More gems from my second cousin Malcolm Gregory in Lincolnshire.
If you are familiar with the Dark Peak in Derbyshire / Edge of south Yorkshire, you will know the Derwent Dams. The most famous is Ladybower. I’d heard on the Family grapevine that one of the family had run a shop there during the construction of the dams. the navvies who built the dams had to stay in the area and the sheer scale of the project meant that many who came to the area ended up settling here permanently.
I asked in a letter if my dad’s cousin Malcolm knew anything about the Gregory brothers owning a shop in the temporary village of Birchinlee, which was constructed to house the workers who worked on the Derwent Dams above Bamford, Derbyshire.
No sooner had I asked than Malcolm had kindly sent me this beautiful photo.
Birchinlee shop
Serving behind the counter is Nathan Barlow. The boy on the chair is Jimmy Baines. The customer was actually the shop resident housekeeper known as “Granny Booker” who worked for the Gregory and Hitchen family for many years.
The shop was owned by Thomas Gregory of Tideswell.
Hi Phil – there is a small paperback book in Tidza Bookshop at the moment on the Derwent Dams and it briefly mentions Gregory’s shop. Let me know if you are interested in it and I’ll let you know where to find it
Thanks Clare. I don’t suppose you might ask them to reserve it for me would you. I’ll ask my mum to go up and get it. please Facebook me or tweet me whichever suits you best.
@tideswellman on twitter. or https://www.facebook.com/Tideswellman
Some of the bricks scattered around at Birchenlee have the Gregory name stamped into them, I wonder if this was coincidence or another relative of yours. Other bricks were from Barnsley though, stamped Skyers Spring, so it could well be a coincidence, I’ve not looked where Gregory bricks were made.