Mousley Bottom, Derbyshire: This area was a literal dump 40 years ago, devoid of life. But time and a dedicated council have worked their magic
Stand in this wood by the River Goyt, listening to the basso profundo of ravens overhead, and you could imagine that this place is some long-tempered blend of town and country.
In one sense it is. High overhead to the east is the busy Albion Road bridge leading into New Mills town centre. Turn north, and in front of you trees stretch all the way up the hillside, where there are redwings gorging on holly berries and the first pre-spring sounds of wren song that even the rush of the river cannot drown.
Had you been here 40 years ago, however, it would have been hard to tell which would have been more impactful: the sight of the sewage works or the smell from the municipal dump. And don’t leave out the gasworks, whose production of town gas from coal tar had further saturated the spot in heavy toxins.
Recall those earlier words about the rush of the river? That flow had long been used as the town flush toilet, carrying off all manner of pollutants, leaving the Goyt system almost devoid of life. If ever there was a place degraded beyond hope, Mousley Bottom was probably it.
