Long Sough Entrance

Overview

Long Sough, an extension of the 1673 Cromford Sough believed to be Derbyshire's first major drainage tunnel, still feeds water to power Arkwright's Mill today -- its 18th-century sluice gear, baffle and screw still working inside a walled entrance enclosure.

History

The entrance to Long Sough survives as a 10-metre-wide, D-shaped walled enclosure dropping about 2 metres below ground level, set into the hillside west of Allen's Hill, Cromford. Across the inside of the enclosure runs a weir carrying a sluice whose baffle and screw mechanism is still extant, originally reached by a short flight of steps on the enclosure's north side; the entrance onto the weir today is blocked by a metal grille. The sough's own entrance sits at the bottom of the enclosure on its south-west side. On the enclosure's north side, about a metre above the sough, are one blocked and one still-functioning outfall, possibly connected to the nearby Scarthin millpond 100 metres to the north-west; water drains away from the sough through two grille-covered culverts on the enclosure's north-east side, which historically formed part of the original water supply used to power Richard Arkwright's 18th-century cotton mill. Long Sough is an extension of Cromford Sough, begun in 1673 and believed to have been the first major sough undertaken anywhere in Derbyshire; its first section was finished by 1682, with numerous further extensions added over the following century as mine workings pushed deeper. The volume of water reaching Arkwright's Mill via the sough was eventually reduced following the completion of the much larger Meerbrook Sough around 1836, which took over much of the district's deep drainage. Scheduled as a nationally important monument since June 1981, Long Sough is valued as a functioning, well-preserved and well-documented example of drainage engineering within the important industrial landscape centred on Cromford and Wirksworth, its significance enhanced by its unusual, still-working connection to the water-management system that once powered Arkwright's pioneering mill.

Geology

An extension of Cromford Sough, a major 17th/18th-century drainage tunnel serving the Cromford/Wirksworth lead-mining district.

Workings

A D-shaped walled entrance enclosure with a weir, sluice, baffle and screw, steps, outfalls and grille-covered drainage culverts.

Closure

No reliable closure date has yet been located; the sough's contribution to the district's drainage was much reduced after Meerbrook Sough was completed around 1836.

What remains

Scheduled as a nationally important monument since June 1981 (amended 1996); still functioning, with water draining through it today.

A D-shaped walled entrance enclosure with a weir, sluice mechanism (baffle and screw), steps, two outfalls and grille-covered culverts survive.

Nearby mines

• Dovegang Mine — 0.2 km E
• Wapping Mine — 0.7 km N
• Cumberland Mine — 0.9 km N
• Snake Mine — 1.3 km NW
• Gang Mine — 1.4 km SW

Straight-line distance, within 15 km. Show on the map.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The monument includes the entrance to Long Sough and comprises a 10m wide D-shaped walled enclosure which drops c.2m below ground level on the inside; across the inside of the enclosure is a weir with a sluice whose baffle and screw are still extant, access originally via a short flight of steps on the north side. ¹
• Long Sough is an extension of Cromford Sough which was started in 1673 and is believed to have been the first major sough undertaken in Derbyshire; the first section was finished by 1682 and numerous extensions were constructed during the next century, with the volume of water from the sough to Arkwright's Mill reduced by the completion of Meerbrook Sough in c.1836. ¹
• Long Sough is a functioning, well preserved and well documented example associated with the important and extensive industrial landscape centred on Cromford and Wirksworth, its importance further enhanced by its unusual association with other water management features designed to control the flow of water from the sough and reuse it to power the 18th century Arkwright's Mill. ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Derbyshire HER: Scheduled Monument designation, Entrance to Long Sough west of Allen's Hill (DDR325) — Derbyshire Historic Environment Record
2. (primary) Entrance to Long Sough west of Allen's Hill, Cromford, Derbyshire — AncientMonuments.uk (mirroring the Historic England scheduling record)

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 17 September 2026