One of Derbyshire’s most tranquil beauty spots on land once home to Florence Nightingale’s family has been opened up to more summer visitors thanks to the sterling efforts of company volunteers.
A team from Hazelwood-based science company Lubrizol have been helping summer visitors to the newly restored Aqueduct Cottage enjoy the peace of the surrounding Lea Wood after spending hours heaving gravel and wooden planks to make new steps taking people up a steep bank.
The cottage and wood are owned by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust of which Lubrizol have been corporate partners for more than 20 years.
Ron Common, volunteer project manager at Aqueduct Cottage, said Lubrizol employees had been a big help in taking time out of their day to do some heavy lifting, helping improve a steep section of the adjoining sculpture trail, near the Florence Nightingale seat.
He said: “This particular path had always been a bit treacherous. The team from Lubrizol were very helpful. They took on a lot of what has been a big challenge for our volunteers and made new steps for us, which has made it much easier for people to navigate, especially for those who might have mobility issues.
“It’s a pretty area of the wood with a sculpture trail.
“We’re amazingly grateful to the team at Lubrizol who have once again given us volunteer time. They’re a great bunch. They’re full of enthusiasm. Because they sent us a team, they were able to get a lot done in a day which saved our regular volunteers much time and effort.
“It’s also great to have a local business who have given a lot of support to this project. We have a great relationship with Lubrizol and that means a lot to us.”
Work to restore the once dilapidated old Aqueduct Cottage began in 2019 and the entire project has been completed by volunteers. Since opening in March 2023, visitor numbers have steadily increased and are currently around 10,000 a year.
Built in 1802 by Florence Nightingale’s great, great-uncle Peter, Aqueduct Cottage provided lock-keeper’s accommodation on what was at the time a new arm of the Cromford Canal. Peter, a financial partner of famous mill-owner Richard Arkwright, created the new canal section to service his factories in the area.
Later when Florence, as a young woman, was at Lea Hurst in Holloway, she conducted research on “health and hygiene in the home”, working with the village doctor and visiting local residents, which may have included those at Aqueduct Cottage, since it was on the Lea Hurst Estate.
Lubrizol was one of the businesses which donated funds to help with the interior restoration of the fairytale cottage. Volunteers from the company have also helped out in the past with physical tasks on the site, including work to clear vegetation from the stonework of the old Leawood arm of the Cromford Canal, as well as helping uncover archaeologically interesting ‘Q Pits’ in Lea Wood – a relic from the time when the area was mined pre the Industrial Revolution, for ‘white coal’.
To create the path for their latest project, Lubrizol volunteers – who are more used to spending their days in the complex field of chemistry – cleared the area, carried materials to the site and used their teamwork skills to make a grand total of 19 steps up a steep slope. They then shifted two tonnes of logs from a fallen tree near the river back to the cottage for use on other projects.
Claire Hollingshurst, who sits on Lubrizol’s charities and communities committee and was part of the team who took part in the steps-building project over two days, said: “We always enjoy volunteering in the local community at Lubrizol and we have been to help out at Aqueduct Cottage several times now. It was hard work making the steps in Lea Wood but very much worth it when we were able to admire our handiwork at the end of the day! I hope the steps are being well used and helping more people enjoy this beautiful and historic part of Derbyshire.”
This story was written and shared on behalf of Lubrizol by Lucy Stephens. Can we share your news and get you in the headlines too? Find out how we can help by getting in touch.
