help with this query anyway, once the conversation has started.

 

[SamT]

Just spotted this on Rightmove. See photo 2/7.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/commercial-property-for-sale/property-72823764.html

Mark

Split topic, but wanted to keep marks original link

 

[SamT]

Here's the sale page on Bagshaws own site - https://www.bagshaws.com/properties/land-off-goosehill-s33-8wd

Unfortunately the sale plot doesn't extend as far as the barn we're interested in, otherwise I'd print off a copy of the sale particulars and "go view"...

 

[Tangent_tracker]

And it has a photo of the Hollandtwine shaft top, ironically

I always thought Hollantwine was in the (now filled) quarry?