You are exploring part of the Butterley Gangroad, first built in 1793 to link local quarries with the Cromford Canal. It was one of the first railways in the East Midlands, and maybe the world, where a steam locomotive operated successfully.
The old bridge over Drovers Way carried the gangroad into the private yard and dates back to the 1850s (wooden beams relatively modern). The surviving buildings around the yard include the Limeworks Manager’s house, stables and outbuildings. The original 1793 route crossed the old pack horse route just north of the surviving bridge.
In the 1890s the manager of the limeworks, JP Hamilton, proposed significant expansion and improvements to the limeworks at Bullbridge. The proposed scheme involved raising the height of the kilns at Amber Wharf by 25 feet and building a new kiln with engine, crusher, screens, hoppers and elevators. The directors of the Butterley Company agreed to a simpler version of the scheme including raising the kilns by 15 feet. This still required raising the railway approach over the Drovers Way bridge and raising the yard by the manager’s house on the south side of the bridge.
Further information can be found at www.butterleygangroadproject.co.uk.