Leawood Pump House — Attraction in Derbyshire Dales

At High Peak Junction park ip and go over the bridge and take the path closest to you with the river on your right for less than 1/4 of a mile. Its only in operation certain weekends of the year so check the website. It is in a beautiful location. The steps down are not suitable for those in wheelchairs. Its a good idea to wear shoes that dont slip because they are old stone steps. There is a lot of coal ash on the floor too so dont wear white trainers. The big doors to the furnaces were open and kicking out a hot wave of air. Those with little children should keep close to them as there are a lot of places where they could get hurt like around the furnaces and machinery has not got any barrier around it. We all loved it, volunteer staff were passionate about it and willing to talk about mechanics if you wanted to. It is undeniably impressive and we all learned a lot. The stairs up to the beam are steep so those afraid of heights (like me.) Go backwards holding on the hand rails. Its a wonderful day out and remember to give a donation to the running of it as it costs 300 pounds a day to feed it...

A great place to visit while walking the cromford Canal - didn't expect it to be in steam but the group have done an excellent job restoring this 1849 pump house to full working order - maintaining the water levels in the canal by pumping water from the river Derwent. Entrance is free and we were able to explore the house at our own speed, from the ground floor boilers to climbing the stairs to the top beam. The guys were really happy to chat and describe in great detail the working of the engine. Access to and around the pump house is via flights of steep stairs so may not be to accessible for push or wheelchairs. would recommend a visit when open for all ages. Car parking is at Cromford mills or the canal head and take the towpath walk (or sometimes boat) to...

I’ve visited the Derwent Valley several times now, but yesterday was finally able to “tick off” this UNESCO site, as every time I have been in the area the pump house has been closed (due to it only being open a few days per year). I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the black smoke coming out of its chimney, and I quickly turned my car around and parked up so I could go and take a closer look! To my amazement it was free to visit and two big ovens being constantly filled with coal. If you get a chance to visit this is easily one of the highlights to this world heritage site, so be sure...